This is the second part of the beaches guide, and we’re talking about the best beaches in Tenerife on the North coast: which ones are worth (or not worth) visiting?
If you missed the first part of the guide, go back to see the beaches in the south of Tenerife, otherwise keep reading 🙂
Premise: Tenerife has more than 300 beaches, so no one should be offended if not all are listed! 🙂
This guide, which I wrote after personally visiting these beaches, is designed to help you prepare an itinerary to see all the different types of beaches in Tenerife: black sand beaches, Sahara sand beaches, and rocky ones, without wasting time on research, and to give you an opinion that might not be so popular on those beaches that are the most photographed and recommended by every guide on the internet, to save you from disappointments.
If you know of any other beautiful ones, let me know in the comments! 🙂
Map of the Best Beaches in Tenerife North
I am reposting the map so you can quickly spot all the beaches of Tenerife North:
Tenerife’s beaches are very different from each other; we find volcanic beaches, made of black sand or black pebbles, usually the most natural ones, rocky beaches, and beaches made of light sand or sand imported from the Sahara Desert, some artificial but no less beautiful!
- In yellow, the beaches of Tenerife made of light sand are marked;
- In brown, the volcanic or rocky beaches are marked;
- The green pin indicates a panoramic point from which to see Tenerife’s most famous beach, which I’ll talk about shortly!
Garachico and the Natural Pools
Overall rating: 8
Beach type: Black volcanic rock
Services: Limited
Accessibility: Easy… if it’s not closed!
Nearby accommodations with prices: see them here, in the Garachico or Icod de Los Vinos area
Garachico is not exactly a beach but an entire village in the North of Tenerife, which was sadly partially wiped out by a volcanic lava flow whose traces are still visible. This also generated some natural pools right in front of the ocean, very pretty and well-maintained.
These pools are free to access, and if you’re lucky enough to visit on a sunny day with no wind coming from the north, they might be a real deal.
And I say “might be,” because these pools could be closed, apparently for no reason and without notice. It’s possible that they close during strong northerly swells to avoid risks to people, but the problem is that then, in the following days with no wind or tide, they keep being closed, making you lose time driving there (that happened to me also!).
So when planning to go to Garachico, keep in pockt a backup plan, like heading towards Puerto de La Cruz (and its Playa Jardin), so you don’t end up cursing too much.
Some activities you may like, before going on with the article:
There’s free parking just a few meters away, overlooking the main street of the village, and other parking options along the coastal road. Near the pools, there’s also a very nice and well-maintained restaurant with a terrace: don’t make the mistake of sitting there, or eating will cost you a lot.
If you want to stay nearby to quickly reach Garachico and the other towns in the North, here you can find hotels in the area and in the nearby town of Icod de Los Vinos; by entering your dates, you will see prices and photos of hotels.
Other Natural Pools
A small note for those who came to see some natural pools and perhaps have the misfortune of finding Garachico closed. There are other pools around the island, such as:
- Natural pool Acantilado de Los Gigantes: It’s not exactly “natural” in the sense that it’s enclosed by a concrete line. Anyway, in 2025, it’s inaccessible and fenced off, perhaps for work or maybe permanently, so don’t waste your time;
- Natural Pools Los Abrigos: Two are marked on the map; the one near the road is disappointing and with rough seas you can’t even see it, go check the one indicated by the link, which is a bit further along the trail;
- Natural pool Alcalà: These are more like a small beach enclosed by rocks than a pool and could be nice. I haven’t seen them personally, but if you go, let me know in the comments how they are;
- Lastly, search “piscina natural” on Google Maps over the Tenerife map, and many will show up. If you try some and find any good ones, let me know in the comments! 🙂
Playa Jardin
Overall rating: 8
Beach type: Black volcanic sand
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations: here, in the Puerto de La Cruz area
This beach is located on the northern coast near the town of Puerto de La Cruz.
I recommend visiting it in the morning or late afternoon (since it’s a black sand beach, it may get really hot in the midday sun during the summer), maybe after visiting Puerto or the nearby town La Orotava, one of the most beautiful villages on the island, where during Corpus Christi, the streets are covered with designs and icons made entirely of flower petals.
It’s a large beach with black volcanic sand, backed by a beautiful garden that also contains large cacti, which is very nice to see.
If you’re there at sunset, don’t miss the sun setting over the sea.
Here you’ll need a bit more luck for parking; try driving around the surrounding streets. The good news is that almost all parking is free.
