From the harbour in Los Christianos, through the resorts and surfer spots in Playa de las Americas and Costa Adeje, we went out and found all the best beaches in Tenerife South for you.
The south of the largest Canary Island offers a variety of beaches. With everything from imported white sand, soft and black volcanic sand, and sharp rocks with huge waves crashing into them. There is something for every kind of traveler.
The Black Volcanic Sand Beach of Los Christianos
Our journey looking for the nicest beaches in Tenerife started by the Los Christianos harbour. Here tourists can hire boat trips around the island. There is also an option to take the ferry to the other Canary Islands from this location. This means that there is some more noise than what you will find on the other beaches in the south of Tenerife.
The sand on this beach is fantastic. There is a younger and more hip crowd on this beach. So be prepared to smell some smoke.
There is a buoy dividing the beach, but you get pretty close to the harbour on the western side. I would recommend staying in the eastern parts of the beach, as this is further away from the harbour (noise and pollution).
You can rent sun beds and parasols here, and they don’t seem to run out quickly like on the more busy resort beaches. Expect to pay 6 Euros for a sun bed and a parasol.
There are a lot of restaurants and bars just behind the Los Christianos beach. There you can buy cheap beach food and 1 Euro pints of cold beer. The quality of the food is fine for what you are paying, but don’t expect too much.
Overall this beach is great if you want a soft black volcanic sand beach with cheap food options right behind you. There seems to be a younger crowd here though. And the negative is of course having the harbour next to you. In the harbours defence though, it does shield you quite a bit from the waves coming in.
Playa de las Vistas
Continuing on from the noisy harbour we go through a tunnel full of convenience stores and tourist shops. On the other side of the tunnel you will see the huge beach of Playa de las Vistas to your left.
This beach is in many ways similar to Playa de Los Christianos. It has the same black, soft sand, a lot of cheap restaurants and a couple of bars behind it, and the sun beds are spread around the entire place.
However, as this beach does not have the harbour of Christianos shielding it from the ocean, there is significantly more waves here. There are breakwaters on each side of the beach, which certainly helps reduce the waves, but there are still larger waves here. In the middle of the beach you will find the landmark Fuente Playa de las Vistas which kind of splits the beach in two. It is not much to look at though.
We found that as you move west on this beach you can grab a fantastic Mojito at the beach bar Chiringuito Puntavista. We really enjoyed watching the sunset here. Just be sure to come early if you want a seat!
Compared the Los Christianos beach, I recommend this one more. The waves are bigger, but it is worth it to avoid the noise and polution of the harbour. You are also a bit more centrally located if that matters to you. Great Beach!
The Golden Sand Beach in Tenerife, Playa del Camisón
Moving on from the volcanic beaches and onwards to Playa del Camisón the sand suddenly takes on a new color. Here you can find the only golden sand beach in the area. Now this sand is very obviously not from the area. And it is not as soft as the darker volcanic sand, but it is still very comfortable, and very beautiful.
This beach is also very protected from the waves compared to the previous beach, with two large breakwaters hugging the beach.
This beach is in what I’d call the centre of Playa de las Amercas. Right across the road from Hotel Mediterranean Palace and Cleopatra Palace, which are both large resorts. So you can expect some traffic here. We found this to be the most crowded beach, but for a good reason: It is safe, central, has a lifeguard on duty, and the waves are a lot softer here.
Unfortunately, there are not many food options near you like on the other two beaches. There is a little beach bar where you can buy drinks and food, but for a higher price. So for more options you will have to walk a few minutes further than you do on the previous two beaches. There are lots of food options up the street, back towards Playa de las Vistas, and in the other direction.
We found that the crowd here was a bit older than on the other beaches. But like anywhere you will find a mix of people.
Overall I would say this is one of the best beaches in Tenerife South if you have children. It’s also very accessible if you live in the nearby resorts. The location and and safety is hard to beat.
More top beaches in Tenerife South
As this article is getting long, we will move on to towards the surfing spots and more dark sand beaches in part two of this series. Follow along as we check out the best beaches Costa Adeje has to offer!
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I have spent the past 10+ years traveling around the world. On this website, I am dedicated to making high-quality travel guides focusing on South East Asia. My content focuses on how to get the most out of your travels. That includes getting good value, staying in the best locations, what things to do, and what to avoid.
