Beaches: one of the main reasons why people come to Tenerife. Or to the Canary Islands and Spain in general. When it comes to Tenerife, tourists often choose the beaches in the South as that’s where they usually reside. But Tenerife is much more than that.
It’s probably easy to see that I prefer the North of the island over the South. And yes, the ocean is wilder in the North. But it’s unbelievably beautiful.
But not many of us go to the beach just to admire the ocean, do we? Of course, we’d like to swim, or at least bathe in the sea a bit! I had plenty of time to do that since I was staying in Tenerife for half a year. Here’s my list of the best beaches in the North.
1. Playa de Las Teresitas
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/WZmmBK8qVmb84MTS8
- Surface: very fine yellow sand, no stones
- Ocean: very calm at all times, safe for children
- Special features: strong wind, bars, toilets, sunbeds, parking, bus stop
You probably know this one from promotional materials (I just tried googling the word „Tenerife“ and 3 out of 4 pictures that popped up first were from there!). And there is no question why: Las Teresitas is, in my opinion, the most beautiful beach on the whole island. Yellow sand brought from Sahara, crystal clear and calm waters, palm trees, and a steep mountain in the back…
The only (and quite disturbing) downside is the wind that blows here almost permanently at speeds around 30 km/h, which is quite a lot (plus gusts that are much more!). Anytime I went there, I looked like a schnitzel when the sand stuck to my sun-creamed skin and then I picked sand from my hair & ears for days after the visit. But it was always worth it.
Note: you can visit Las Teresitas if you're doing a one-day road trip around the island. I wrote about it in my last post HERE).
2. Playa Jardín
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/84UBrHaG2B8BJewS8
- Surface: Coarse, black sand
- Ocean: depends on the season & weather conditions
- Special features: within a town, sometimes a little windy
This beach (or rather group of beaches) is located in Puerto de la Cruz, the main tourist spot in the North. And I gotta say Playa Jardin has become one of my ALL TIME favorite spots in the whole of the island. On a nice day, you can clearly see the Teide volcano from here, the beautiful settlement of Punta Brava, and the moutains surrounding the valley of Orotava.
Unfortunately, the ocean is usually too wild to swim in in winter (as in the majority of the beaches in the North), but even then, the beach is great for having picnics and chilling by the ocean with friends. Sometimes you can even see the island of La Palma in the distance!
In summer, it’s much warmer and the ocean is calmer. If you plan on swimming, have in mind that on playa Castillo (one of the 3 belonging to Playa Jardín, the northernmost) there are quite big stones in the water, although the beach is sandy. For swimming even without water shoes, the best one is Playa Maria Jiménez (closest to Punta Brava).
3. Playa de Benijo
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/fJCx6rXKrhmq5L2w9
- Surface: fine, dark sand
- Ocean: very wild, strong currents
- Special features: rocks sticking out of the water, mountaineous surroundings, no toilets or bars
This is another beach that you can usually see on promotional materials. It’s a typical North-Tenerife beach: with wild waves, black sand, located under a steep cliff. It’s quite popular so there is usually a lifeguard present and they’re likely to tell you if you can swim and how far. Because this beach can get very dangerous: I haven’t experienced such strong currents anywhere else! Even when you’re just ankles deep in the water, it’s quite difficult to keep standing in one place.
So why come here? It’s breathtaking, wild & beautiful. And it’s still fun to jump in the waves, although you cannot always swim where you’d like to.
4. Playa de el Bollullo
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/FbnoF1TmVyPaemvK7
- Surface: fine black sand
- Ocean: quite wild
- Special features: bar & toilets, new path to the beach
Very close to Puerto de la Cruz, you can take a walk in there! I did just that and it only added magic to this beautiful beach. After half a year of renovations of the path to the beach (the cliff previously collapsed so they needed to secure it), it is now open again and is very pleasant to visit. But it’s quite easy to reach so I imagine it can get a little crowded sometimes.
The ocean can be wild at times but that’s all I can tell you about it since I didn’t swim there. That’s the price you pay for getting tattoos on an island like Tenerife, especially in summer. :D
5. Playa de la Arena, Mesa del Mar
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/aGigP18ULZhwotg7A
- Surface: black sand, stones in the water
- Ocean: calm, safe for children
- Special features: beautiful road to this beach, tunnel, toilets, shops nearby
This beach is a hidden gem. To access it, you need to drive down a very narrow and steep, serpentine road from Tacoronte. But the views there? Oh-my-god. The beach itself is located on the other side of a cliff from the town Mesa del Mar. There, you can park your car on one of the two parkings and just take a tunnel to the other side, to the beach. The beach is located in a small bay protected from open sea & wild weather, which makes this beach one of the calmest and most child-friendly in the North of Tenerife.
Plus point: not many people know this place, so you’re likely to share the beach only with some locals. Another plus point: beautifully turquise water. The only downside are bigger stones in the water. You can totally swim without shoes and they will probably not hurt you, just be careful so you don’t slip on them.
Note: make sure you’re driving to the town of Mesa del Mar. There is another Playa de la Arena on the other side of the island, in Puerto de Santiago.
6. Playa de Castro
- Location: https://goo.gl/maps/yBEApdts2HJFyKb18
- Surface: stones on the beach, combo of sand & stones in the water
- Ocean: can get quite wild
- Special features: waterfalls on the beach
This one is extraordinary. There are two waterfalls ending on this beach! It is not the most comfortable place to lay down as the whole beach is covered by big stones, but it’s very beautiful and definitely worth a visit & a dip in the ocean. After that, you can climb back up the cliff and relax in a restaurant on its top, with beautiful views on the whole Rambla de Castro protected area. And if you feel like it, you can hike 7 kilometres by the ocean to Puerto de la Cruz. It’s a beautiful and easy hike and you can take a bus from nearby stations, if you hike to this place and don’t want to go back on foot.
Bonus: two beaches I didn’t visit but heard a lot about
Were you wondering what 6+2 in the title of this article meant? It meant there are more beaches worth visiting, but that I didn’t personally experience enough to write about. Here they are:
Playa de Almáciga
I walked by multiple times and people were enjoying the beach. It’s sandy & beautiful but as the majority of beaches in the North, the ocean can be wild. But there are always lifeguards taking care of the people on the beach. Location: https://goo.gl/maps/NEGRbAYtgyF1qfNbA
Playa del Socorro
This beach is located under a cliff so I didn’t get the chance to even see it (although I really wanted). Apparently, it’s very famous among surfers and very beautiful. So if you visit(e)d, let me know how it was! Location: https://goo.gl/maps/QiSDkdwrxji8Yk8H8
So which one of these would you like to visit the most? Let me know!
If you want more tips on what to see & do in Tenerife, follow me on Instagram.