Beaches

Playa de las Arenas

Playa de las Teresitas

Playa de Puntalarga

Playa de Puntalarga is a small bay on the coastline of Fuencaliente de La Palma, about a hundred metres long and twenty metres wide, with a mix of sand and callao pebbles. Small rocky outcrops shelter it from the sea and the swell stays moderate. A natural rock pool lies right beside the beach, and the whole corner is ringed by fishermen's huts, with fishermen often at work there.

Playa de Santa Cruz de La Palma

An urban beach of volcanic sand beside the capital's Avenida Marítima, at the foot of its historic seafront.

Charco Azul

A natural volcanic pool in El Golfo (Frontera, El Hierro), with a turquoise basin beneath a basalt arch, parking and a wooden sun deck.

El Tamaduste

El Tamaduste is a natural pool set into a coastal village in the municipality of Valverde, in the north-east of El Hierro. The inlet forms a sheet of clear, sheltered water that is good for swimming, and at its far end opens the so-called boat cave, tied to the island's oral tradition. The village has for generations been the summer place of the herreños themselves, and it remains one of the liveliest bathing spots in the municipality.

Playa de Las Alcaravaneras

A golden-sand city beach on the eastern edge of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, facing the harbour. At around 550 metres long and almost 100 wide it is the capital's second largest beach, and the one locals actually use. The sheltered water stays calm, which makes it an easy swim for families.

Playa de La Concha de Lobos

La Concha, also known as La Calera, is the most visited beach on Islote de Lobos, the small island facing Corralejo off the northern tip of Fuerteventura. Its horseshoe shape shelters it from the prevailing wind, so the water usually stays flat and clear over a bed of fine white sand. It is a short walk from the landing jetty. The whole islet is a Natural Park and visitors need a permit arranged in advance.

Piscinas Naturales "El Caletón"

El Caletón is the set of natural pools at Garachico, formed by the lava flow of the 1706 eruption, the one that buried the harbour that had made the town rich. As it cooled, the basalt left a run of pools and channels that the sea refills with every tide. They are now fitted with walkways and steps, and they occupy the seafront of the historic centre, beside the castle of San Miguel.

Playa del Risco del Paso

A 6.5 kilometre stretch of white sand on the south coast of the Jandía isthmus, in Pájara. Part of the Sotavento system and a well established windsurfing and kitesurfing spot.

Playa del Risco (Playa Bajo el Risco)

A wild beach of sand and pebbles at the foot of the Risco de Famara cliff, facing the Chinijo archipelago and the old salt pans.

Playa del Jablillo (El Jablillo)

A small, sheltered cove in Costa Teguise, protected by a breakwater that keeps the water calm and clear.

Playa de Alcalá

A quiet beach in the fishing village of Alcalá, in Guía de Isora, with dark sand, natural pools and a seafront promenade beside the harbour.

Playa de La Garita

A golden-sand town beach in Telde, on the east coast of Gran Canaria, much loved by locals and sheltered in a calm bay.

Playa de Arinaga

Promenade beach at Arinaga, in the municipality of Agüimes on Gran Canaria's east coast, with a fishing-village feel and calm waters.

Piscinas Naturales de Mesa del Mar

Volcanic natural sea pools at Mesa del Mar, on the northern coast of Tacoronte, reached through a tunnel cut into the cliff.

Playa de la Enramada

A wide dark-sand beach beside La Caleta in Adeje, Tenerife, prized for its sunsets.

Playa Chica

A sheltered cove in Puerto del Rosario, the capital of Fuerteventura, perfect for family bathing and snorkelling in calm water.

Playa de Esquinzo

A wide golden-sand beach on the Jandía peninsula in southern Fuerteventura, quieter than its neighbours Sotavento and El Matorral.

Playa de la Pared

A surf beach on the west coast of Fuerteventura, at La Pared, known for its cliffs, dark sand, and celebrated sunsets.

