Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Capital City)

The co-capital of the Canary Islands and Tenerife's largest city with approximately 210,000 inhabitants. The city's most iconic landmark is the Auditorio de Tenerife Adán Martín, a futuristic white concrete opera house designed by Santiago Calatrava (completed 2003), perched on the waterfront and resembling a crashing wave or a sail. Santa Cruz hosts the second-largest Carnival in the world after Rio de Janeiro, with street parties, elaborate costumes, and competitions held each February/March. Other landmarks: Plaza de España (recently renovated with a lake and pedestrian areas), TEA (Tenerife Espacio de las Artes — a contemporary art museum designed by Herzog & de Meuron, 2008), the Mercado de Nuestra Señora de África (an authentic covered market), and the Parque García Sanabria (a lush botanical park with sculptures). The city's port is a major cruise ship destination and offers ferry connections to Gran Canaria, La Palma, El Hierro, and mainland Spain.