Playa Martiànez
Overall rating: 6.5
Beach type: Black volcanic sand
Services: Yes, but… beware
Accessibility: Easy but difficult parking
Nearby accommodations with prices: Puerto de La Cruz area
Playa Martiànez, another black sand beach near Puerto de La Cruz that you may include in the list of beaches in North Tenerife in case you have some spare time. It’s not unforgettable, but if you like volcanic sand, it could be worth a stop.
It is located right behind the much more famous Lago Martiànez: an incredible water park with pools of all kinds, some even with small caves, which I will talk about in more detail in another article.
Beware when parking: this beach is near a road, but it’s hard to find free spaces. You’ll probably have to park on the opposite side of the tunnel and then walk down, but be careful as there are sections where stopping is prohibited.
Playa de Benijo
Overall rating: 9
Beach type: Rock and black volcanic sand
Services: No
Accessibility: Challenging
Nearby accommodations: There is nothing very close, you need to move at least to San Andrés
Too bad I haven’t been there yet… 😆 So Google shows you some photos (but skip the first ones where they went too far with Photoshop…)
It is located at the tip of the northeastern corner of Tenerife and is one of the most appreciated beaches with a strong vibe and wind-blown atmosphere. The beach is made up of rock and black sand, with huge rocks in the water right in front of you, offering stunning views.
If you’re not staying at the far north of the island, to reach Playa de Benijo, you will have to drive quite a bit, so if you like it and want to visit, plan accordingly. Be aware that the ocean is often very rough, and there are no services apart from a couple of restaurants back on the road.
You may like: Where to stay in Tenerife
Playa de Las Teresitas
Overall rating: 7
Beach type: Light sand
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations with prices: in San Andrés
Here it is: the most famous and photographed beach in Tenerife, the one that every guide and every billboard throws in your face under the name of the island, as if Tenerife were just this beach. And since you’ve probably already seen a photo of it elsewhere, beautiful, sunny, and heavily photoshopped… let me show you how it looks with clouds! 😀
This artificial beach, created with sand from the Sahara, is probably the largest on the island.
Is it worth going? Well, in my unpopular opinion, no.
It’s a beach that, as seen from above, has great potential, plenty of space, and calm waters suitable even for children due to the artificial shelter.
What’s the problem? The dirty water. Every time I’ve been, even years apart.
Probably due to the large number of boats docked near the harbor and the poor water exchange, the entire bay has occasional bits of trash and floating oil along the shore (visible only with the sun’s light and the proper reflection) which makes you lose the desire to dip your feet in.
As if that weren’t enough, especially on weekends, it’s crowded despite its size, with locals and tourists (some noisy people with radios on max volume and soccer balls, like in Italy) and… on the last kilometer of road to get there, thanks to the one-way streets in San Andrés, you’ll find yourself on the car waiting in line for 20-30 minutes.
The parking is large and mostly free.
Alternatively, go admire it from the famous mirador a little higher up, which I marked with a green pin on the map.
If you still have time, you can also head to Playa de Las Gaviotas, just after the mirador, which is a smaller, wilder black sand beach. But don’t go there in the afternoon or you’ll find it completely in the shade, being under a steep cliff.
If you were really in the mood to see a light sand beach because you’ve had enough of volcanic beaches, you could consider, instead of this one, visiting Playa de Abama or Playa del Duque, which I talk about in the guide to south Tenerife beaches.
Playa de Radazul
Overall rating: 7
Beach type: Black volcanic pebbles
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations with prices: here, in Radazul
Playa de Radazul, located in the town of Radazul, just a short distance from Santa Cruz de Tenerife, is a beach I wanted to include in this list of the best beaches in North Tenerife for its unique shape.
Unfortunately, I don’t even have a well-done photo, I hope you’ll accept for this one that frames one of its two sides!
It is, in fact, a double beach, shaped like an H, made of pointed black pebbles (not easy to walk on barefoot, especially when they’re hot 😆 ).
It’s worth a visit if you’re on your way back from the highway. The water is very nice and clear, but if it’s summer, don’t go before 5 PM. There’s no shade, and the black stones burn! 😀
Finally… get inspired!
As already mentioned, Tenerife has hundreds of beaches that should really be visited. In this map, I’ve listed the most relevant ones that I’ve been able to visit and those that are often advertised, but remember that there are many others, especially small, natural, and lesser-known ones.
So my advice is: browse the map and visit others too! To find them, both Google Maps (for some pics) and the free app MAPS.ME (with offline maps) are helpful.
And if you haven’t read it already, take a look at the guide to the best beaches in southern Tenerife!
When you’ve decided which beaches you want to visit and what other beauties of Tenerife, such as Teide Plateau, don’t forget to also choose a good area to stay in Tenerife so you don’t have to drive too many kilometers every day! 🙂
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