The island tour sold by nearly every agency is really a tour of the north-west: it goes up Teide, down to Icod de los Vinos and Garachico, into Masca and back via Santiago del Teide. It takes about 9 hours and you stop for between half an hour and an hour in each place. For a first trip without a car it's the most efficient way to see the four places that appear in every photo.
What doesn't fit, you need to know before you pay: the Teide cable car, the summit, walking the Masca gorge and the north and north-east of the island (La Laguna, La Orotava, Anaga). Anyone who wants those needs two days, or has to choose.
Our picks
1
The most proven
Teide, Masca, Icod and Garachico in 9 h; the classic tour with the most reviews, rated 4.6.
GetYourGuide9 hours
Tenerife: Teide National Park, Masca, Icod & Garachico Tour
4.6 (3,035 reviews)
from €58Check availability
2
If you're staying in the north
Full island tour with departures from the south and the north, rated 4.8 in reviews.
GetYourGuide8.5 - 9.5 hours
Tenerife: Full island sightseeing tour, with departures from the south and north
4.8 (183 reviews)
from €75Check availability
3
From Santa Cruz, without Masca
Teide, Icod and Garachico in 7–8 h, skipping the Masca road: fewer bends for anyone who gets car sick.
GetYourGuide7 - 8 hours
From Santa Cruz: Teide Volcano, Icod & Garachico Tour
4.9 (275 reviews)
from €75Check availability
4
You've already been up Teide
A grand tour of the island without the national park, for a second visit.
GetYourGuide8 hours
VIP tour: Tenerife Grand Tour (Without Teide)
4.8 (167 reviews)
from €75Check availability
5
Private, just the west
Masca and Los Gigantes in 6 h at your own pace, for anyone who'd rather see a few places properly.
GetYourGuide6 hours
Tenerife: Private Masca & Los Gigantes Tour with Hidden Pool
5.0 (69 reviews)
from €112Check availability
What fits into one day and what doesn't
Agencies split the day up roughly like this. Use it to judge any itinerary you're offered:
| Stop | Usual time on the excursion | What you have time for |
|---|---|---|
| Teide National Park | 30–80 min | Roques de García, viewpoints, photos |
| Icod de los Vinos | 30–90 min | seeing the dragon tree, the square, a coffee |
| Garachico | about 60 min | the old town and a stroll by the sea |
| Masca | 30–45 min | a wander round the hamlet, without walking down the gorge |
What doesn't fit, whatever anyone promises:
- The Teide cable car (Teleférico del Teide). If you add the cable car, Masca has to come off the day. The cable car ride comes as its own excursion; we explain it in the Teide guide.
- The summit. The final stretch to 3,715 m needs a separate permit and a time slot.
- Walking the Masca gorge. It's a full day with its own booking (Masca guide).
- La Laguna and La Orotava. They're not on the Gran Tour. They're on a different tour, of the north.
The classic tour: Teide, Icod, Garachico and Masca
Teide
Access to the park is open and free, and the TF-21, TF-24 and TF-38 roads are open to all vehicles. The usual stop is at Las Cañadas, by the Roques de García. If the excursion only gives you 30 minutes, think of it as a tour of villages with a photo of Teide, not a visit to the volcano.
Icod de los Vinos and the dragon tree
The Drago de Icod is at least 800 years old, not a thousand as its name suggests, and stands about 16–17 m tall with a girth of about 20 m at the base. It has been a National Monument since 1917 and sits inside the Parque del Drago, a 3-hectare garden.
- Entry: €5 adults, €3 students and pensioners, €2.50 children aged 6 to 11, free for under-6s.
- Opening hours: April to October, 09:00–20:00; November to March it closes at 18:00. For the winter opening time some sources say 09:00 and others 10:00: confirm it with Tenerife Tourism if you're going early.
- The park isn't wheelchair accessible and drones aren't allowed.
Garachico
It was the island's main port until the 1706 eruption, which buried much of the town and the harbour. That lava formed the natural rock pools of El Caletón. An hour is enough for the old town, the Castillo de San Miguel (1575), the church of Santa Ana and a look at the sea; swim at El Caletón only if the sea is calm, because the waves come in hard there.
Masca
The coach stops at the hamlet, at the top of the gorge. Big coaches don't go up to Masca: agencies use vehicles with 35 seats at most, and on wildfire alert days only buses up to 7.5 m long with a reserved slot get in.
From the south or from the north: the order matters
From the hotels in the south, the route climbs Teide via Vilaflor, comes down to Icod and reaches Masca in the afternoon. From Puerto de la Cruz it's the other way round after Teide: Masca before Icod. That has two practical consequences:
- Tours from the south reach Icod at lunchtime, at the same time as every other coach. You see the dragon tree among the crowds.
