Plaza de España is the largest square in Santa Cruz de Tenerife and in the Canary Islands, set in the city centre between Calle del Castillo and the port, 1.4 km north of the Auditorio de Tenerife. It was laid out in 1929 over the Castillo de San Cristóbal, the fortress that defended the harbour. A 2006 refurbishment by Herzog & de Meuron added an artificial lake and pavilions, and castle walls found that year are now shown in an underground gallery. The Monumento a los Caídos stands at its centre.
Plaza de Espana
Harbour-side square with a seawater lake, a Civil War memorial and castle walls shown in a gallery below.
- Entrance
- Free: a public square. The castle gallery beneath it is free to visit as well.
- Accessibility
- Wheelchair-accessible entrance and wheelchair-accessible parking.
- Parking
- Parking Plaza de España, a paid car park about 140 m away.
- Difficulty
- None: a city-centre square you walk straight into from the surrounding streets, with a bus stop about 100 m away.
- Transport
- Buses stop at Plaza de España (about 100 m away) and Villalba Hervás (about 150 m away).
- Advance booking
- Not needed: the square is open to everyone at any hour.
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, every day.
- Address
- Zona Centro, 38003 Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
What makes it special
The fountain is the first thing you hear, and the lake around it is filled with seawater. Herzog & de Meuron added the lake and its pavilions in 2006.
Under the paving lie the remains of the Castillo de San Cristóbal, the fortress that guarded the port before the square was built over it in 1929. Its walls turned up again in June 2006 and are now on display in a tunnel beneath your feet.
Above ground, the Monumento a los Caídos, a memorial to the dead of the Spanish Civil War, rises from the centre. Beside the lake stands Lo llevo bien, Julio Nieto's five-metre stainless-steel man shaped like a tree, installed for good in 2021. At one end, the white Santa Cruz letters run 11.1 m, about the length of a city bus, with a blue and a green heart standing in for the last 'a' of Santa.
Good to know
- Public toilets are about 95 m away, with a drinking-water point about 105 m away.
- A tourist office sits about 150 m from the square.
- The Santa Cruz sign is repainted in different colours and symbols for major events, so it may not match the photos you have seen.
- The castle remains are underground, in a gallery beneath the square.
Getting there
Plaza de España sits in the centre of Santa Cruz, between Calle del Castillo and the port, with the city streets on one side and the harbour on the other. Two bus stops are close by: Plaza de España, about 100 m away, and Villalba Hervás, about 150 m away. Drivers can leave the car at the Parking Plaza de España car park, about 140 m from the square. The Auditorio de Tenerife lies 1.4 km to the south.
Best time to visit
Best: early morning or early evening.
Avoid: the middle of a summer day, and the hours after a cruise ship comes in.
An open paved square by the harbour takes the full midday sun, and with the port alongside, ship passengers head straight for it once they are ashore.
Sun & daylight
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Frequently asked questions
Is the lake in Plaza de España filled with seawater?
Yes. The artificial lake, with a fountain at its centre, holds seawater. It was added when Herzog & de Meuron refurbished the square in 2006.Can you still see the Castillo de San Cristóbal?
Only its remains. The square was built over the castle in 1929, and walls rediscovered in June 2006 are now displayed in an underground gallery beneath the square.What is the tree-shaped sculpture by the lake?
Lo llevo bien, a five-metre stainless-steel figure of a man shaped like a tree by the Basque artist Julio Nieto. It was first shown here in 2014, toured galleries abroad, and was donated to the city and installed permanently in 2021.Was Plaza de España used in a film?
Yes. It appears in Jason Bourne, the fifth Bourne film, standing in for Syntagma Square in Athens.