Tenerife Souvenirs

Souvenir shopping on the island runs the full range and the two ends are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. The resort strips sell the usual: fridge magnets, printed shirts, and a lot of things with a volcano on them.

The alternative is the island's own craft, and it is genuinely distinctive. Openwork embroidery from the northern villages, basketry in palm and cane, and a small five-string instrument called the timple that is the sound of Canarian folk music. The craft shops in La Orotava, La Laguna and the northern towns are where to find it, along with the island's craft fairs, and the difference in quality is obvious in the hand.