Mount Teide Observatory Guided Tour

Your experience

Visit Mount Teide's solar science hub on a guided daytime tour with solar and professional night telescopes.

Getting started

Arrive at Teide Observatory during its daytime visitor hours and meet your Starlight guide. Your guided visit begins with an introduction to the Observatory and the exceptional conditions that make the Canary Islands such an important place for astronomy. Reach at least 30 minutes early so you can adjust to the 2,400-meter altitude and be ready to join your group.

What to expect

Mount Teide Observatory

Long before Teide Observatory opened in 1964, astronomer Charles Piazzi Smyth came to Tenerife in 1856 searching for exceptional high-altitude skies. His expedition helped establish the island's astronomical importance. Today, the Observatory focuses on solar observation and robotic astronomy.

Features

• Follow the observatory's story: Discover how Tenerife's exceptional altitude, clear skies, and location above the sea of clouds helped make it an important destination for astronomy.

• Meet the scientists' tools: Explore the Observatory's telescopes and learn about the projects of the Canary Islands Institute of Astrophysics, which manages the facility.

• Observe solar activity: Use two solar telescopes to look at the Sun and observe features such as sunspots and solar flares.

• See inside a nocturnal telescope: Go inside a nocturnal telescope, discover how it functions, and learn about the history behind this remarkable astronomical technology.