La Orotava is on the north coast of Tenerife, within the Orotava Valley. It is located 5 km E of Puerto de la Cruz, the main tourist resort in the North of Tenerife. La Orotava, however keeps all the calm and charm of the old traditional villages typical of the island. This region is home, first and foremost, to the highest mountain in Spain, El Teide.

The valley is a major cultivator of bananas, chestnuts and vineyards, and is also excellent hiking country, with a maze of footpaths leading you into Canarian pine woods, with 1200m views down over the coastal plain. If you have never seen a banana plantation this is a good opportunity to see how this local good is growth and produced.

La Orotava is a pretty town which is well known for its attractive courtyards and lovely carved balconies. Typical Canarian architecture with beautifully carved wooden balconies and pretty courtyards abound as you wander around the streets and squares of La Orotava. The Casa de los Balcones (House of the Balconies) and the Casa del Turista are both fine examples which are open to the public. The old town of La Orotava has been declared a Site of National Historic and Artisitic Interest.

Casa de los Balcones offers a great variety of typical Canarian products which one of then includes artwork, embroideries ceramics and more. The building has three stories, it features five balconies and at the second story, they are made out of wood. The patio features plants. It has an artwork complex which is the most famous in the Canary Islands. It also has a training centre. Thousands of people visit the building in numerous departments. In the Casa de los Balcones has the crafts of Eladia Machado. In various living rooms, it features artwork. It became a tourist attraction of northern Tenerife.

The town also has a botanical garden, La Hijuela del Botánico, with more than 3,000 different tropical and subtropical plant species mainly of South and Central American, African and Australian origin. In the city centre the Jardín Victoria (Victoria Garden), also known as the Jardines del Marquesado de la Quinta Roja, is a recreational green area with many walking paths amid trees and flowers. Here you will also find the Carrara Marble Mausoleum, designed by French architect Adolph Coquet in 1882, who built this intricate tomb for the freemason Marqués de la Quinta Roja.

Being 390 meters above sea level, La Orotava is benefiting from the wet climate and greeneries. With its scenic location in the La Orotava valley (Valle de La Orotava), this area has been the favourite of famous explorer – Alexander Humboldt 200 years ago, and many visitors since. No doubt, the lush area of the valley is great to be explored on foot. You can hike up to the Mirador del Humboldt for an expansive views of the valley. There is a cafe and a restaurant there for your disposal.

Things to see in La Orotava
* El Ayuntamiento (Municipal palace)
* Mirador Humboldt, after Alexander von Humboldt, from the greatest panoramic attraction over the valley.
* Casa Molina
* Plaza de San Francisco
* La Casa de Los Balcones
* El Teide, which is Spain’s highest mountain

La Orotava is linked with the TF5 Motorway and the old highway linking Icod de los Vinos and the capital. It is reached with the Titsa buses, and from the road that almost surrounds the island, so you can get there from the south as well.