The best things to do in La Palma

There’s a lot more to see and do in La Palma than you might think. And while this quiet island isn’t overrun with touristy activities like nearby Tenerife, there’s so many ways to entertain yourself. It’s the perfect place for a quiet yet fun and active holiday in the sun, and while it’s not not set up for kids, it’s definitely more of an adult’s holiday destination. We spent most of our time hiking, relaxing on the black sand beaches, checking out the miradors, and wandering the quaint streets of Santa Cruz de La Palma.

The best things to do in La Palma

These were our favourite things to do in La Palma in November and December.

Visit Santa Cruz de la Palma

The capital of La Palma, Santa Cruz de la Palma, is by far my favourite of the towns we’ve visited in the Canary Islands. It feels local and traditional and despite the fact that cruise ships docking in the port can bring in a lot of tourists, it doesn’t feel at all touristy compared to the towns in Tenerife or Gran Canaria. 

There are beautiful plazas and churches, colourful streets full of old buildings with traditional balconies, and just one street away from the main town is the beach. We spent two weeks staying in Santa Cruz de la La Palma and didn’t get bored at all, there are so many bars and restaurants and winding streets to discover. 

El Charco Azul Piscina Natural

The natural pools at El Charco Azul are free to enter and, when we came in November, were fairly quiet. Although in peak season this probably isn’t the case. The ocean in La Palma is wild and rough and in some places it can be dangerous. These natural pools make a safe way to swim in the sea water. Although the day we visited the pool closest to the waves was marked with a red flag as it was so rough. There’s changing huts, showers, a cafe and bar, and plenty of places to sunbathe if you don’t fancy getting in the water – it’s a pool, but it’s still cold! 

Go stargazing 

The lack of light pollution in La Palma makes it a perfect place to see the stars. There are multiple astronomical observatories and lookouts across the island but it’s best to visit after the moon has set when the sky is darkest. We had bad luck as it was cloudy during our visit and on the west coast, where we could see the Milky Way with the naked eye, there were too many streetlights to get a good photo. You can visit the observatories with a guide or drive yourself to one of the many lookouts like Roque de los Muchachos or Llano del Jable. 

Puerto de Talavera

This tiny cove was once the Port of Barlovento and was apparently used by smugglers and pirates. Now, you’ll find huts built into a rock, a tiny cafe/bar, fishermen, and plenty of signs of its maritime history. Plus, the port is surrounded by banana plantations that make for a scenic (and interesting!) drive down. 

Go for a hike

There are so many hiking routes to cover in La Palma that I’m not sure it would be possible to cover them all in a one- or two-week holiday. But the good news is you can easily pick from a wealth of long and short routes, many of which overlap with each other.

Here are some of the most popular hikes in La Palma:

• Ruta de los volcanes

• Roque de los Muchachos to Roque Palmero

• Cubo de la Galga

• La Zarza 

• Puertito de Santo Domingo

• Las Tricias – Buracas

• Molinos de Bellido (PR-LP 2.2)

• La Zarza 

• Puertito de Santo Domingo

• Playa de la Veta

• Las Tricias – Buracas 

• Pico Nambroque

• Cascada De Los Tilos 

• Pico Bejenado and Cascada de los Colores

• Volcán de Tajogaite o Cabeza Vaca

• Mirador de Los Brecitos to Barranco de las Angustias

• Volcán de San Antonio 

• Roque/Volcán Teneguía 

• Fuente Melchora

• Camino de las Fuentes 

• Camino Natural de La Palma

Find out our favourite walking routes in our blog: The best hikes in La Palma.

Stop at the miradors

Across the island there are hundreds of miradors, most of which are easy to pull into from the side of the road – others need a bit more driving to reach. What they all have in common is stunning views of the landscape and ocean and, on clear days, the neighbouring islands. 

These are some of the most popular miradors in La Palma:

• Mirador de San Bartolo

• Mirador San Andrés

• Mirador Astronómico del Llano del Jable

• Mirador Caldera

• Mirador de La Cumbrecita

• Mirador de Doña Pola

• Mirador de Los Dragos

• Mirador del Universo

• Mirador Caldera

• Pico de la Cruz

• Mirador de La Tosca

• Mirador Oficial Volcán Tajogaite

Go to the beach

• Playa de Nogales

• Playa Echentive

• Puntalarga

• Playa Varadero

• Playa de la Veta

• Playa del Río

• Playa y Bajas de la Zamora

• Cala Martín Luis

• Playa de Malpique

• Playa de San Juan

• Playa Bajamar

Discover more about these beaches in our blog: The best beaches in La Palma.

Discover the local cuisine

We love Canarian food, which is similar to Spanish tapas but with local twists like wrinkled salted potatoes, spicy mojo sauces, and grilled goat’s cheeses. Authentic food is our first stop when we land in the Canary Islands and La Palma was no different. In fact, as it’s less touched by tourism I think the food here was the best we’ve had in the Canaries.

Tenerife or Gran Canaria have plenty of ‘English’ or more generically European restaurants as well as Chinese and Indian takeaways. In Santa Cruz de la Palma, you can easily find Italian as well as Latin American cuisines like Mexican, Cuban, and Venezuelan, but we were happy to find that most restaurants served authentic Spanish dishes. And for a small place, there’s no shortage of great bars to drink in too.

Find our favourite La Palma restaurants and bars in our blog: The best places to eat and drink in La Palma.

Other places to visit in La Palma 

If we’d had more time in La Palma I would have like to explore:

• Puerto de Puntagorda

• Plaza La Glorieta

• More exploration of the observatories

• More hiking trails

Find out more about how we spent our time in La Palma in our blog: How we spent two weeks in La Palma.