Three products in the catalogue stop here, and one of them carries 331 of the 332 reviews between them. That is a thin shelf for the most visited religious site in the Canaries — and the reason is that the town is twenty minutes from Santa Cruz on a free motorway, so most people simply drive.
Candelaria is a half-hour south of Santa Cruz on the TF-1, the basilica is free to enter and the square in front of it is public. No tour is needed and none is sold on its own. Essence of Tenerife: Candelaria, Orotava, Garachico and Masca at €58 — ★4.4 from 331 — is the only product here with a real sample, and Candelaria is one of its four stops. Treat this page as a note on what to look at when you get there.
One from each shape of day. The full table is below if you want to compare all of them side by side.
★None from 1 reviews.
No reviews yet — listed because it exists, not because we can judge it.
Ranked by whether a day spent on them is worth it, not by star rating alone — a high score from a handful of reviews is not a recommendation.
| Tour | Type | Hours | Rating | Reviews | Price | Verdict | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TREASURES OF THE NORTH: Candelaria, La Laguna, Anaga, Santa Cruz | Minivan | 8 H | — | 1 | €68 | SKIP | Book |
| Taganana, Candelaria & Anaga Forest Tour | Minivan | 7 H | — | – | €442 | NEW | Book |
| Essence of Tenerife: Candelaria, Orotava, Garachico and Masca | Minivan | 9 H | ★ 4.4 | 331 | €58 | ONLY IF | Book |
| Drive down the TF-1 from Santa Cruz and park by the square | DIY | 1 H | — | — | free | DIY | Not sold here |
Figures checked against the sources named under the table.
| What | Figure | The detail behind it |
|---|---|---|
| Patroness of | the Canary Islands | All seven islands, not only Tenerife |
| Recognised | 1559 | By Pope Clement VIII |
| Principal patroness | 1867 | By Pope Pius IX |
| Present basilica | consecrated 1 Feb 1959 | By the papal nuncio and the bishop |
| Pilgrimages | 2 Feb and 15 Aug | The August one is the larger |
| The menceyes | nine bronzes | By José Abad, replacing older stone figures |
| Where they stand | Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias | Facing the sea, before the church |
| From Santa Cruz | about 25 minutes | South on the TF-1 |
On 2 February and 15 August tens of thousands of pilgrims arrive, many of them on foot overnight from across the island. The August date is the larger. On those days the town is not a quiet seafront with a church on it — parking is gone, the coast road is busy and the basilica is full.
The principal church of the Canary Islands, home to the image of the Virgin of Candelaria, patroness of the whole archipelago since 1559 and principal patroness by papal declaration in 1867. The present building was consecrated on 1 February 1959.
For half an hour, yes — the square with its nine bronze Guanche kings facing the ocean is one of the more striking public spaces on the island, and entry to the basilica is free. It is not a day out.
2 February and 15 August. The August date is by far the larger, with pilgrims walking overnight from across Tenerife. Expect the town to be full and parking to be impossible.
The nine menceyes — the Guanche kings who ruled the island before the Castilian conquest. The bronzes are modern works by José Abad that replaced earlier stone figures.
About twenty-five minutes south of Santa Cruz on the TF-1, with regular buses. From the southern resorts it is around an hour, which is why it only appears as a stop on longer circuits.
No. The basilica and the Plaza de la Patrona de Canarias are both free, and no tour on this page pays anything for access.
Essence of Tenerife: Candelaria, Orotava, Garachico and Masca at €58, ★4.4 from 331 reviews — a nine-hour circuit taking in Candelaria, La Orotava, Garachico and Masca. The other two products have almost no reviews.
Easily, on your own — they are half an hour apart on the motorway. No product in the catalogue pairs just those two, but both sit on the northern circuits.
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