Shopping in Tenerife

Tax-free shopping

Tenerife, the island of eternal spring, not only offers stunning beaches and natural beauty but also excellent opportunities for tax-free shopping. Due to the special tax status of the Canary Islands, visitors can make advantageous purchases here on various items, including alcohol, tobacco, perfume, and electronics.

Maximum allowed quantity

If you're traveling from the Canary Islands to the UK (*), you’ll need to follow the rules for countries outside the EU. When you’re bringing in goods you must transport them yourself, for personal use or as gift. Below are the maximum quantities to adhere to:

Tobacco

• 200 cigarettes or
• 100 cigarillos or
• 50 cigars or
• 250 g tobacco

You may combine these tobacco products, as long as the total maximum quantity is not exceeded. 

Perfume and Electronics

If you travel by plane or boat (the only option to travel to and from the Canary Islands) you can bring perfume and electronics with a maximum value of £390 per person.

(*) for travelers traveling from the Canary Islands to the EU, please consult the Dutch or German translation.

Beware of counterfeits!

As you may know, it is a criminal offense to import counterfeit goods. Think of popular football shirts, “luxury” watches, “brand” sunglasses, cameras, or other electronic gadgets.

Not only do you risk a fine, but it can even be harmful to your health as these fake products are often manufactured with qualitatively inferior materials.

What I would like to place special emphasis on is purchasing electronics. Only go to an official dealer (Worten, Mediamarkt, El Corte Inglés etc.). Purchasing a camera, for example, is quite an important decision. After all, you want your precious photos and holiday memories to last a long time. So make sure you have an idea of what you want to buy, and it is best to first look on the internet for a price indication. A useful rule: it is better to skip stores where there is no price tag on these types of products (or where there is 'negotiation' about the price).

Souvenirs

What to bring for family, friends, or maybe the neighbor who looked after your plants during your vacation? There are, of course, countless shops with all sorts of knick-knacks, and on tourist markets, you can also pick up some random bits and bobs. Most of the time it's a waste of money.

Therefore, some fun and affordable insider tips that are sure to make someone happy:

• Almogrote. This specialty from La Gomera is a type of spicy cheese spread based on cheese and mojo picón. Delicious on toast as a snack.
• Mojo sauces. Try the red version based on peppers for a spicy taste and the green version based on green pepper, parsley or coriander for a milder taste.
• Typical goat cheese. But there are also mixtures with sheep and/or cow cheese.
• Wine. Discover Tenerife's more than 70 bodegas (vineyards) and choose an award-winning wine as a souvenir.
• Honey. Try the different monofloral honey types or go for the unique Miel de Palma, obtained from the sap of the palm tree.

You can simply buy these aforementioned souvenirs at the supermarket, so you don't have to bother with browsing markets or shops. Nice and easy and so you really have an original gift, which is also quite easy to transport.

Shopping malls

Spread across the island you will find a few large indoor shopping centers, such as C.C. Meridianoin the capital Santa Cruz, C.C. Alcampo in La Laguna and C.C. Martianez in Puerto de la Cruz.

Furthermore, of course, the famous Golden Mile in Playa de las Americas, a glamorous shopping street that consists of several shopping centers (C.C. Parque Santiago 1 to 5, and the slightly further away C.C. Parque Santiago 6).

An absolute crowd-puller is also the C.C. Siam Mall. Not only will you find nice shops and small restaurants here, but the design of this shopping center is largely in Thai style. A beautiful center for an afternoon of shopping and sightseeing.

Free buses are available to/from C.C. To get to Siam Mall, click here for a link with the bus stops and bus times to this mall . If you prefer to travel by public transport you can find some information here.

Sale

Finally, some useful tips about the Rebajas in the Canary Islands. Officially there are two. The winter sale usually starts the day after Reyes, so on January 7, and ends around March 6. The summer sale generally runs from July 1 to August 31. So if you plan your holiday around that period, it is advisable to provide extra suitcase space.

So much for Shopping in Tenerife. Stay safe and ¡Hasta Pronto!