As far as cycling routes in Tenerife go, by far the most famous ride is cycling up Mount Teide. The mountain dominates the island and if you're coming to Tenerife to cycle, it's unthinkable you'd leave without tackling it. 

If you hate climbing, cycling holidays in Tenerife are not for you!

Most of the roads either go up or down, there's very little in the way of flat Tenerife cycle routes. What there is is not that exciting. 

But while most of the roads go up or down, at least the main roads (like those up Teide) are generally at decent gradients (just avoid some of the extremely steep side roads). This makes them accessible even if you're only moderately fit. Cycling in Tenerife is more about endurance than extreme fitness: you don't need to be a Contador or Quintana, you "just" need to be able to keep going for kilometre after kilometre!

If you're looking for a rest day ride that avoids some of the major climbs you should be able to put together an easy-moderate route with a bit of planning. Here are some ideas:

This section includes details of hotels and villas we have either stayed in or which we think look great. Full disclosure: if you click on a link and make a booking, we may earn a commission. Please read our disclosure policy for further information.

The hotels listed below allow guests to either store their bikes in their room or keep them in bike storage facilities (though you should check that these policies haven’t changed when you book).

If you're deciding where's best to stay in Tenerife for cyclists, start with our in-depth article on the pros and cons of each resort: Best places to stay in Tenerife (for cyclists). 

Once you've decided on your resort, come back here for our top choices of where to stay for cycling in Tenerife. We suggest hotels in

We spent five nights at Be Live, Playa La Arena. It's a large hotel with lots of facilities and it's a good option if you're travelling with children and/or looking for an all-inclusive package. 

We enjoyed our stay here. Our 2 and 4 year old kids loved the facilities and we liked the location.

If you're looking for a peaceful, five star luxury experience (and you're not with kids), look no further. The Royal Garden Villas Hotel comprises 28 individual luxury villas, each with their own pool.

Hotel Riu Palace is a four star hotel with excellent service and good food in a quiet, seafront location.

One of the main attractions of staying at the three star Hovima Jardin Caleta is that it is next door to Tenerife's Top Training facility.  

Hotel Tigaiga is a family-run hotel where friendly service is a feature. It is located on a hill in the Taoro Park with views of the Orotava Valley and Mount Teide. The hotel is surrounded by subtropical gardens.

Hotel Riu Garoe is a three star hotel where guests are very positive about customer service and many make return visits. 

Tastefully decorated three star apartments designed for three to five people. 

La Laguna Gran Hotel is a four star hotel housed in an old tobacco factory close to the centre of the historic town.

The Parador is a mountain lodge in a dramatic location, being the only building in the Mount Teide Nature Reserve. This is where the pros come to sleep at altitude before testing themselves on the slopes of Mount Teide. It's a hotel with serious cycling pedigree.

An adult only hotel located on the tip of a spectacular bay and orientated towards the sea.

Looking for road bike rental in Tenerife? Below you'll find all the road bike hire shops we've been able to uncover on Tenerife. Missed one? Please let us know! We haven't used these ourselves but would love to hear your experiences. Please drop us a line!

You'll soon see that most of the cycle hire in Tenerife is clustered where most of the tourists are: in the southwest. If you're staying somewhere else, don't despair, some of the bike rental shops will deliver bikes across the island. We've made a note of where they offer this.

Most of the rental shops also offer Tenerife cycling tours and excursions, from half days to multi day cycle training camps.

This information is offered as an indicative guide only: we periodically update it but prices, services and bike brands may change. Please let us know if you find anything that is incorrect.

Undecided on whether to hire a bike or bring your own? Read this now.

Average temperatures in Tenerife remain a solid 17-24 throughout the year, making it a good choice for anyone looking to cycle Tenerife in the sun. Rainfall is also low - you're most likely to get rain in December and even then it's only on average for 6 days of the month.

Throughout the year it's worth remembering that the north side of the island is often cooler and wetter than the south. There's a reason the scenery in the north is greener than the arid rocky south! Also know that the upper part of the island is often shrouded in a thin layer of clouds that forms around Mount Teide at 1,000-1,500htm.

As for the difficult question of exactly how much cooler and wetter the north is than the south, we asked local cyclist Carolyn Gaskell to comment. She lives in the north-east of the island and had this to say:

"Yes, it’s definitely wetter and colder in the north compared to the south. But it’s also much more beautiful! The north side (Los Silos - Puerto De la Cruz get the sunsets and is in the shade of the Teide and therefore cool in the mornings - generally). It’s much busier traffic wise that side, because the motorway stops at Puerto, so all the cars are on the main road. The side roads through the villages are nice, but steep! The Anaga mountains, is my favourite area, they are very often covered in a light mist cloud, and it also rains properly up there too. February-March are usually the worst months for rain. August is commonly the worst month for winds, November to January, usually have the calmest weather, but it’s not an exact science... and the last few years have been quite unpredictable!"

We used and liked the following two guidebooks during our Tenerife trip:

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