Puerto de la Cruz Botanical Garden

The fig tree is the thing to tell people about: some 200 years old, with aerial roots that drop from its branches and thicken into trunks of their own. Around it, shaded paths wind between palms and big exotic trees gathered from across the tropics, and the town's noise stays outside the walls.

The garden dates from 1788, when King Carlos III ordered it laid out here to acclimatise plants from the Americas and Asia before they travelled on to the royal gardens of mainland Spain. That makes it the second-oldest botanical garden in Spain. It works as well for a slow, green walk as it does for anyone who knows their botany.

• The printed leaflet at the entrance comes in several languages, English not among them; the English guide opens from a QR code, so bring a phone with data.
• The digital guide takes you round by numbered sections. There is no live guide.
• Signs rarely give the age of the big trees.
• The toilets on site are clean and looked after.
• Allow a couple of hours for an unhurried walk.

The garden sits in the El Botánico district of Puerto de la Cruz. By car, the approach ends at a free car park across the street, about 75 m from the garden, with free parking along the surrounding streets as well. By bus, get off at the Jardín Botánico stop, around 66 m away. Either way there is only the street to cross before the entrance.

Best: morning, at any time of year. Avoid: arriving late in the afternoon. The collection is tropical and subtropical, so the garden stays green through the seasons; a morning start brings softer light under the canopy, cooler air on the paths and room for the couple of hours an unhurried walk takes before closing.