Beach Guide - Playa de las Americas and Los Cristianos

Visiting the beach is probably the highest priority for most people when they go on holiday. The combination of the soft sand and glittering ocean is a great way to relax. It’s a simple combination so why have we created a beach guide? The simple answer is because not all beaches in Tenerife are the same!

Tenerife is a volcanic island which is made wholly of volcanic rock. This is a black rock full of sulphur so it’s no surprise that the natural beaches would be black too. This makes for a pretty ugly looking relaxation spot so the Canarian government have built an abundance of man made beaches for the tourists and local alike. You can certainly expect to find the usual golden sand beaches all over the island these days and they are so well maintained you will never know they were man made.

Which one should you go to then?

This really is down to personal preference and will depend greatly on your base location. By far the biggest beach in the area is that of Las Vistas which is half in Las Americas and half in Los Cristianos. You'll always find a bathing spot here and the bay like cove makes the water calm and extremely safe for swimming. There’s not really much in the way of activities on this beach, although there is a fountain and diving platform in the sea for you to make use of. Next to Las Vistas beach you have Los Cristianos beach which is very similar to Las Vistas beach but it adjoins the Los Cristianos harbour. A very pretty beach with a view of the harbour but this can be a little noisy at times with a frequent ferry crossing to La Gomera operating from here. Going back the other way you come to El Camison beach which is where you should head if you want to do water sports such as Jet ski’s, pedalo's and banana boats. It’s a relatively small beach but is very popular with tourists and locals alike. The next beach is La Troya beach, also known as Veronica’s beach due to its location next to the Veronicas strip. This is generally a little grubbier compared to the others but is still majorly popular with the British tourists. It’s the second largest beach in Las Americas and hosts some more relaxing water sports such as Pedalo's. Next up is Puerto Colon beach and marina. This sits next to the Las Americas marina where all the normal boat trips depart from. This beach is pretty small but has the attraction of anchored inflatables in the sea for the young and old to mess about on. There is a small fee should you wish to use these facilities. Finally we reach Fanabe beach. This is located in the more upmarket area of Las Americas and outsize’s its neighbour by a long way. There’s an abundance of parasols and sun loungers so head here if you want a little more relaxation and nicer surroundings

You can see the location of all the beaches mentioned here in our Tenerife Maps section. For an interactive look at their location, download our Google Earth layer where we have hundreds of points of interest for you to view.

Here is a complete list of beaches in Tenerife along with their location and the type of sand you can expect: