Puerto de la Cruz is located on the north coast of Tenerife, in the Orotava Valley. It is located 4 km West of La Orotava , and is about 37 km NE of Santa Cruz de Tenerife and about 25 km to Tenerife North Airport both on the TF5 Motorway. The inhabitants are known as portuense The municipality is the smallest in Tenerife.
The population is 31,830 (ISTAC, 2003), its density is 3,646.05/km² and the area is 8.73 km². The elevation is 9 meters. The lowest point is the coastal Atlantic zone, the highest is Las Arenas, a volcanic cone with an elevation of 249 meters. Farmland is in tucked into the valley areas and within the Atlantic coastal zone; urbanisation covers much of the area and the terrain rises rapidly to the south.
Prior to the development of hotels and buildings, much of the area consisted of agricultural land. Considerable fiscal pressure led to the land being developed and the population shifted from rural to urban and tourism. The population is mainly urban today.
Puerto de la Cruz Tourism
Tourism is an important industry in Puerto de la Cruz, as evidenced by the number of large hotels on the skyline.
Puerto is frequented by the Northern European during the winter months, due to its mild climate, and is particularly popular over Christmas and the new year periods.
The Western European tourist contingent to Puerto tends towards more mature couples, in comparison to resorts such as Playa de las Americas Puerto also has a modest gay scene centred around La Avenida del Generalisimo.
The summer months sees more Spanish tourists, particularly during the very hot month of august in the mainland.
Puerto de la Cruz Events
The Tenerife Airshow (Festival de Aeromodelismo) (Spanish for 'Aeromodelling festival') is held every year in near the harbour, usually in Plaza Europa. The airshow will celebrate it's 25th anniversary in 2006.
El Carnaval, held every year. Ash Wednesday is in the middle of El Carnaval. "La Embarcacion de la Virgen del Carmen" (The Sea-setting of the Virgin Carmen), is held July 16th. It has become in latter years "la Fiesta del Agua" (The party of the waters), where copious amounts of water are thrown at the festivities.
It is preceded by "La Sardinada" (The Sardine Festival), where sardines are fried and sold the night before at San Telmo.
Hundreds of people congregate in La Plaza del Charco and its fishing port, where festival goers participate in games (like the popular run-along-the grease-pole, where people have to run along a greased pole and catch a flag to win the game, very humorous).
Because of the normally mild weather, people go in T-shirt and shorts, or just bathing suits, and enjoy a quick dip in the waters of the port to help cool down in the usually good July weather.
The event starts around 12-1 o'clock in the afternoon and lasts til around 10-12 o'clock at night, depending on when most people get tired.
At the height of "La Sardinada", a large papier mache sardine is wheeled through the streets, brought to the waterfront, "blessed" with "holy water" (normally petrol or lighter fluid) by a man dressed as a Bishop. The sardine is then set alight, to huge applause. After this, a huge firework display ensues. The event is known as the "Burial of the Sardine".
Amongst the crowd at this event, "professional mourners" will be found. These are invariably men in drag, wailing, for comic effect.
Although the Burial of the Sardine rarely starts on time, the event always attracts crowds, and it is advised to arrive early at the harbour. |