- Tours from the north reach Masca earlier than the coaches from the south, when it's quieter.
Lunch isn't in the basic price; agencies sell it as an extra (about €20). If you don't book it, bring something to eat: the stops are short.
Coach, minibus or private tour
The good
- The coach is the cheapest: from about €55 with pick-up in your area.
- You don't have to drive the Masca mountain road yourself.
- On wildfire alert days it still gets into Masca, with a reserved slot.
The not so good
- The stops are short and to a fixed schedule.
- Picking up at several hotels makes the day longer.
- You don't choose the order: if your hotel is among the first on the route, you're up earlier.
A private or small-group excursion costs more (on this page, from €95 for Teide, Masca and Garachico with sunset, and from €112 for the private Masca and Los Gigantes tour), but lets you drop some stops and spend longer at others. It's the right choice for families with children who get car sick, for groups of four or five, or for anyone who'd rather see two places properly than four in a rush. A 6-hour private tour of Masca and Los Gigantes is more enjoyable than the full loop if you already know Teide.
The northern tour: La Laguna, La Orotava and Puerto de la Cruz
This is the side of the island the Gran Tour skips. La Laguna is a World Heritage Site for its colonial street plan, the first unwalled one, and lies about 10 km from Santa Cruz. La Orotava has the Casa de los Balcones, the church of La Concepción and the Mirador de Humboldt over the valley. And Puerto de la Cruz is 11 minutes from La Orotava.
Some excursions combine Candelaria, La Orotava, Garachico and Masca, and others do the loop without Teide. For a second day out, Anaga works well too, with its laurel forest and trails, or La Gomera by boat from Los Cristianos.
Doing it yourself: car or bus
| On your own | With a tour | |
|---|---|---|
| What | on your own | on an excursion |
| Transport | hire car, or buses 460, 363, 355 and 342 | coach or minibus with pick-up |
| Cost | fuel and parking, or about €7 by bus per long leg | from about €55 per adult |
| Masca during a wildfire alert | hire cars can't get through from 09:00 to 16:00 | gets in with a reserved slot |
| Cable car | you can add it if you drop Masca | not included |
| Pace | your own, but you drive, with plenty of hairpins | fixed, no driving |
| Dragon tree | €5 | €5 extra, almost always |
By car it's perfectly doable, and lets you fit in the cable car if you sacrifice Masca. Bear two things in mind. The Masca road is demanding, and during a wildfire alert you'll be turned back at the checkpoint. And the Cabildo has announced access control for the Teide park with paid parking reservations for hire cars, plus shuttles from the coast; the dates may slip, so check the status on Tenerife ON before you go.
By bus (guagua, as the locals say), the whole loop in one day doesn't work. The 342 goes up Teide just once a day (09:25 from Costa Adeje) and the 460 links Costa Adeje with Icod in 1 h 40 min for €7.00. From Puerto de la Cruz the 363 connects Icod (€3.50) and Garachico (€3.75), and the 355 climbs to Masca from Santiago del Teide for €1.45. Split over two days, though, it's a good cheap plan. Timetables are on titsa.com, with more detail in buses and the sightseeing bus.
More full-day excursions
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See all options on GetYourGuide →
Tips before you book
- Read the itinerary stop by stop. "Teide tour" can mean 30 minutes or an afternoon; "island tour" almost never includes La Laguna.
- Ask whether the cable car is included. If the listing doesn't say so, it isn't.
- Bring a warm layer. It's cold on Teide even when it's hot on the coast.
- Carry cash for the dragon tree and a coffee.
- Don't book it for a day you're flying. The tour runs long with traffic and the hotel drop-offs.
Can you see Teide, Masca, Icod and Garachico in one day?
Yes, on an excursion of about 9 hours with stops of 30 to 90 minutes and no cable car. If you want to go up by cable car, you have to drop Masca.
How much does an island tour cost in Tenerife?
By coach, from about €55 per adult on the platforms; the classic Teide–Masca route from €58. The small-group or private options on this page range from €75 to €112.
Does the excursion include entry to the Icod dragon tree?
Almost never. Entry costs €5 for adults; you can see the tree for free from the square next to the church of San Marcos.
How old is the dragon tree in Icod de los Vinos?
At least 800 years old according to estimates, not a thousand. It stands about 16–17 m tall.
Can I drive to Masca in a hire car?
Usually yes, but on wildfire alert days the TF-436 is closed to tourists' cars from 09:00 to 16:00. On those days only bus 355 and excursions with a reserved slot get through.
Does the island tour go to La Laguna and La Orotava?
The classic Gran Tour doesn't. For La Laguna and La Orotava you need a different excursion or a day on your own by tram and bus from Santa Cruz.
