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La Palma’s settlements are spread between a colonial capital on the east coast, a sprawling valley town on the sunny west, and a string of villages that climb from the sea into the mountains. Choosing a base comes down to one question: do you want cloud or sun? The east is greener and cooler, the west drier and warmer. This guide covers the main towns and what each one costs per night, and our complete La Palma guide links the whole island together.
La Palma Neighborhoods: Santa Cruz de La Palma and the East Coast
Santa Cruz de La Palma
The capital and cruise port, home to about 15,000 people, packs a 16th-century old town onto a steep slope above the Atlantic. Its cobbled streets, wooden balconies and the Avenida MarÃtima promenade are the island’s historic core, and it has the best range of restaurants, shops and buses. It suits first-time visitors who want to walk everywhere and don’t mind the cloudier, breezier east-side weather; the La Palma weather by month guide has the month-by-month numbers. Expect to pay EUR 70-110 a night for a double in a small hotel like the Hotel San Telmo.
Breña Alta, Breña Baja and Los Cancajos
The suburbs immediately south of the capital, and the island’s main beach resort strip at Los Cancajos. This is where most of the larger hotels sit, including the H10 Taburiente Playa, and the sheltered black-sand beach is the calmest on the island for swimming and snorkelling. It suits families and package holidaymakers who want a pool and beach with the airport 5 minutes away. Hotel doubles run EUR 80-150 a night, with the Parador de La Palma at the top end.
La Palma Neighborhoods: Los Llanos, Puerto Naos and Tazacorte
Los Llanos de Aridane
The largest town on the island (around 20,000 people) sits in the Aridane Valley on the warm, dry west side. Its Plaza de España is ringed by laurel trees and cafes, and it has the best shopping and the most everyday services, from supermarkets to a hospital. It suits independent travellers who want a working town rather than a resort, and it makes a great base for both the beaches and the mountains. See the best time to visit La Palma guide for when the valley is at its sunniest. Doubles in places like the Hotel Benahoare run EUR 60-95 a night.
Puerto Naos
A small beach resort on the coast below Los Llanos, centred on a 600 m black-sand beach with a palm-lined promenade. The 2021 eruption forced a long closure, and the town has reopened in stages, with most bars and restaurants back. It suits sunseekers and families who want to walk from their room to the beach, and it has the island’s calmest west-coast swimming. Apartment and hotel doubles run EUR 70-120 a night.
Tazacorte
A former banana-export port on the west coast, now a quiet village with a small beach and the island’s best-value waterfront restaurants. Its historic centre holds the adults-only Hotel Hacienda de Abajo, the island’s smartest address. It suits couples and travellers who want sun, quiet and good food without a resort feel. Doubles range from EUR 60 in guesthouses to EUR 200-plus at the Hacienda.
La Palma Neighborhoods: Fuencaliente and the South
Fuencaliente
The southernmost municipality, a landscape of black lava, vineyards and salt flats below the TeneguÃa and San Antonio volcanoes. It is home to the huge Hotel La Palma Princess resort and the island’s main winery, Bodegas TeneguÃa, plus the Fuencaliente lighthouses and salt flats. It suits resort holidaymakers, wine lovers and hikers tackling the southern volcanoes, and it is the sunniest, driest corner of the island. It also hosts the island’s Vendimia wine festival; the La Palma events and festivals calendar has the dates. Resort stays run EUR 90-150 a night, while rural houses and the pension in town cost EUR 40-70.
La Palma Neighborhoods: El Paso and the Interior
El Paso
A highland town at 630 m, 3 km uphill from Los Llanos, and the main gateway to the Caldera de Taburiente National Park. It is the base most hikers, stargazers and cyclists choose, with quick access to the caldera rim, the Ruta de los Volcanes and the road to the observatory. It suits outdoors types who don’t need a beach and want cool nights. Rural houses and small guesthouses run EUR 45-80 a night, and you will want a car.
La Palma Neighborhoods: San Andrés y Sauces and the Green North
San Andrés y Sauces and Barlovento
The northeast, known as the green side, gets the most cloud and rain and holds the laurel forest of Los Tilos, the Charco Azul sea pools and the island’s rum distillery at San Andrés y Sauces. It suits walkers and nature lovers who prefer forest to beach, and it is the one place on La Palma where you will want a rain jacket even in summer. For car hire and bus routes to reach it, see the La Palma travel tips guide. Doubles in rural houses run EUR 50-90 a night.
Puntagorda and GarafÃa
Two remote northwestern municipalities above steep, green cliffs, famous for almond blossom in late winter and some of the island’s most dramatic viewpoints. They suit travellers who want isolation, long coastal hikes and dark skies, and they have little in the way of hotels beyond rural houses from EUR 45 a night. For help deciding, compare this with our where to stay in La Palma guide and the things to do in La Palma guide for what each side offers.
