Tenerife is probably the Island of the Canaries with the richest variety of incredible natural landscapes, located close to each other, including the Teide volcano, its plateau, the dry and desert-like areas of the south contrasting with the green pine forests of the north, modern cities and traditional villages… and plenty of beaches! In this post I’ll focus on the best beaches of Tenerife, particularly those in the south of the island. The beaches of the north will be covered in the second part of the guide.
Map of the best beaches of Tenerife – South side
And if you know other beautiful beaches, feel free to share them in the comments! 🙂
Let’s start with a look at the map, which will serve as a reference for the list of the best beaches of Tenerife:
- In yellow, the best beaches with light sand are marked;
- In brown, the volcanic beaches made of black sand or volcanic pebbles are marked;
- The green pin indicates a viewpoint where you can see the most famous beach of Tenerife, which I will discuss in the guide to the northern beaches.
In summer, I recommend not staying on the beach between 12 and 4 PM, as during the summer months the sun is at its peak.
On black sand beaches, make sure to bring water shoes, as some are made of sharp or large stones, and they could be scorching in the middle of the day! 😆
Read also: The best areas to stay in Tenerife
El Médano – La Tejita
Overall rating: 7
Beach type: Light sand
Services: Yes, near the town
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations with prices: here’s the list, such as Hotel Médano with large ocean-view windows or the affordable Hostal Carel
El Médano beach is one of the most popular destinations for surf lovers. It’s impossible not to notice them offshore, having fun at all hours of the day.
El Médano starts right in front of the village of the same name, where you can also enjoy a traditional dinner away from the hustle and bustle of more touristy areas, then continue with a beautiful seafront promenade perfect for a sunset walk.
The landmark in front of you is Montaña Roja, the hill that rises above the ocean, which, if you have a few hours, can be reached by walking along the coast.
Getting there is very simple, park your rental car in one of the free parking spots in the village’s small streets, and don’t worry, this wood will always be there watching over you!
A short distance from El Médano, both to the north and south, you will find other wind-blown beaches hit by surfers, such as Playa de la Tejita: be careful, on particularly windy days, it may be difficult even to stand on these beaches on the east side. 😀
Some activities you may like, before going on with the article:
How to get to Playa de la Tejita? Point your GPS to this car park.
Playa de Los Cristianos – Playa del Camisón
Overall rating: 8
Beach type: Light sand
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations with prices: area Las Americas or the town of Los Cristianos
These two beaches are probably the most visited by tourists in Tenerife.
They are located right in front of the districts of Los Cristianos and Las Americas, the two most popular areas to stay in the south of Tenerife. Los Cristianos is a fairly busy town, and at certain times of the day, it can be quite crowded, while Las Americas is the ultimate tourist district, almost entirely made up of hotels, bars, restaurants, surrounded by very flashy streets in the style of a Californian city, Irish and English bars.
Las Americas is an excellent base to stay if you want to go out in the evening without using the car. Here is the map with hotels in Las Americas. However, if you seek total tranquility and the authenticity of the Canary Islands, it’s better to choose another area; but I’ll discuss all of this in another article.
These two beaches have the classic cove shape, which shields from stronger waves, the seabed slopes gradually and they are the most suitable for children and families. All services are available, and on the beautiful seafront promenade, you will find plenty of restaurants and shops.
Although they are very popular, they are still not chaotic, and there is plenty of space. The average age of visitors in recent years seems to have increased quite a bit.
Playa del Camisón has beautiful sunbeds and a garden in front, with the promenade continuing along it, where I recommend taking a walk, especially at sunset, because it’s very charming.
Playa del Duque
Overall rating: 8.5
Beach type: Light sand on one side and volcanic gravel on the other
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations with prices: here in the Costa Adeje area
This beach is on the list of the best beaches in Tenerife because if it’s not too crowded, it’s beautiful to visit for the color of the water, for the cliff with a small castle on top, and for the promenade, with well-maintained walkways filled with plants and flowers, along which I recommend taking a walk.
Beware, the Duque area is one of the most expensive in the south of the island.
For parking, look along this street or the side streets. Don’t go to the parking lot of the small shopping centre nearby, because unlike Italy, in the Canary Islands, shopping centres are among the few places where parking is paid after a certain time.
In my opinion this is one of the most beautiful beaches in Tenerife, both for the view and because it has one side of black pebbles and the other of light sand; finally, at the foot of the rocky wall, there is a bright seabed, possibly the only one on this island.
Playa de Abama
Overall rating: 8.5
Beach type: Light Sahara sand
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Medium
Nearby accommodations with prices: in the 5-star Las Terrazas de Abama or in the nearby village of Playa San Juan
Now let’s head further west and check out a more interesting beach in Tenerife: Playa de Abama.
I’ll warn you right away, you’ll need to descend (and then climb back up) a few hundred steps… but it’s worth it!
This light sand beach, sheltered by rocks and rocky sides, offers a must-see view from above, and it’s equally breathtaking once you’re in the water!
To get there, you have to leave your car in the free parking lot at the entrance of the resort “Abama”, then follow the road down, and once you reach the edge of the cliff, descend the staircase made of rocks. There is also a lift to avoid the stairs, but we were told it was reserved for resort guests. 😆
Playa de Los Guios
Overall rating: 7.5
Beach type: Black sand and pebbles
Services: Yes
Accessibility: Easy
Nearby accommodations: in Puerto de Santiago
This is a beach I would call “striking”.
Yes, because it’s not very large, but it has a big impact with the view directly in front of the cliffs of Los Gigante, and sometimes the sea showing its full power along the rocks near the shore.
When you visit Playa de Los Guios, pay attention to the children (and even to adults when the sea is rough because it can get really wild), and don’t place towels too close to the shore because a wave can take everything away in a second.
Enjoy the view and take in the scenery at this beach, which is the last one on the west coast, where the “end of the world” begins. 🙂
From the Puerto de Santiago district, you can also take some of the island’s most famous boat tours in search of whales and dolphins at a modest price.
Playa de La Arena
This small beach is one of those made of black sand on the southern side of Tenerife. It is located near the village of Puerto de Santiago, the last urbanization before the start of “Los Gigantes”, the high cliffs that rise over the ocean to the westernmost point of the island.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to visit this beach, so I don’t have a photo to show you, but here you can see some!
But it doesn’t end here! Check out the second part with the best beaches of Tenerife in the northern part of the island! 🙂
And follow your inspiration!
As mentioned, Tenerife has hundreds of beaches, which should all be visited. In this map, I’ve listed the best beaches in Tenerife for those who have little time, but don’t forget that there are many smaller, more natural, and lesser-known ones.
My advice, therefore, is if you’re passing near any other beach, stop and have a look, especially those along the southwest coast, less affected by the wind! To find them, look at Google Maps to figure out how to get there and see some photos before you arrive.
Once you’ve decided which beaches and other beauties of this island you want to visit, such as the Teide plateau, it’s also a good idea to choose a good area to stay in Tenerife to avoid driving too many kilometers every day!
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