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La Palma packs more variety into 708 square kilometres than almost any island its size: a giant erosion caldera, an active volcanic ridge, laurel forests, black-sand beaches and the world’s largest optical telescope. Most sights are free or cheap, and almost everything is reachable in under an hour’s drive. These are the best things to do, organised by theme, and our complete La Palma guide gives the island-wide overview.
Things to Do in La Palma: Astronomy and Stargazing
Roque de los Muchachos Observatory
At 2,426 m on the island’s rim, this is one of the top three observatories on Earth, home to the 10.4 m Gran Telescopio Canarias, the largest single-aperture optical telescope in the world. Daytime guided tours run in small groups and must be booked weeks ahead through the island’s official tourism site; tickets cost around EUR 20-25 per adult. Dress warm: even in August the temperature here can be 15°C colder than the coast, and the road up has dozens of hairpins. The nearby Mirador del Roque de los Muchachos has the best view over the Caldera de Taburiente.
Night Sky Tours
Several local companies run after-dark stargazing trips from Los Llanos or Santa Cruz, setting up telescopes between 1,200 and 1,800 m where the air is clear of the cloud layer. A two-hour tour costs around EUR 40-60 includes a laser tour of the constellations and telescope views of planets, nebulae and galaxies. Book for a new-moon night for the darkest sky, and bring layers: temperatures at altitude drop fast after sunset. See the best time to visit La Palma guide for the clearest months.
Things to Do in La Palma: Volcanoes and National Parks
Caldera de Taburiente National Park
This 46.9 square kilometre park centres on an 8 km wide, 1,500 m deep erosion crater formed by landslides, not a single eruption. Entry is free, but the park car park at La Cumbrecita has a daily vehicle quota, so arrive before 10:00 or take the shuttle from El Paso. The easiest view is from the Mirador de la Cumbrecita lookout; the classic hike drops into the caldera to the colourful Barranco de las Angustias. Bring water and a map, as there is no phone signal in the crater.
Cumbre Vieja Ridge and the 2021 Lava Fields
The Tajogaite volcano erupted on Cumbre Vieja for 85 days from 19 September 2021, burying more than 1,200 hectares and around 3,000 buildings in the Aridane Valley. Today you can walk the Ruta de los Volcanes along the 1,949 m ridge for views of both sides of the island, or visit the newer lava flows near Todoque and Las Manchas, where signposted viewpoints explain the eruption. Parts of the area remain off-limits where the lava is still warm, so respect the signs. The TeneguÃa volcano at Fuencaliente, which erupted in 1971, has a short crater-rim walk with views to the lighthouse. For car hire and route planning, see the La Palma travel tips guide.
Things to Do in La Palma: Beaches and Natural Pools
Puerto Naos Beach
The island’s longest beach, about 600 m of dark volcanic sand on the sunny west coast, with calm, clean water and a palm-lined promenade of cafes and restaurants. It has showers, lifeguards in summer and easy parking, and it is the best all-round beach for families. Note the promenade and some businesses were rebuilt after the 2021 eruption forced a closure, and access reopened in stages. Check the La Palma weather by month guide for sea temperatures and the sunniest months.
Los Cancajos Beach
A sheltered bay of black sand and pebbles 5 km south of Santa Cruz, next to the main hotel zone. It is protected by breakwaters, so it is the calmest spot for snorkelling on the island, with octopus and parrotfish common in the rocks at the southern end. It gets busy on weekends but is quiet midweek, and the H10 Taburiente Playa hotel sits directly behind it.
Charco Azul and La Fajana Natural Pools
La Palma’s wild swimming is in its sea pools. Charco Azul, near San Andrés y Sauces in the northeast, is a free pool complex cut into the volcanic rock and filled by the Atlantic swell. La Fajana in Barlovento, further north, has three larger pools, a children’s pool and a lifeguard in summer. Both are free and open year-round, though the waves can close them in winter storms.
Things to Do in La Palma: Towns and Culture
Santa Cruz de La Palma Old Town
The capital’s old quarter is a grid of cobbled streets lined with 16th-century townhouses and their signature wooden balconies. Start at the Plaza de España and the Renaissance Iglesia de El Salvador, then walk the Calle Real (also called Calle O’Daly) to the Ayuntamiento (town hall) and the Avenida MarÃtima seafront, where traditional houses face the ocean. The Balcones de la Avenida, a row of painted wooden balconies, is the most photographed spot on the island. Allow two hours, and come early on cruise-ship days.
Los Llanos de Aridane and El Paso
Los Llanos, the largest town on the island, centres on the busy Plaza de España with its laurel trees and open-air cafes, and has the island’s best shopping. Just uphill, El Paso is the gateway to the Caldera de Taburiente and home to the Seda Las Hilanderas silk museum, which shows the island’s 500-year-old silk-weaving tradition. El Paso’s Iglesia de Nuestra Señora de Bonanza and its flower-carpet Corpus Christi are worth timing a visit for; the La Palma events and festivals calendar has the exact date.
San Andrés y Sauces and Los Tilos
The small northeast town of San Andrés y Sauces is the base for Los Tilos, a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve of laurel forest fed by almost constant cloud. The 2 km sendero to the Cascada de los Tilos waterfall is easy and shaded, and the forest stays green all year, making it the best wet-day walk on the island. Combine it with the Charco Azul sea pools, a five-minute drive away.
Things to Do in La Palma: Wine, Salt and Local Food
Bodegas TeneguÃa and the Fuencaliente Salt Flats
La Palma’s D.O. La Palma wines are led by MalvasÃa, a sweet white wine grown on the black volcanic soils around Fuencaliente. Bodegas TeneguÃa runs tastings at its winery near the southern tip, and the nearby Salinas de Fuencaliente salt flats, still worked since the 1960s, produce sea salt beside a lighthouse and a good cafe. Order papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes) with mojo rojo and mojo verde anywhere on the island.
Dragon Trees and the Palmex Cactus Garden
The dragon tree (Dracaena draco), La Palma’s living symbol, is scattered across the island, with fine examples in the Buracas caves area and the gardens of Los Llanos. The Palmex Cactus Garden in the Aridane Valley holds one of the largest cactus collections in the Canaries. For a full plan of where to base yourself while seeing all of this, see where to stay in La Palma and the La Palma neighborhoods guide.
