Travel information
New! Some suggestions of places to eat
(please beware that most places in La Laguna are closed on Sunday evenings)
Tasca El Obispado, C/ Herradores 88, 922 251450. Traditional tapa bar. Closed on Sundays.
La taberna del anticuario, C/ Marqués de Celada 10, 922 634758. Both tapa bar and high-rank restaurant. Large choice of montaditos (small sandwiches). Closed on Sunday evening and Mondays.
Taberna Sin Pecado, C/ Bencomo 26, 922 080065. Closed on Mondays.
Rucola & grana, C/ Bencomo 18, corner with C/ Tabares de Cala, 922 630265. Excellent Italian pizza and pasta. Closed on Sunday evening and Mondays.
Guaydil, C/ Dean Palahi 26, 922 266843. Canarian cooking with a creative touch. Closed on Sundays.
La Casa de Óscar, C/ Herradores 66, 922 265214. A traditional wine bar with a large selection of tapas. Closed on Sundays.
Taberna Olivera (ex- Figón de la Concepción), Plaza Doctor Olivera 8, corner with C/ Candilas, 922 258732. Spanish cuisine, grilled vegetables cooked in a wood-fired oven. Closed on Sundays.
Bodegón Tocuyo, C/ Juan de Vera 18, 922 250045. A traditional tapa bar, famous for its "vino con vino" (wine with wine). Closed on Sundays.
La Parroquia de Gory's, C/ Bencomo 38, 922 251454. Tapa bar. Closed on Mondays.
Tasca el Correillo, C/ Herradores 106, 922 266894. Closed on Mondays.
Bodegón Viana, C/ Viana 35, 922 264213. Low-budget traditional Canarian cooking, very popular among students. Closed on Mondays.
Taberna Ramón, Rambla del General Franco 56, Santa Cruz, 922 241367. Genuine cooking, excellent ham and cheese. Closed on Sundays.
El Parlamento, Avenida del General Mola, 19 (tram stop: Puente Zurita), Santa Cruz, 922 245690. Castilian steakhouse.
The island of Tenerife
Tenerife, a Spanish island, is the largest of the seven Canary Islands. It is located in the Atlantic Ocean some 350 km off the coast of Africa and, with more than 800,000 inhabitants, it the most populated island in the archipelago.
The IAC is situated in San Cristóbal de La Laguna (commonly known as La Laguna), situated in the northern part of the island. The city is the second-most populous city of the island. La Laguna historical center was declared World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1999. The city is located 8 km away from the capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
The climate in the coastal areas of Tenerife is mild in October and often suitable for bathing in the open, with temperatures usually in the range 20-25º C during the day and 16-18º C at night. Temperatures, however, may vary strongly within distances of just a few kilometers as the Canary islands hold a wide variety of microclimates, extending from the subtropical to the continental climates. The microclimates are the result of the island's dramatic orography (Mount Teide, the highest point in Spain, reaches a height of 3718 metres) and the north-easterly trade winds.
Visit to the Teide
The Teide, the highest point in Spain, reaches a height of 3718 metres and is a still active volcano. The Teide National Park (Parque Nacional del Teide in Spanish), a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, offers breathtaking views and is certainly worth a visit. Several places of interest in the park (such as Las Cañadas and the Valle de Ucanca) can be reached by car. A cableway connects the Rambleta station (2356 m) to Pico del Teide (3555 m), from which several paths depart. The upward path, which covers the final 163 m, requires a special permit that must be issued in advance.
Air traffic
The Canary Islands have excellent air connections to continental Europe and the UK. There are scheduled flights between Tenerife and the major Spanish cities, as well as to a number of European destinations. There are charter flights to more than a hundred foreign destinations. The flying time from Madrid to Tenerife is approximately 2.5 hours. Flights to most western European capitals take between 3.5 and 4.5 hours.
Tenerife has two airports, one in the north, Tenerife Norte (TFN, aka Los Rodeos Airport), and the other in the south, Tenerife Sur (TFS, aka Reina Sofía Airport). The code to search for connections to either airport is TCI. TFN is much closer to La Laguna and the IAC (8 km) than TFS (80 km), and is therefore recommended. If you do arrive at TFS, we recommend using the bus rather than a taxi as the cost for the latter will be considerable (at least 80 euros). The bus will drop you either in Santa Cruz or at TFN and from there you can take a taxi.
Bus schedules from TFS to TFN can be found here: (look under "Salidas desde Aeropuerto Sur").
Bus schedules from TFS to Santa Cruz can be found here. Then you can take a Taxi to La Laguna (10 km, about 12 euros)
Spanish Airports and Air Navigation (AENA) Flight Information
In most cases Madrid Airport (Barajas, code MAD) is used as a transfer when coming from non-European countries. There are daily flights connecting worldwide locations and Madrid (beware that Madrid airport is huge and transfer may take more than one hour, particularly if your flight connection involves Terminal 4). Madrid-Tenerife is operated by IBERIA or other Spanish regular airlines (Spanair, Air Europe) and costs 300 € or sometimes considerably less, but is highly dependent on early booking and special offers. There are also daily connections via Barcelona for similar prices. Vueling connects other Spanish cities to TFN.
Given the abundant number of charter flights to Tenerife from all over Europe, connections through many other major European airport can be considered.
These are useful flight company links:
| Iberia | Vueling | Air-Berlin | Binter |
| British Airways | EasyJet | Transavia | Islas Airways |
AENA (Spanish flight agency) information: http://www.aena.es.
Local transportation
The distance between Hotel Nivaria and the IAC is 1.5 km. You can either walk or take a taxi; there is also a tram, but it only covers one third of the total distance (1 stop: from "Cruz de Piedra" to "Museo de la Ciencia").
Taxi fares are inexpensive compared to European standards, and we recommend this form of transport for your transfer to the hotel. The approximate price of a taxi from the TFN airport to the hotel will be 10€, and taxis can be found immediately outside the arrivals terminal at TFN, where taxi stewards are available to assist you. Taxis services are very well regulated and very safe. A tip for good service can be considered, and taxi drivers will gladly write a receipt ('una factura, por favor'). If you share a taxi, there should be no problem getting more than one receipt for the fractional cost. Taxis from Tenerife South airport (TFN) will cost about 80 Euros to the hotel.
Car rental: If you wish to rent a car, two possibilities are CICAR (http://www.cicar.com) or AutoReisen (http://www.autoreisen.es). You won't need a car if you only stay in La Laguna.
Health and insurance
All participants are strongly recommended to arrange for medical insurance for the duration of their stay in the Canary Islands. Spanish public health centres have co-operation agreements with most European Union countries, but you will need to bring your European Health Insurance Card to avoid having to pay.
There are two large public hospitals in Tenerife, both close to La Laguna: the General Hospital (Hospital Universitario de Canarias) (phone: 922-678000), and the Residence of the National Health Service (Nuestra Señora de la Candelaria) (phone: 922-602114). Both are amply equipped with the most sophisticated medical facilities.
In any kind of emergency, dial 112 directly.