Los Cristianos
Best for. Families and gentle swimmers who want a calm warm dip with the town at their back, plus anyone using the harbour for whale boats and the La Gomera ferry.
Best spot. The sheltered town beach beside the harbour for the calmest water, with the longer Playa de las Vistas next door for more room.
Know this. The harbour shelter means no surf at all. The real adventure here is offshore, on the whale and dolphin boats.
Los Cristianos is the gentlest, easiest beach day in the south, and that is both its strength and its limit. Once a fishing village and now a busy resort town, it keeps an old harbour that does the real work, sheltering the town beach so the water sits calm, shallow and warm right up to the sand. For families, slower swimmers and anyone who simply wants to wade into a flat warm sea, it is hard to beat on the south coast.
Next door, the long golden sweep of Playa de las Vistas gives you more room with the same protected, easy feel, so the two beaches together cover a full lazy day. The promenade behind them is lined with cafes and shops, and the whole front is unusually accessible, with ramps and assisted bathing facilities that make it one of the easier beaches in Tenerife for visitors with reduced mobility.
For an active traveller the honest note is that the adventure here is not on the sand, it is offshore. The deep channel between Tenerife and La Gomera, which starts just out from this harbour, is home to resident pilot whales and bottlenose dolphins, one of the most reliable whale and dolphin areas in Europe. Boats leave the port through the day to see them, and the same harbour runs the ferry to La Gomera, so Los Cristianos works brilliantly as a launch pad for a day on the water.
What you will not find here is surf or wildness. The harbour takes the swell away entirely, so there are no waves to ride, and the setting is firmly a built up resort town rather than a natural shore. If you came to read a swell or chase an empty cove, point yourself north to the Anaga beaches or east to El Medano and La Tejita for the wind. Los Cristianos is the calm anchor, not the thrill.
Who should skip the middle of the day. The beach is genuinely busy in high season and at weekends, so the water and the sand are at their best early. Come at the start of the day for a calm swim, take a whale boat or the La Gomera ferry, and let the town fill up behind you while you are out on the water.
Clubs on this beach
Los Cristianos is a public town beach with promenade cafes rather than a daybed club, so for a lounger and table service day we route you to the southern beach clubs of Tenerife nearby.
No beach club on this beach
This is a public town beach with cafes and chiringuitos along the promenade rather than a daybed club. The pool clubs and beach clubs gather a short way west along the Las Americas and Costa Adeje strip, and we list every option in the Tenerife beach clubs directory.
South coast, Arona
Los Cristianos sits on the south coast in the municipality of Arona, running straight into Playa de las Americas along the promenade, about fifteen minutes from Tenerife South airport.
It is easy to reach by bus or taxi, and the harbour is the departure point for whale watching boats and the ferry to La Gomera, so it is a natural base for days out on the water.
Facilities are excellent, with showers, cafes and accessible bathing aids along the front. The town beach by the harbour is the calmest, and Playa de las Vistas next door has more space.
Photo: Pawel aus Düsseldorf via GoogleBook a beach club
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Common questions about Los Cristianos
Is Los Cristianos beach good for swimming?
Yes, it is one of the gentlest swims in the south. The town beach sits behind the harbour, which shelters it so the water stays calm, shallow and warm, ideal for families and slower swimmers. The larger Playa de las Vistas next door is a longer golden beach with the same easy, protected feel.
Is Los Cristianos good for families?
Very much so. The sheltered, shallow water and soft sand make it one of the easiest beaches in Tenerife for young children, and the seafront promenade, shops and cafes are all a step from the sand. It is also one of the most accessible beaches on the island, with ramps and assisted bathing facilities.
Can you go whale watching from Los Cristianos?
Yes, this is one of the main launch points. Boats leave the harbour to see the resident pilot whales and dolphins that live in the deep channel between Tenerife and La Gomera, one of the most reliable whale and dolphin areas in Europe. The same harbour runs the ferry to La Gomera, so Los Cristianos doubles as a gateway for day trips.
Is there surf at Los Cristianos?
No, the harbour shelter removes the swell, so this is a calm swimming beach rather than a surf spot. For waves you head to the wild north coast, and for windsurf and kitesurf to El Medano and La Tejita a short drive east. Use Los Cristianos as the easy rest and family beach, not the session beach.
Is Los Cristianos very crowded?
It is busy, as a popular resort town beach in a sunny spot. It fills through the day in high season and at weekends, so an early start gives you the calmest water and the best patch of sand. The promenade stays lively into the evening, which is part of the appeal for many visitors.
