A glimpse of the city

It is easy to find a place from which to observe Santa Cruz because it is surrounded by mountains. If you arrive from La Laguna, through La Cuesta, just as you enter the municipality you will find the Vistabella viewpoint. One of the bus lines that connects both cities, the 014, stops right at that point. https://www.titsa.com/index.php/tus-guaguas/lineas-y-horarios/linea-014. This is a very popular viewpoint because it is located in an urban area and next to a very busy road.

There is another viewpoint, a little quieter and more visited by those who simply want to spend some time watching the scenery or the hustle and bustle of the ferries coming and going. It is not located in the urban center, but between mountains on the road that connects the city with Los Campitos, a small village nearby but at a higher altitude. It is reached by the TF-111 and there is no bus that accesses it, you can access by bicycle, in fact this road is frequently used by cyclists but … it is not an easy ride, it requires a good physical shape. From the viewpoint of Los Campitos, the view is unbeatable and covers from east to west, from the mountains of Anaga, the succession of port facilities, the city just below and the urban conglomerate that joins La Laguna. To our right are the mountains of Güímar, the Esperanza mountain and the Teide.

Another very interesting place to enjoy the views is the recreational area of Las Mesas, located a little higher than the aforementioned viewpoint of Los Campitos. If you are brave enough to get there by bicycle, you only have to continue a little further on to Lomo Las Casillas, a hamlet that can also be reached by bus 912. To get to Las Mesas you still need to walk along a small paved road for about 20 minutes. Las Mesas has been recently renovated. This is a perfect area for barbecues -chuletadas as we call them in Tenerife- or snacks. The views are exceptional, because not only the sea is easily seen, but it allows a landscape view almost 360 degrees, where the nearby peaks of Anaga stand out.

The lights of Santa Cruz

In all the viewpoints of the city you can see the first light of the day and enjoy how the sun rises over the horizon. Depending on the time of year, the sun will rise over the sea or over Gran Canaria, the neighboring island. They are viewpoints where it is more beautiful to see the sunrise because the sunset occurs over the mountains of the ridge of Tenerife, at the back of where we are. In any case, the viewpoints have a surprise in store for us: visit them at night to see the lights of the city in contrast with the black of the ocean, with the always curious sight of the illuminated ships transiting between islands and the lights, not so far away, of the island of Gran Canaria.