General Information
Venue
The Whole Sun Meeting will take place at the headquarters of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC), located at Vía Láctea s/n, in San Cristóbal de La Laguna.
San Cristóbal de La Laguna, commonly known as La Laguna, is a city situated on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands, positioned just inland from the island's capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. With a population of approximately 160,000 inhabitants, La Laguna is renowned for its historic center, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 owing to its well-preserved examples of colonial architecture and urban layout. La Laguna holds the distinction of being the cultural capital of the Canary Islands and is often referred to as the "City of the Adelantados." The title of Adelantado was granted to Spanish nobles in service of their respective kings during the Middle Ages, functioning both militarily and administratively. This title was bestowed upon Alonso Fernández de Lugo during the conquest of the Canary Islands and was subsequently confirmed for members of his family. Additionally, La Laguna is home to the University of La Laguna.
Weather and climate
The weather In La Laguna in October is typically pleasant, with nice temperatures and relatively low rainfall. Daytime temperatures commonly range from around 16 to 22 degrees Celsius. However, it's worth noting that weather conditions can vary, and evenings can be chilly. Occasional showers or cloudy days may occur, particularly towards the end of October.
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.
- Tenerife Norte (North) airport, only a few minutes away from the city of La Laguna.
- Tenerife Sur (South) airport, about an hour away by car from the city of La Laguna.
Getting to your Hotel (local transport)
- From Tenerife North Airport (TFN):
We recommend you to take a taxi as it should just cost you around 10 €. Some taxis can be paid by card, others cash only. Ask before you board if this is critical. To get to the taxi rank at TFN airport, go right after arriving and look for the (English-speaking) taxi concierge.
Alternatively, bus number 20 will take you to the main bus station in La Laguna. Bus tickets can be bought from the driver (cash only and do not try to pay with big bills >=20). To get to the bus station, after exiting the baggage claim, turn left 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". Once you are in the main bus station, you can take the tram (1 stop) in direction "La trinidad" in case you stay in the city center (e.g., at Nivaria's hotel). -
From Tenerife South Airport (TFS):
The fastest option is the taxi (about 80 €). Some taxis can be paid by card, others cash only. Ask before you board if this is critical.
By bus, you can take number 10 from TFS to Santa Cruz de Tenerife (main bus terminal), which is around 50 min. You can buy your bus ticket (cash only and do not try to pay with big bills >=20) from the driver. Once in Santa Cruz, you have three options: taking a taxi to La Laguna (~15-20 euros), taking another bus (numbers 15, 102, or 108) to the main station in La Laguna, or taking the tram (the slowest option).