My experience in La Laguna (Tenerife)

Hello everyone! In this blog post I would like to tell you all about my time in Tenerife. In reality it was not actually part of the Erasmus scheme, although it felt like it. I decided to go to Tenerife as part of a national mobility programme, the Spanish version of Erasmus.

La Laguna

La Laguna is Tenerife's student city. The town is not too big nor too small and is situated high up which means it has its own microclimate; it tends to be the coldest part of the island. The change in temperature is noticeable; whilst La Laguna may be 15˚C, all it takes is a 10 minute car journey down to the capital Santa Cruz where the temperature will have risen to 20˚C.

The city is quite clean and touristic. In the old town you will find an array of all different types of shops. When it comes to eating out there is plenty of choice from vegan food to sushi at the "Natural Sushi Wok" to thousands of little Italian eateries. As for clothes stores there is also an extensive range with a lot of different and interesting brands. All of the old town has been pedestrianised and is mainly made up of businesses but you can also easily come across a landmark, the church or a historic, old building. Although not so old, given that the Canary Islands were invaded by the Kingdom of Castile ninety years before the Americas and so are not as historically developed as Spain.

An image of La Laguna from a viewpoint. As you can see, due to the microclimate which I mentioned, there are a lot of clouds which converge over La Laguna.

Where to live?

This is a question which many students from the University of La Laguna ask themselves.

One option you have is La Laguna which is at the highest point of the island and on the lowest level there is Santa Cruz with “La Cuesta" in the middle of them both. There are people like me who decide to find a flat in La Laguna (normally in the centre). Rent will vary between €200-250 a month but it is the life and soul of the town (clubs, bars, restaurants, shops…) and if your faculty is in the campus de Anchieta then you will also have the university close by (this is where engineering, mathematics, physics, pharmacology etc. are taught).

Another option is down the very large hill in La Cuesta, where the weather is better and you will find yourself closer to the capital (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). From here you will be able to take a “guagua” (what locals call buses) to take you anywhere on the island. This area is also closer to the beach and the big “Meridiano” shopping centre. On top of the hill is the other campus “Campus Guajara” where phycology, business studies, speech therapy, history etc. are taught). If you live in the centre of La Laguna and your faculty is located on this campus (which was the case for me) you will face quite a distance reaching it. I really loved my stay here, I walked to campus nearly every day (it took around half an hour) as I like to be active and exercise. However, on days in which it rained or when I was tired I got the tram as the connections are excellent and it only took 15 minutes from leaving my house to arriving at university. It's true that many students pick a flat close to Guajara, a richer area than the centre of La Laguna, and so have easy access to the campus. The thing is though there is virtually nothing in “La Cuesta” (where the Campus de Guajara is located) save some small neighbourhood supermarkets. But anyway, if you are smart and have a car, you won’t have any problems living in La Cuesta and it is a very calm area.

Why register yourself when you arrive

The Canary Islands look after its residents so if you register yourself whilst you live in Tenerife you will be able to enjoy a lot of discounts. These cover tourist attractions (like Siam Park or Loro Park Zoo) as well as flights. You will get a 75% discount off all flights on the island as well as flights to and from mainland Spain.

You will also get discounts off boat trips between the stunning islands. They are super cheap for residents, you should really take advantage of your stay and visit all of them!

Why drive in Tenerife

After five months living on the island of Tenerife I realised that a car is essential if you really want to make the most of it.

It never occurred to me to bring my car with me for only a four month period. After all, I had come from a ten month Erasmus in Sicily where I lived very well without ever needing a car. It's just this island cries out for one. I was lucky enough to have made a good group of friends, some of whom had brought a car with them from the mainland, specifically from my city Huelva, the closest and easiest point from which to bring a car over. So I could really explore and enjoy the island over these past five months. In this respect I was quite lucky as going to study in La Laguna without seeing the rest of the island is a crime (something which happens to a lot of students), you won’t enjoy the island and will end up hating it!

Renting a car in Tenerife

It is incredibly easy to rent a car. If you are in La Laguna, the best option is to rent one in the northern airport, a mere five minute journey by bus. The best Company is CICAR, a Company from the Canaries; you only have to be 21, it is very cheap and always includes insurance to cover all risks without asking for a deposit. I have never seen this kind of deal with any other company in any other country even though recently I have rented cars in various different places.

This was taken during my first week and was the first car we rented.

Public transport

The truth is I didn’t really use it a lot although I don’t think it was too bad.

The public transport I most used was the tram, to go to and from university and to work in Santa Cruz. As I did not use it every day (only two or three times a week) I used the app “ten+móvil” which allows you to buy different types of tickets. I used the “Bono E Universitario” which cost me seventy five cents per journey.

Moreover, there was also a monthly ticket which was quite affordable for young residents who need to use public transport every day or for those who want to get around the whole island in a guaga, it's only €30 a month.

The University of La Laguna

I loved the university, it seemed very up to date and profesional. I learnt a lot in very good conditions. My campus in particular was quite modern, the facilities were of a high quality. These were the views from the fifth and last floors of the library:

Impressive. It was nice to study here in a spacious and silent library with such stunning views.

Typical goods

Before leaving, I wanted to take away with me some typical things from the island for my parents. In one of the big WhatsApp groups we have, someone sent in this picture. It's a really cool small shop owned by the father of a girl from Tenerife. The man was very forthcoming and the whole shop was very tidy. There you could find whatever good specifically associated with the Canary Islands. I brought back with me a delicious and addictive sweet chili sauce which goes well with cheese. I had never tried it before but when the man told me about it I felt compelled to buy a small bottle. I also bought a semi spicy (not the most) chili sauce which is very typical there. Furthermore, the shop was eco friendly and if you bring in your own bag they give you a small gift which in my case was a small bag of fried bananas, a very healthy snack.

Also, It's right in the centre.

Well guys, I have revealed all about my experience in La Laguna as part of the Spanish mobility programme. I hope this has proved helpful and if you have any doubts please contact me I would love to help.