Playa de Meloneras

A small cove of fine sand at the western end of Maspalomas, in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, linked to Playa de Maspalomas by a promenade from the lighthouse.

Piscinas Roque Prieto

Volcanic natural pools on Gran Canaria's north coast, in Santa Maria de Guia.

Piscina Natural La Maceta

Volcanic natural pools in the El Golfo valley of El Hierro, with a shallow kids' area and services.

Playa del Confital

Wild volcanic sand-and-rock beach north of La Isleta, a surfing mecca.

Playa de Nogales

Unspoilt black-sand beach at the foot of a cliff, reachable only on foot.

Charco Los Chochos

Secluded natural pool on the coast of Buenavista del Norte, in the Teno massif area.

Costa Calma

Wide pale-sand beach in southern Fuerteventura with turquoise water and steady wind, ideal for watersports.

Piscinas Naturales Los Abrigos

Cluster of natural pools next to the fishing village of Los Abrigos, in southern Tenerife.

Charco De La Laja

Volcanic natural pool on the north coast of San Juan de la Rambla, with crystal-clear water.

Playa Chica

Small sheltered cove in Puerto del Carmen with calm water, very popular for snorkelling and diving.

Playa de Papagayo

Golden-sand cove within the Los Ajaches Natural Monument in southern Lanzarote, with clear, sheltered waters.

Playa de Sotavento de Jandía

Nine kilometres of pale sand and a turquoise tidal lagoon between Costa Calma and Morro Jable: the world sanctuary of windsurfing and kitesurfing in southern Fuerteventura.

Área recreativa de Las Playas

Las Playas takes up the south-east of El Hierro, in the municipality of Valverde, and is protected as a Natural Monument. The landscape is an amphitheatre nine kilometres long and over a thousand metres high, open to the sea, left by a series of massive landslides along the coast. The roque de Bonanza rises from the water in front of the valley, and the pebble beaches that name the place run along the foot of the wall. Swimming calls for care: there is no lifeguard.

Piscina Natural caleta de fuste

The Piscina Natural de Caleta de Fuste is a seawater pool set among the rocks along the shore of Castillo Caleta de Fuste, in the municipality of Antigua, on Fuerteventura. It sits beside Avenida José Franchy Roca, on the seafront of the settlement, and serves as a bathing and snorkelling spot on the rocky coast. It makes an easy coastal stop to fold into a walk along the avenue.

Charco Don Gabino

Natural pool of volcanic rock with clear water on the coast of Los Silos, very close to El Bufadero. It runs about 10 metres long and reaches 2 metres at its deepest point, with an area set aside for sunbathing and several access points built in volcanic stone. Its name refers to Gabino Dorta, an owner of banana plantations.

Playa de los Verilitos

Playa de los Verilitos is a stretch of the Fuerteventura coast listed under the category playa, the Spanish word for beach, and located in the municipality of La Oliva. It is one of the coastal spots that islas24 gathers for this island, grouped by the municipality they belong to.

Playa San Cristóbal de Gran Canaria

An urban beach in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, in the fishing quarter of San Cristóbal, south of the city centre. Unlike Las Canteras, this is a neighbourhood beach, small and mainly used by locals, set within a district with a fishing tradition. The seafront here is made up of rock and small coves rather than one continuous stretch of sand, and the feel is that of a village inside the capital.

Playa El Remo

Playa El Remo is one of the beaches in the municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane, on La Palma. The town council describes it through its calm, clear water and the callao, the rounded pebbles that make up the shore, and ranks it among the best places in the municipality to watch the sunset. Restaurants in the same coastal settlement serve traditional Canarian cooking.

Playa de la Veta

Playa de la Veta is a secluded cove of black sand in the municipality of Tijarafe, on the western coast of La Palma. It is reached from the Aguatavar neighbourhood, and on foot only: the surfaced track ends almost at the edge of the cliff, and from there a footpath drops to the shore in fifteen to twenty minutes. The size of the cove is seasonal, since it loses metres in winter and wins them back in summer.

