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CLASP2
Science Meeting

General Information

The CLASP2 Science Meeting will be held in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna). La Laguna is a city in the northern part of the island of Tenerife. With a population of 150,000 inhabitants, La Laguna is the second-most populous city of the island of Tenerife. La Laguna historical centre was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1999. Starting in 2003 the municipality started an ambitious Urban Plan to renew this area and, nowadays, La Laguna has a beautiful pedestrian historical centre with a lot of new shops, cafeterias, and restaurants that fill with life the streets of the city.

It is the home of the University of La Laguna with more than 30,000 students (not included in the population figures for the city). La Laguna is considered to be the cultural capital of the Canary Islands. It is called the "City of the Adelantados".  Adelantado was a title held by Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages. It was used as a military title held by some. The term adelantado was granted to Alonso Fernández de Lugo in the conquest of the Canary Islands and was confirmed to members of his family.

Weather and climate

The weather in Tenerife during November is usually very pleasant. But, although the climate is usually mild, please make sure that you have some warm clothing and an umbrella as cool evenings and heavy rain are quite possible at this time of the year.

The weather in San Cristobal de La Laguna is expected to be mild with temperatures in the range 17º to 20ºC during the day. The afternoons and evenings can be more humid and rainy.

Snow may come down in exceptional conditions to about the 1500 m level allowing spectacular photographs of the mountain side. During the trip to El Teide Observatory, you should expect cold temperatures (even about zero degrees celsius). Mountain-top weather is very variable at this time of the year and rain, snow, fog and high winds may all occur. The weather can change quickly, so a brilliant sunny day may turn cloudy, or viceversa.

Travel information

There are two airports on the island of Tenerife, one on the north side (Tenerife Norte, TFN, also known as "Aeropuerto de Los Rodeos") and the other one on the south of the island (Tenerife Sur, TFS, also known as "Aeropuerto Reina Sofía"). Both airports are at about 2.5 hours flying time from Madrid, and about 3 hours from Barcelona. San Cristóbal de La Laguna lies 5 km from TFN, and 65 km from TFS, with a motorway link covering the full journey in both cases. The easiest access is from the northern airport (TFN) along the TF-5 motorway and it takes about 10 min.

TFN handles mostly inter-island and domestic flights, with many connections daily to Madrid and Barcelona. If you connect there you should fly to TFN. TFS handles mainly tourist and low-cost flights, offering direct connections to many airports around Europe.

Getting to your Hotel (local transport)

  • From Tenerife North Airport (TFN):

    We recommend you to take a taxi as it should just cost you less than 10 €. Some taxis can be paid by card, others cash only. Ask before you board if this is critical. Alternatively, bus numbers 102, 107 and 108 will take you to the bus station in La Laguna. Bus tickets can be bought from the driver (cash only). To get to the taxi rank at TFN airport, go right after arriving and look for the (English-speaking) taxi concierge. To get to the bus station, turn left instead and, after around 50 meters, right and down the ramp. Note: The local bus company is called TITSA , buses are painted bright green, and the local name for bus is "guagua" or "autobus".

  • From Tenerife South Airport (TFS):

    You can either catch a taxi (about 80 €); or Bus number 111 from TFS to Santa Cruz de Tenerife (main bus terminal). Updated departure times can be consulted on the Titsa webpage . You can buy your bus ticket (cash only, around 10 euros) from the driver. Make sure you catch bus 111 in the right direction, the return bus from Santa Cruz to Los Cristianos also has number 111. The bus desk (labelled Titsa ) is located at the extreme north side and the bus stop is just outside of the Arrivals terminal. The journey to Santa Cruz bus station is about 50 min. From there, the most convenient option to reach La Laguna is to take the tram (“tranvía”) as it is really comfortable and the end of the line is very close to Hotel La Laguna Nivaria (3 min. walk). As you go out of the Bus terminal station in Sta. Cruz (East exit facing to the sea) you will see the tram station (it is the terminal station). Your destination is “La Trinidad”, the other end of Line 1. Alternatively, a taxi from the Bus terminal station in Sta. Cruz to Hotel Nivaria will cost you about 14 €. Buy your tram ticket from the machine before you board. Some taxis can be paid by card, others cash only. Ask before you board if this is critical.

Changing money

The recommended way to obtain money is by withdrawal from any of the numerous cash-dispensing machines. There is a bank within the international arrivals lounge at the TFS Airport which operates daily till 2:00 PM except Sundays and public holidays. If you are travelling through Madrid or Barcelona, the exchange bureau opens there round the clock. However, NO currency exchange facilities are available in TFN Airport. Many banks are available in La Laguna, and open Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:00. Credit cards are widely accepted in restaurants, hotels, etc.

Dining

There is a number of nice restaurants to have lunch or dinner in La Laguna.