One of the lesser known attractions of Puerto de la Cruz, the resort in the north of Tenerife, is the Orchid Garden Sitio Litre. The mansion was built in 1730 and in 1774 the British merchant Archibald Little bought it together with a piece of land which he converted into a beautiful garden. Sitio is the Spanish word for site and the surname Little somehow changed into Litre. In 1856 the Vice Director of Bristol College, Charles Smith, purchased the property, his family owned the house until 1996, the mansion is still privately owned, but the garden has been opened to the public.

Together with the ticket the visitors get a brochure and a list of all the plants and their names (which is to be returned), number plates are stuck into the soil so that the visitors interested in botany can inform themselves. A map shows the lay-out, but the garden is so small that it isn´t needed to find the way, it´s informative, though, as some parts of the garden have the names of famous visitors who´re introduced.

The Marianne North Terrace is dedicated to the English botanical painter who lived in the mansion for two months in 1875, some copies of her pictures are placed in the garden showing that even after more 130 years it hasn´t changed much. She was a diligent artist, the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew in London displays all her 832 paintings.

Open daily

from 9.30 am to 6 pm

Entrance fee

4.50 Euro