Playa Puerto Espindola

A black sand beach beside the fishing and leisure harbour of Puerto Espindola, on the coast of San Andrés y Sauces in the north-east of La Palma. The settlement served for centuries as the commercial port of the municipality. There is parking nearby, and divers and snorkellers use the beach as their entry point to the water beside the breakwater. The Charco Azul pools lie a short walk away.

Playa de la Aldea

A beach on the west of Gran Canaria, in La Aldea de San Nicolás, the westernmost municipality on the island. Its most recognisable feature is the Charco de La Aldea, a lagoon of filtered water lying beside the shore. The backdrop is made by the great cliffs of this coast, the least populated part of the island. The municipality keeps a strong farming and fishing tradition, with tomatoes as its export crop.

Caleta del Mojón Blanco

A small beach in the municipality of Haría, on the north coast of Lanzarote. The island's official tourism portal places it next to Caletón Blanco, close to the fishing village of Órzola, and names it alongside Punta Prieta among the coves of that stretch of coast. The same portal reminds visitors to keep a responsible attitude at all times and not to put their safety at risk in these less frequented parts of the shoreline.

Playa de Veneguera

Playa de Veneguera closes the ravine of the same name in the municipality of Mogán, in south-western Gran Canaria. The town council describes it as an isolated beach some 370 metres long, of black sand and pebbles, with moderate swell and comfortable conditions for bathing. It is reached along an unpaved track, and both the beach and the ravine belong to the Parque Rural del Nublo.

Piscina natural Coloseo

Piscina natural Coloseo sits at Charco del Palo, on the north-eastern coast of Lanzarote, in the municipality of Haría. The official Canary Islands tourism portal describes this stretch of coast as a group of natural pools spread across three small coves, rocky underfoot and with very little sand, with calm water and open to the wind. It is a naturist area, it has parking and there is no lifeguard service.

Playa de la Goleta

An urban beach of about 150 metres in Corralejo, in the municipality of La Oliva, in the north of Fuerteventura. It has golden sand and calm waters, and the spain.info record also describes it as windy. The services listed include showers, footwash, a telephone, a sports area and a zone set aside for surfing, as well as hire of parasols, sun loungers and water craft. According to spain.info, access on foot is easy and it can also be reached by car.

Playa del Burrero

A beach on the coast of Ingenio, in the south-eastern sector of Gran Canaria, running for about 500 metres over sand and pebbles. The official Gran Canaria tourism portal considers it well suited to sailing and windsurfing because of the wind and the swell in the area. Ingenio council keeps a lifeguard and surveillance post here during the summer season, along with public toilets, an environmental education room and sports facilities.

Playa de Montaña Bermeja

Playa de Montaña Bermeja belongs to the El Golfo stretch of coast, in the municipality of Yaiza on Lanzarote. According to the town council listing it is around 455 metres long and about 40 metres wide on average, and its surface is sand and gravel, with black sand of medium grain. The same listing describes it as a windy beach with strong surf, with low occupancy and a rustic, undeveloped setting.

Playa de San Telmo

Playa de San Telmo, in Puerto de la Cruz, is described by the official Tenerife tourism website as the most traditional and picturesque bathing spot in the town. It is a very small cove, around twenty metres across, with black sand and picón, the local volcanic grit. Its most distinctive feature is the set of natural pools that form among the rocks at low tide. It was once a small landing place.

Playa de Montaña Roja

Playa de Montaña Roja forms part of the Montaña Roja shoreline in the municipality of Yaiza, in the south of Lanzarote, next to the Flamingo, La Mulata and La Campana beaches. The town council records it as 260 metres long with an average width of 7 metres, and fine golden sand. Bathing conditions are described as calm waters, and the stretch includes an anchoring zone.

