One of the quiet advantages of staying in Los Gigantes is what surrounds it. Within half an hour you can be in a mountain hamlet, a working fishing village or the handsomest historic town on the island.
Along the coast
Puerto de Santiago, a 20-minute walk, is the next town south, home to Playa de la Arena’s glittering black sand and a long seafront of cafés; effectively it is one resort with Los Gigantes. Alcalá, 10 minutes by car or the 473 bus, is a genuinely local fishing town with natural rock pools and a Monday-morning market, 9:00–14:00 on the Plaza del Llano, followed by unhurried plaza coffee.
Playa San Juan, 15 minutes away, is a fishing harbour turned foodie stop: a broad promenade, a Wednesday-morning market, a Blue-Flag beach (2026 list) and some of the coast’s best fish restaurants.
Up the mountain
Santiago del Teide, fifteen minutes uphill, is a different climate and a different century: a low white village around its 17th-century-founded church, surrounded by almond orchards. Each year in late January and February the town runs its Almendro en Flor blossom campaign — guided walking routes of about ten kilometres through flowering valleys, plus markets and concerts (the 2026 edition ran 24 January to 22 February). Five hairpin minutes beyond, the road drops towards Masca, the cliff-hung hamlet that is Tenerife’s most famous photograph.
The old north
Forty minutes over the Erjos pass lies Garachico, once Tenerife’s richest port until the 1706 eruption filled its harbour with lava. The town rebuilt itself in slow, elegant stone; today you swim free of charge in El Caletón, the natural pools formed by that very lava (staffed in summer, closed when the swell is heavy). Pair it with Icod de los Vinos (its famous dragon tree costs €5 to visit up close, or can be admired free from the church square) for the classic north-coast day. One 2026 note for the far tip of the peninsula: Punta de Teno is currently reachable only by the local bus from Buenavista while roadworks last; check access before driving out.