Is Tenerife Safe For Tourists? - Safety Advice Canary Islands

Tenerife safety canary islands
The so called Looky Looky Men in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

Tenerife is a super popular travel destination, especially among visitors from the UK and other European countries.

So, in light of some of the event that have happened in Europe in the past few years, many people have doubts in regards with safety, before deciding on their next holiday destination.

Safety in Tenerife - Is Tenerife safe to visit?

First of all, Tenerife is part of Spain, so the laws governing mainland Spain also apply here.

Is Tenerife safe from terrorism?

According to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) from the UK, Spain is classified as a country where it's likely for a terrorist attack to occur. However, the level of threat in Spain is lower that the one in the UK for example.

Also, keep in mind that from a geographic point of view Tenerife is far away from mainland Spain and there haven't been any terrorist attacks on the island in the recent years. 

Is Tenerife safe from a volcanic eruption?

Although many British tabloids write alarming headlines each time a small earthquake happens in Tenerife or any other Canary Island, there is no immediate thread of an eruption from Mount Teide.

The last eruption in Tenerife happened in 1909 and it was the Chinyero volcano the one that erupted. 

However, the Canary Islands are still considered an active volcanic region so it is normal for small earthquake to occur often in the region. There is no alert regarding a potential eruption or explosion of the volcano in Tenerife, so there's no need to postpone your holiday.

Teide tenerife 600 250

Is Tenerife safe from the ZIKA virus?

Yes, there is no threat of Zika virus in the Canary Islands and in Spain in general.

There is an official list of countries and areas where the Zika threat exists, but Spain isn't mentioned as being one of them.

Is Tenerife safe to travel in 2020?

Tenerife is a safe destination to travel and the biggest threats are pickpockets and thieves.

Common sense is needed wherever you travel and you need to be careful with your belongings as not to leave them unattended.

Advice for general safety in Tenerife

  • Don't carry large amounts of cash with you
  • Keep your documents separated from your cash and credit cards
  • Where possible pay by card, preferably a prepaid card like Monese or Revolut
  • Don't leave your purse or anything unattended, even for a second - especially on the beaches, at Masca or in Teide National Park
  • Don't leave objects in the car if you rent one
  • Don't fall for the clipboard scammers who pretend to raise money for some charity. Simply ignore them
  • Ignore anything related to timeshares 
  • Don't accept big bills as change, except maybe from big chain supermarkets. There have been cases of fake bills, which is why we recommend using a prepaid card where possible
  • Avoid excessive drinking, as you may become an easy victim for thieves. Also, some insurers won't cover you if something were to happen to you and you were on drugs or intoxicated.
Share This Story
Was this helpful?
© Copyright GuideToCanaryIslands 2024. All rigths reserved.
Loving the Canary Islands? We will notify you when we publish new articles!
No, thank you. Yes, please.
We do not collect personal data.