Playa de Garcey

Playa de Garcey lies on the coast of the municipality of Pájara, in Fuerteventura. The town council includes it in the Playa Garcey and Fayagua sector, which is licensed for surf schools, and the licensed school takes on assistance and lifesaving duties in the area. Garcey is also one of the municipal beaches where camping is allowed, always with prior council authorisation.

Playa de Castro

A sheltered cove at the foot of the cliffs of Los Realejos, inside the protected landscape of the Rambla de Castro on the north coast of Tenerife. No road reaches the shore: you walk down from the coastal path that runs along this stretch, a low difficulty route linking the San Fernando fort, the San Pedro chapel and the site of La Gordejuela.

Playa Charco de Las Palomas

A coastal rock pool on the cliff bound shoreline of Arucas, described in beach guides less as a beach than as a run of clear water pools set among the rock. It is an isolated spot with no development around it, reached only on foot along the coast, and one where the swell of the north coast of Gran Canaria makes itself felt strongly on many days of the year.

Piscinas naturales Alcalá

Natural pools beside the village of Alcalá on the coast of Guía de Isora, also known as the La Jaquita pools. The municipal tourism site describes them as one of the most emblematic spots on this stretch of shoreline, carved out by lava and time, with sheltered water in direct contact with the ocean and La Gomera outlined on the horizon on clear days.

Playa el Pris, Piscina Natural

A natural sea pool on the steep coast of Tacoronte, in the fishing village of El Pris, next to a small brown-sand beach. A low wall separates it from the open sea, and at high tide the line between the two blurs, so the water keeps moving and renewing itself. Steps and ramps with handrails make getting in easier, and the 023 bus line has a stop nearby.

Playa de Rojas

A corner of the El Sauzal shoreline in northern Tenerife, described by the town council itself as having crystal-clear water and natural rock pools of great beauty. It lies inside the Costa de Acentejo Protected Landscape, a coastal strip of 401 hectares running from La Orotava to Tacoronte, whose value comes from its steep, cliff-bound scenery, a landform typical of the archipelago's north coast.

Playa de Jarubio

An isolated beach on the west coast of Fuerteventura, between Puertito de Los Molinos and the Tindaya massif, also known as Playa de Jarugo. It runs between 230 and 280 metres long and about 40 wide depending on the tide, with fine sand in ochre and brown tones and volcanic cliffs closing off the shore. There are no tourist services, no lifeguard and no infrastructure of any kind, and that is precisely the appeal.

Playa de la Pinta

An urban beach of golden sand in Costa Adeje, next to the Puerto Colón marina and the sailing club. It measures around 180 metres long by 40 wide and is sheltered by the harbour breakwaters, which cuts the swell right down and makes it one of the calmest stretches of the Adeje shoreline. There is a lifeguard service, adapted access, showers, foot washes and a commercial strip with bars and restaurants right by the sand.

Playa Corralejo

The town beach of Corralejo's old quarter, on the northern tip of Fuerteventura. Fine golden sand, a gently shelving bottom and water sheltered by the Muelle Chico breakwater, with the seafront promenade and its terraces a few steps behind. The Bocaina strait opens up in front: Isla de Lobos sits about five kilometres out and the Lanzarote coastline closes the horizon. The ferry terminals are four hundred metres away, and the dune park starts just south of town.

Playa de Ojos de Garza

A semi-urban beach in the municipality of Telde, on the eastern coast of Gran Canaria, with some 450 metres of fine golden sand mixed with pebbles and a moderate swell. Houses of the old fishing quarter come almost down to the water and a short seafront promenade runs along it. This is the closest beach to Gran Canaria airport, so aircraft pass low over the bay on their way in and out.

Playa Charco los Sargos

Charco de Los Sargos hides at the foot of a cliff on the El Golfo coast, in the municipality of Frontera, close to La Maceta and Las Puntas. The sea has cut a series of clear water basins into the lava, more exposed to the swell than the neighbouring pools. A short path leads down from the parking area. There is no lifeguard, so bathing is best at low tide with a calm sea.