This is the nerve-centre , the heart of Puerto de la Cruz, the place where the visitor gets a feel for the pulse of our busy, cosmopolitan town. Its construction cannot be dated with any precision. As an open space for meeting it existed from the earliest times, but it did not exist as a real square until the XVIIIth Century. Important renovation was carried out in 1835, the walkways were paved in 1911 and the fountain installed. A bandstand was built in the XXth Century. Throughout its history it has had a variety of names, depending on the political situation, but among the locals it has always been known as the Plaza del Charco or Plaza del Charco de los Camarones [the Shrimp Pool Plaza], because during periods of heavy sea swell, the waves came into this space through the harbour mouth, causing a large tide pool where they could catch shrimps. In the shade of the Canary palms and the magnificent laurels brought over from Cuba in 1852, next to the impressive yam plant , another of the town’s beloved symbols flourishing by the fountain for over a century, the benches are the scene of animated conversation or a quiet snooze. Other characteristic features are the central area of volcanic gravel, the outer walkway and the “Dinámico” cafeteria, one of the most popular in town, the newspaper kiosks and the children’s play area. The Plaza was largely renovated at the beginning of the 1990s, whilst still keeping the traditional elements.

Es la más pequeña y la más recoleta de las plazas del centro urbano portuense. Situada en frente de la iglesia de San Francisco y la ermita de San Juan, fue construida en 1904 en honor al médico que se distinguió entre los principales promotores del Gran Hotel Taoro, y pionero del turismo en esta ciudad. En el punto central tiene también una fuente rematada con ñamera.

Church Plaza opens before the Parish Church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia [Our Lady of the Peña de Francia –named after a mountain shrine in Mainland Spain]. Previously it was called Fountain Square. Traditionally it can boast of having the best tended gardens in town, filled with thousands of red Christmas Flowers in December. There are numerous outstanding dragon trees, Canary palms, laurels and other sizeable trees. The centrepiece is a fountain from 1900 adorned with a stone swan. At one side stands a monument to Agustín de Bethencourt y Molina (1758-1824), one of the most prominent figures in PCR history. A military engineer, he rose to the rank of General in the Russian Army in the epoque of Tsar Alexander I and became Director General of the Department of Communication Routes in Imperial Russia. In Russia he designed major buildings and public works. Before that he was the first Director of the School of Canals and Roads in Madrid. . Bethencourt y Molina was born just opposite his monument, in the house which accommodates the old Monopol Hotel, one of the first in the town.

This public plaza , inaugurated in 1992, covers 5,000 sq metres and has two storeys of public parking spaces underground. Half a dozen authentic cannon from the XVIII and XIXth Centuries, handed over by the Ministry of Defence and the Canary Military Command, enhance the “battlements” of this urban monument which takes the shape of a fortified balcony overlooking the sea. The Orotava architect Luis García Mesa took his inspiration from the ancient fortifications which defended the Islands. The name given to the Plaza, which is rimmed by a splendid promenade, is in recognition of Puerto de la Cruz’ European tradition.

Este maravilloso espacio costero, fruto de una obra pública de reacondicionamiento del litoral, terminada en 1993, comienza a la altura del Castillo San Felipe y enlaza con el barrio de Punta Brava. Es un conjunto de playas de arena negra volcánica cuyo entorno de espléndidos jardines y paseos peatonales fue diseñado por el artista Cesar Manrique. A lo largo de un frente costeros de 600 metros de longitud se distribuye una completa red de instalaciones de servicios y esparcimiento, ambientada con una rica vegetación, cascadas de agua marina y cuevas de piedra artificial que embellecen los alrededores y hacen honor a su nombre. La calidad de estas instalaciones y su cuidada estética natural hacen de Playa Jardín un lugar de singular belleza y confortabilidad, reconocido con la Bandera Azul de la Unión Europea. La construcción de Playa Jardín costó al Ministerio de Obras Públicas casí 2.000 millones de pesetas. Las obras, dirigidas por el artista César Manrique y los ingenieros Amigó y Olcina, fueron realizadas por las empresas Cubiertas y MZOV y Ferrovial. Para la enarenación de la antigua playa de callaos, se utilizaron 23.000 metros cúbicos de arena volcánica extraída de fondos marinos cercanos. En la construcción de la escollera semisumergida que protege la playa del fuerte oleaje predominante en la costa norteña, se emplearon 4.226 bloques de hormigón de 20 toneladas, equivalentes a 35.207 metros cúbicos de hormigón.

The popular Paseo de Las Palmeras is a unique pedestrian walk flanked by a double file of hundred-year-old Canary palms which runs for some 300 metres parallel to the last stretch of the Martiánez barranco. This walk and the two traffic lanes which run on either side of it is named Avenida de Aguilar y Quesada. At one end of the walk is the large Las Piramides Shopping Centre, a modern complex with numerous shops and several storeys of public underground car parking.