Tenerife?? For someone who doesn’t like beach holidays?

[Twoshoesnewshoes]

My friend and I are looking to go away in January. We need to fly from different uk airports but I’ve found flights that get to/from Tenerife with 20 minutes of each other.
Ive never been before, or to anywhere similar.
I usually like place such as Tuscany, Switzerland- hiking, medieval towns, not too crowded etc. rarely stay in hotels.
im happy to be a bit more ‘beach holiday’ on this trip but British food and all inclusive type place is just not me.
any ideas? Are there places on Tenerife that might work?
thanks x

Stay in the North. If you like hiking, it's a great location for that too.

Tenerife has lovely bits, on the north side, but the weather is not as good.

we went to Calle salvaje and really liked it, small, nice bars, good restaurant. Very German so nice change from the brits. The beach wasn’t great but we had villa and pool

Stay in a villa/air BnB/small b&b/hotel outside of the big resort areas aimed at stag dos, hire a car and explore the north of the island, there are some lovely areas

The north of Tenerife would fit the bill much better than the south. Which airport do the flights go to?

The weather isn’t as good in the north at that time of year, mid teens usually but usually dry and if you want to do more hiking etc. it can be pleasant to be a bit cooler

Go to Malta

i don’t really like package beach holidays, but I do like sunshine and I’ve had a couple of lovely winter sun trips to Tenerife. Much more to do in the north, lots of nice inexpensive restaurants, Teide is definitely worth a visit for really unusual landscape, Santa Cruz has some lovely parks and pretty neighbourhoods. Jet2 do some great deals.

We did Adeje first trip and liked it there too.

Yes the north is gorgeous. The south less so! It was low 20's when we were there for Christmas with only a couple of showers. The Anaga Rural Park, the Rural Park of Teno and obviously Teide are all breathtaking. There are some outstanding restaurants - some of the best food i've ever had on holiday. Check the Airbnbs around Santa Ursula and La Orotava just outside of Puerto de la Cruz - most have private pools & stunning views as it's so hilly.

Oh great, thanks everyone! I will definitely check out the north!

There's a lovely little old town on the north west coast called Garachico. Rather than beaches there are sea water pools carved out of the volcanic rock. The walking is really good, very well marked paths.

I've gone right off Tenerife (recent news/events)@Twoshoesnewshoes - and, yes, I'm sure there much of the same dark undertones in other countries I suppose - but still, the more I read, the more I'm put off. But then again, I've never really been drawn to any of those Islands (in my teen years and now in my older years with my own teens).

Malta attracts me more, seems more cultural.

We fly to Tenerife, hire a car and then get the ferry to La Gomera. Its great for hiking and very quiet. Haven't been to the north of Tenerife to say how it compares though.

Lanzarote is also worth considering, IMO it has more in the way of interesting landscape/cultural stuff to visit compared with Tenerife. I don’t know if the flights will work as well of course

we’re going on our 4th visit to Tenerife in august, i think we’ve only been to the beech twice in our past 3 visits. There’s loads to do. The water park is amazing if that’s your thing, Lorro park is worth a visit, you can see the parrot nursery and I love the indoor spinning penguin mini Iceberg . It doesn’t have to be British bulldog bars and karaoke , there are different parts of the island for different things.

Have you considered Madeira? There’s lots of places to explore, walking the lavidas etc. Lovely restaurants.

Thank you everyone! Lots to look at.
yes, Madeira and Malta definitely more appealing but we’re flying from two different uk airports and Tenerife has flights arriving within minutes of each other!

There's plenty to do on Tenerife without going near the tourist strip. We've always stayed on the south of the island as the weather is better but not on the coast, so near Guia de Isora area. In January it can be cold at night.

We used to hike, snorkel (Alcala for this), take trips to the mountains, climbed Teide. You would need to hire a car to do this sort of trip.

Puerto de la Cruz, is lovely

What’s the big deal with flights scheduled to arrive within minutes of each other? I can understand if you can’t get flights for the same day, but surely a few hours either way wouldn’t make a difference? It’s possible one of your flights could be delayed anyway.

For those who go to Tenerife, please do not support Loro Park, disgraceful treatment of orcas.