Santa Cruz de La Palma
SpainBWh
© OpenStreetMap, CARTO
La Isla Bonita | The Beautiful Island
Why visit
The historic Calle Real, the wooden Casas de los Balcones balconies of Avenida Marítima, and the central Plaza de España with the 16th-century church of El Salvador make for an exceptional walk. The Naval Museum is housed in a full-scale replica of Columbus's Santa María. The triennial Bajada de la Virgen festival (every 5 years) is one of Spain's most theatrical religious processions. Beyond town, La Palma offers UNESCO Starlight Reserve dark skies, Caldera de Taburiente hiking, and the moonscape of the recent Cumbre Vieja eruption (2021).
When to avoid
Tourist services scale to a small island town, hotels are limited and book ahead. Cruise ship days flood the small old town. The 2021 Cumbre Vieja volcanic eruption destroyed parts of the western island. Check current access to affected areas. Cloud cover (panza de burro) parks above the eastern slope often even when the rest of the Canaries are sunny. Rental cars are advisable for the island. Mountain roads are winding. Calima dust storms occasionally degrade air quality.
