Los Cristianos bay · Arona, Tenerife

Playa de Los Cristianos

Everything you need to know before you go: Getting there, parking, prices, best time.

Last checked: September 2026

Does it cost anything?Free, loungers ~€9Free beach. Two loungers and a parasol cost about €9 in 2025.

How do I get there?Bus, 800 m walkBus station 800 m away: 112 from Santa Cruz, 40 from the airport.Where do I park?Harbour, paidPaid harbour car park 190 m away. Free spaces from about 560 m.When is it best?All yearThe beach faces south and gets sun all day. Lifeguards all year.

Playa de Los Cristianos seen from the harbour wall, Montaña de Guaza behind — Photo: Bengt Nyman, License: CC BY 3.0

About 350 m of pale sand in the bay of Los Cristianos, one of Tenerife's first tourist beaches, with fishing boats at one end and the ferry port to La Gomera right next door. Free, calm and in the sun all day. But in August 2026 it was cleared because of diesel in the water, and it has no Blue Flag.

Straight talk

What to know before you go.

The port is next door. Ferries, tour boats and the old jetty are right at the west end. On 21 August 2026 the beach was cleared because of diesel in the water. We found no date for when it reopened.
A history of closures. Between 2018 and 2021 Los Cristianos had more short pollution episodes than any other Canary beach, and it was closed for bacteria in 2019 and 2024. The 2026 tests are all excellent.
No Blue Flag. Unlike Playa de Las Vistas next door, which is Arona's only Blue Flag beach in 2026.
Toilets. Visitors report only two cabins, often without paper or soap.
Parking is hard. The harbour car park charges an unpublished fee, and free spaces start about 560 m away.
Often mixed up. Many photos of Los Cristianos beach actually show Playa de Las Vistas, west of the harbour.

Getting there

The beach is in the centre of Los Cristianos, between the harbour to the west and the promenade on Avenida Juan Alfonso Batista.

By car

From Tenerife South airport

~20 min

From Costa Adeje

~10 min

From Santa Cruz

~50 min

01Leave the TF-1 at the Los Cristianos exit and follow the signs to the port (Puerto).
02Park in the paid car park at the harbour entrance.
03Walk about 190 m east along the promenade to the beach.
04Free alternative: street parking east of the centre or the car parks on Avenida Chayofita, 560–800 m away.

Visitors call parking very difficult. The free spaces are about ten minutes' walk away, and the way back is uphill.

Route to the car park

Other

From Santa Cruz
Line 112 about every 30 minutes, around 50 minutes on the motorway. Some line 111 buses also stop in Los Cristianos.
From the south airport
Line 40 about every 30 minutes until the evening; at night line 711 takes over.
Along the south coast
Line 467 links Las Galletas, Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje about every 20 minutes in daytime.
From the bus station
Buses stop at the bus station on Avenida Juan Carlos I, about 800 m downhill from the beach. Towards Costa Adeje, lines 111 and 112 stop on Avenida Hermano Pedro, not at the bus station.

Check before you go

After bacteria findings or fuel from the harbour in the water, the town closes the beach at short notice, most recently on 21 August 2026 for diesel. Arona posts the weekly water tests on its website; they measure bacteria only, not fuel.

Weekly water tests (town of Arona)

Parking & arriving

Harbour car park

Paid

Public car park at the harbour entrance, about 190 m from the beach. Operator and price are not published.

Street parking

0 €

Diagonal spaces along the streets east of the centre, from about 560 m.

Avenida Chayofita

0 €

Car parks about 710 m north of the beach. Uphill on the way back.

On site

A town beach of pale sand in a calm bay, with fishing boats and the old jetty at the west end and the promenade behind. Wooden walkways lead down onto the sand.

Time there: ~1 h to a full beach day
Walk from car park: ~190 m along the promenade from the harbour car park
Toilets: Free, on the promenade
Food & drink: Bars and restaurants along the promenade
Shade: Only under a few trees and a pergola in the middle; parasols for rent
Wheelchair: Ramps and walkways to the sand; assisted bathing in July and August

When is it worth it?

The beach is open all day. Tap a time of day.

00–11Morning★ Recommended

Quieter, and the sun is already on the sand.

11–17Midday

Hot sand and busy in summer.

17–20Evening

The sun sets behind the harbour, not over the open sea.

20–24Night

The beach stays open. The promenade and the harbour are lit.

Sun direction from the map. The town publishes no lifeguard hours.

Jul – Aug

Busy with families.

Winter

A wide, quieter beach with sun all day.

Festivals

Carnival in March and the Fiestas del Carmen in late August, with a boat pilgrimage. Crowds and road closures.

Forecast

Facts

Size: Source: Turismo de Tenerife · 09/2026; About 345 m long and 80 m wide, pale sand
Blue Flag: Source: Blue Flag · 09/2026; No, not in 2025 or 2026
Water quality: Source: Town · 09/2026; All town tests excellent from January to 14 September 2026
Lifeguards: Source: Town · 09/2026; All year. The town publishes no hours
Loungers: Source: Visitors · 09/2026; €9 for two loungers and a parasol, cash only (visitors, 2025)
Showers: Source: Visitors · 09/2026; Free, cold water
Ferries: Source: Operator · 09/2026; Fred. Olsen and Armas to La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro, right next door
Bus: Source: TITSA · 09/2026; Los Cristianos bus station, about 800 m
Emergency: Source: Gobierno de Canarias · 09/2026; 112

Playa de Los Cristianos

Common questions, answered