Paseo de San Telmo · Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife

Playa San Telmo

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

Last checked: September 2026

Does it cost anything?No, €0Public town beach. Lago Martiánez next door is the paid one.

How do I get there?~35 min from Santa CruzTF-5 to Puerto de la Cruz. Bus 102 from Santa Cruz and La Laguna.Where do I park?Explanada del MuelleFree car park by the harbour, 1,600 spaces, ~10 min on foot.When is it best?Low tide, calm seaRock pools only at low tide. Check the swell before a swim.

The old jetty at San Telmo, with Lago Martiánez behind — Photo: Jorge Franganillo, License: CC BY 2.0

About 20 by 20 metres of pebbles and black sand between lava rocks, right below the promenade. At low tide rock pools form. When the Atlantic swell rolls in, the town itself says swimming is not possible.

Straight talk

What to know before you go.

Some days you can't swim at all. The town itself warns that heavy swell sometimes makes swimming impossible. Check the sea before you pack your swimming things.
The Blue Flag is gone. The tourism board still mentions one, but San Telmo lost it in 2022 and is not on the 2026 list.
The water has been closed before. Health authorities closed the beach in 2019 and 2020 over water quality. In January 2025 the town said the water was fine.
It's tiny. About 20 by 20 metres. The town says the rock pools get very crowded at certain times of year.
The pool next door isn't the beach. Lago Martiánez, the lido with the fountain, is a separate paid complex.

Getting there

San Telmo is on the seafront promenade between the old harbour and Lago Martiánez. There is no parking at the beach, so you park by the harbour or in a garage and walk.

By car

From Santa Cruz

~35 min

From Costa Adeje

~1 h 10 min

Car park to beach

~10 min on foot

01Take the TF-5 to Puerto de la Cruz and follow the signs for the centre and the harbour (Muelle).
02Park on the Explanada del Muelle, the large free car park by the fishing harbour.
03Walk east along the seafront past Plaza del Charco to the Paseo de San Telmo.
04The beach is below the promenade next to the small San Telmo chapel. A ramp leads down without steps.

There is no parking on the promenade. The garages near the beach charge by the hour; only the Explanada del Muelle is free.

Route to the car park

Other

From Santa Cruz and La Laguna
Line 102 runs frequently to Puerto de la Cruz bus station and takes about an hour. From there it is about 900 m on foot, or take city line 382.
From the airports and the south
Line 343 links both airports and Costa Adeje with Puerto, but only four times a day each way. Check the return trip before you go.
City buses
Lines 381 and 382 stop at Plaza Reyes Católicos, about 150 m away. The free Loro Parque train leaves from the same square.
From the west of the island
Line 363 connects Buenavista, Garachico and Icod with Puerto de la Cruz bus station.

Check before you go

When the Canary Islands government declares a coastal alert or pre-alert, stay off the rocks and the jetty. Puerto de la Cruz can then close beaches by decree and ban swimming. Alerts are on the government's emergencies page, beach closures in the town news.

Parking & arriving

Explanada del Muelle

1,600 spaces · 0 €

Open-air car park by the harbour. The town added 240 spaces in April 2025.

Pirámides de Martiánez

€1.49/h

Underground garage, open 24 hours. €35.76 per day at most.

Blue zone in the centre

Paid

Parts of the centre are a paid, time-limited blue zone. Check the signs and the ticket machine.

On site

Below the promenade lies a small cove of pebbles and black sand between lava rocks, with the old jetty and its steps into the sea. At low tide rock pools form.

Time there: ~1–2 h, or a few minutes' look from the promenade
Walk from car park: ~10 min from the Explanada del Muelle, then a ramp down
Toilets: Free public toilets next to the beach
Food & drink: Bars and restaurants on the Paseo de San Telmo
Wheelchair: Step-free ramp from the promenade to the beach

When is it worth it?

The beach has no opening hours. Tide and swell decide whether you can swim.

Conditions change daily. Check the tide table before you go.

Low tide

The rock pools only form at low tide. The town recommends a snorkel and mask for them.

Heavy swell

On swell days waves break over the rocks and the jetty. The town warns that swimming is then not possible.

Busy periods

The town says the pools get very crowded at certain times of year, without saying when.

Forecast

Facts

Entry: Source: Town · 09/2026; Free
Size: Source: Town · 09/2026; About 20 × 20 m
Ground: Source: Turismo de Tenerife · 09/2026; Pebbles, black sand and lava rock, rock pools at low tide
Facilities: Source: Town · 09/2026; Showers and bins
Parking at the beach: Source: OSM · 09/2026; None
Blue Flag 2026: Source: Blue Flag · 09/2026; No. Not on the official list, no beach in Puerto de la Cruz is
Bus: Source: TITSA · 09/2026; Line 102 from Santa Cruz and La Laguna, 343 from both airports and Costa Adeje
Next door: Source: Turismo de Tenerife · 09/2026; Lago Martiánez (paid) and the San Telmo chapel from 1780
Emergency: Source: Gobierno de Canarias · 09/2026; 112

Playa San Telmo

Common questions, answered

Straight talk

Getting there

By car

Other

From Santa Cruz and La Laguna

From the airports and the south

City buses

From the west of the island

!Check before you go