Playa de las Teresitas is Tenerife's golden anomaly. Most of Tenerife's natural beaches are volcanic black, but Teresitas glows with pale, blonde sand — famously brought in by ship from the Sahara to transform a rocky local shore into a broad, palm-lined beach. Set beneath the dramatic green ridges of the Anaga mountains just outside the fishing village of San Andrés, a short drive from the island capital Santa Cruz, it's a firm local favourite: calm, sheltered and refreshingly free of high-rise resort development.
Golden sand and a sheltered lagoon
When the beach was created in the 1970s, engineers didn't just import the sand — they built a long offshore breakwater to hold it in place and shield it from the Atlantic swell. That barrier is why the water at Teresitas is so unusually calm: it turns the bay into a wide, gentle lagoon of shallow, warm water, quite unlike the surf you meet elsewhere on the island. A row of palm trees runs the length of the sand, and the whole scene — golden beach, blue lagoon, green mountains — is one of the prettiest on Tenerife.
The calm, shallow, breakwater-protected water makes Teresitas one of the best family swimming beaches on Tenerife. It's a genuinely safe paddle for young children on most days.
A local beach, not a resort strip
Part of the charm is what isn't here. Teresitas was deliberately kept low-key, so instead of tower blocks you get the neighbouring village of San Andrés, an old fishing settlement with narrow streets and some of the best seafood restaurants in the area. This is where tinerfeños — the island's own residents — come at weekends, which gives the beach an authentic, unhurried feel. Come midweek and you may have acres of golden sand almost to yourself.
The Anaga backdrop
Rising steeply behind the beach are the Anaga mountains, a rugged, ancient massif of sharp ridges and deep ravines cloaked in laurel forest — one of the wildest and greenest corners of Tenerife. The contrast between the tropical-looking beach and the brooding peaks behind it is what makes Teresitas so photogenic. It also makes the beach a natural pairing with a day exploring Anaga's walking trails and viewpoints.
Getting there
Teresitas lies on the north-east coast just past San Andrés, a short drive of roughly 10–15 minutes from Santa Cruz, the island capital. Regular local buses (guaguas) run out from Santa Cruz, and there's a free car park behind the beach, though it fills up on sunny weekends when the locals arrive. If you're coming from the southern resorts it's a longer trip — allow the best part of an hour by road — but it's easy to fold into a day taking in Santa Cruz and the Anaga hills.
What it's like to swim
Thanks to the breakwater the swimming is calm and shallow, shelving gently over soft sand, which is exactly why families love it. It's about as gentle as Tenerife's Atlantic gets. That said, it's still the open ocean beyond the barrier, so pay attention to the lifeguard flags and keep children within the sheltered zone rather than out towards the breakwater mouth.
The protected lagoon is calm, but conditions can change with wind and tide, and the beach isn't lifeguarded along its entire length at all times. Swim where the flags allow and keep to the sheltered central water with young children.
Facilities
Teresitas is well equipped for a relaxed day: showers, toilets, sunshade palapas in places, seasonal lifeguards and a car park behind the sand. There are kiosks and beach bars for drinks and snacks, and the restaurants of San Andrés are just a stroll away for a proper lunch — the fresh fish there is a highlight in its own right. Because it's a day-trip beach rather than a resort, it's worth bringing water and sun cover, especially if you want to settle in for hours.
Best for
Teresitas is ideal for families wanting safe, calm, golden-sand swimming, for travellers who prefer a local, low-rise atmosphere over a built-up resort, and for anyone combining a beach day with Santa Cruz and the Anaga mountains. If you'd rather have wild, dramatic scenery and don't mind rough water, seek out the black volcanic sands of Playa Bollullo on the north coast instead — the two beaches show off completely different sides of the island.
Nearby
San Andrés and its seafood restaurants sit right beside the beach, the capital Santa Cruz — with its markets, shops and the striking Auditorio — is minutes away, and the trailheads of the Anaga forest climb into the hills behind. For where to stay and how the north-east fits into a wider trip, see our guide to Tenerife.