| Beach | Area | Size | Blue Flag | Facilities | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Playa de San Juan | Guía de Isora (west) | 360 m x 30 m | Yes, since 2012 | Lifeguard, showers, toilets, changing rooms, children's area, bars | Yes |
| La Arena | Puerto de Santiago (west) | 140 m x 40 m | Yes, 27 years | Showers, toilets, loungers, diving area, bars | Yes |
| Playa Jardín | Puerto de la Cruz (north) | 240 m x 40 m | Yes (complex) | Showers, toilets, loungers, surf, children's and sports areas, bars | Over 100 spaces |
| El Bollullo | La Orotava (north) | 200 m x 40 m | None listed | Bars and restaurants, loungers, bins | Fewer than 50 spaces |
| Benijo | Taganana (Anaga) | 300 m x 30 m | None listed | Bins and cleaning only | Fewer than 50 spaces |
Sizes, sand and services are from the Tenerife tourist board's beach pages, read on 7 November 2026.
The easy ones: Playa de San Juan and La Arena
Playa de San Juan is a village beach in Guía de Isora, next to the fishing harbour. The harbour and its breakwater shelter it from wind and waves, and the tourist board lists a lifeguard service, a children's area, showers, changing rooms, bars and restaurants, with disabled and reduced-mobility access. Read the full entry in Playa de San Juan.
La Arena is in Puerto de Santiago, under the cliffs of Los Gigantes. At 140 m by 40 m it is the smallest of the Blue Flag beaches, with toilets, showers, loungers for hire and a scuba-diving area. It is a short walk from the boats that sail to the cliffs: see Los Gigantes and where to stay in Los Gigantes.
The town option: Playa Jardín
Playa Jardín belongs to a three-beach complex in Puerto de la Cruz on Paseo de Luis Lavaggi, with all three beaches in black sand. Playa Jardín is 240 m by 40 m, with a surf area; Punta Brava is 260 m by 40 m; Playa Chica is only 130 m by 10 m and family friendly. The three have a children's area, a sports area, sun loungers and more than 100 parking spaces. The complex is on the tourist board's Blue Flag list. See Puerto de la Cruz.
The wild ones: El Bollullo and Benijo
El Bollullo, at the foot of a cliff in El Rincón, La Orotava, is 200 m long. The tourist board says you can walk from Puerto de la Cruz in about 45 minutes or take a short stepped path from the El Bollullo restaurant. It has bars, snacks and loungers, parking for fewer than 50 cars and no disabled access.
Benijo is the most remote of the Taganana beaches in the Anaga mountains, 300 m long and 30 m wide, reached on a path with steps. The only services listed are bins and a municipal cleaning service. Parking is under 50 spaces, and there is no disabled access. Take food and water with you, because no bars or shops are listed on the beach.
What about the south?
The south coast is mostly pale sand: see Playa del Duque, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos. La Tejita, by Montaña Roja in El Médano, is listed by the tourist board with black sand and as an isolated beach: see La Tejita. The island-wide comparison is in the best beaches in Tenerife.
How to choose
- Want lifeguards and showers: Playa de San Juan or La Arena, both Blue Flag.
- Staying in Puerto de la Cruz: Playa Jardín, a walk from the hotels, with surf and a children's area.
- Want an empty beach: Benijo, knowing that it has only bins and cleaning.
- Want a walk with a reward: El Bollullo, with the 45-minute walk from Puerto de la Cruz.
Mistakes to avoid
- Expecting disabled access at the wild beaches. The tourist board lists none at El Bollullo or Benijo.
- Counting on car parking at El Bollullo and Benijo, where there are fewer than 50 spaces each.
- Choosing Benijo for a family day with facilities. It lists only bins and cleaning.
- Looking for black sand in Costa Adeje, where the tourist board says pale and dark beaches alternate: check the specific beach first.
FAQ
Which black sand beach is best for families?
Playa de San Juan, which has a lifeguard, a children's area and a Blue Flag, or Playa Chica in Puerto de la Cruz, which the tourist board labels family friendly.
Which beach has a surf area?
Playa Jardín in Puerto de la Cruz, where the tourist board lists a surf area, a children's area and a sports area.
Where is the most remote black sand beach?
Benijo, in Taganana, which the tourist board calls the most remote of Taganana's beaches.
Can I walk to El Bollullo from Puerto de la Cruz?
Yes. The tourist board gives about 45 minutes on foot.
The Tenerife Authority editorial team, 7 November 2026.
