La Laguna was the first Spanish colonial town not built behind walls, and its plan, a grid of straight streets around open squares, became a model for towns in the Americas. It was founded in the late fifteenth century, after the Spanish conquest of Tenerife, and for centuries it was the island's capital, with a cathedral, convents, a university from the eighteenth century, and tall houses with carved wooden balconies. UNESCO listed the old town in 1999. The city is cool and often misty, because it sits at about five hundred metres on a plateau where the trade-wind clouds gather, and the fine drizzle that drifts in from the north-east is a local fixture.
On foot, the old town is a joy. The streets are quiet in the morning, and the squares are lined with arcades and balconies of dark pine. The cathedral, the church of the Conception with its tall tower, and the main street of shops all merit a wander, and the students from the university give the evening cafes life. Local food includes papas arrugadas, the small wrinkled potatoes boiled in salty water, served with a spicy red mojo sauce, and there is excellent local cheese.
The riding from here is superb. To the north-east, the Anaga mountains rise in a knot of sharp ridges and laurel forest, with a road that climbs through tight bends and dense cloud forest to viewpoints over the sea. The surface is mostly good, but mist, rain and wet leaves make it slippery, so go with care. In the other direction, the long climb to Teide National Park on the high road gives you an entire change of landscape, from forest to black lava and pale pumice, with the volcano reaching 3,718 metres.
Fuel and workshops are plentiful, since La Laguna is a city of around a hundred and fifty thousand and runs straight into Santa Cruz. Parking in the old town is awkward, so use a garage on the edge. The weather changes quickly, so carry a rain jacket even when the south is baking. The light after a morning shower, soft and silver over the old roofs, is the best time to look.