Santa Cruz de la Palma, La Palma
The beautiful island of La Palma, is – with its 728 square kilometres and 80,000 inhabitants – the green island par excellence. In the centre of the island lies the largest known crater: La Cadera de Taburiente, a National Park. It has a circumference of 28km full of dense pine forests and depths of up to 770m. The highest point is called Roque de los Muchachos (2,423m), and there is the Astrophysical Observatory. The impressive grandeur of la Cadera can be observed from the observation platform of La Cumbrecita.
Santa Cruz de la Palma is the capital of the island with an important port and 18,000 inhabitants. It lies on the east coast of the island on the slope of the mountain and on the edge of volcanic crater called la Cadereta. Its form is that of an amphitheater which gives the town a curious look. Its picturesque Real St, the centre of Official, commercial and social life, leads to España Square, where El Salvador's and the Town Hall stand, two valuable examples of the 16th century. Santa Cruz de la Palma has a Museum of Natural History with magnificent zoological examples and traces of the original population as well as a large library.
The seaside avenue skirts the sea and there are modern buildings alongside large old houses with huge, wooden balconies which are typical of the island. 500m from the pier there is the Parador on this avenue.
Near the town stands the Sanctuary of Nuestra Señora de las Nieves, the patron saint of the island.