Decided to go for a trip and you are searching for ideas what to do in Tenerife? At the end of 2022, I went to Tenerife for 2 months. In this blog post I’ll write everyhing about my experience. So, what to do in Tenerife? This is a part one of a two part blog post. Here I’ll talk about the southern part of the island that is a little bit more famous (Los Cristianos, Playa de las Americas, Costa Adeje, Costa del Silencio, El Medano). Here you can find long sandy beaches with bars and restaurants.The southern part of the island is also known for better weather, with more sun and less rain, but this is a whole other conversation 😉

1. Playa de los Cristianos
Playa de los Cristianos is the easternmost coast of the three most famous ones. Is a sandy beach, with a port, suitable for everyone. You have lots of restaurants, bars and also other stores. Not far from Playa de los Cristianos, you can find Playa de las Vistas. From there you can also visit Playa de la Carnada and Playa del Camison.
The street before getting to Playa de los Cristianos Playa de los Cristianos Walking beside Playa de Camison towards Playa de las Americas
So Playa de las Americas is a walking distance from Playa de los Cristianos and I would higly recommend walking as this is the best way to see the beaches and its surroundings without moving your car or walking to the bus station and waiting for the bus. Beside that it is a great experience to just walk in the sun and every now and then choose the beach you prefer and take a swim.

In Playa de los Cristianos you can also find CICAR Rent a car, which is one the most popular ones. I would recommend it for the prices and service. https://www.cicar.com/en
2. Playa de las Americas
Playa de las Americas offers a strong night life with a lot of restaurant and clubs. Here you can also find Hard Rock Cafe. So if you are interested in crazy night life in Tenerife, this is your best choice. You have a long street full of every type of bar.
This is also one of the hottest Tenerife surfing spots with lots of surfing schools. The problem is, that most of the beach area is rocky, so I would not recommend it for beginners. If you are a surfer beginner, go to El Medano first. Playa de las Americas is suitable for experiences surfers as the waves can go really high. Here you can find big waves of 5m and more so is definitely a spot for surfers, searching for new extreme spots around the globe. Be cautious as there is also a surfing spot only for residents.
Hard Rock Cafe Hard Rock Cafe Night Life in Playa de las Americas Playa de las Americas Playa de las Americas Surf spot in Tenerife
In Playa de las Americas I went to Shaka surf Tenerife. With them the photos are “included in the price” but I never received those photos even after writing a few times so I didn’t return.
In Playa de las Americas you can also find the police station. Sadly I needed one so if something happens go to the police station showed on the map. There is another one they told me to go to and I waited for 3 hours before a nice policeman told me I’m at the wrong place. Hopefully you won’t need it.

3. Costa Adeje
Costa Adeje is also a walking distance from Playa de las Americas. Here you can also find some great night life. We enjoyed the Pool Center Puerto Colon and just walking around. Costa Adeje beach or Playa de la Tinta is a gorgeous beach but a little bit smaller than the beaces at Los Cristianos for example.

4. Costa del Silencio

This is the place I know best after living here for 2 months. It is a little bit out of the touristic spot so the prices of apartments are lower. This is a small fishing village, with a few beaches, some bars and quite a lot of restaurants and shops but in general a peaceful village. You can still see a lot of tourists but a lot less than in the first three mentioned above. Choose Costa del Silencio for a calmer and everyday experience of Tenerife.
Costa del Silencio, Las Galletas was really famous for Ten Bel. Years ago it was one of the most popular parks and a strong touristic point but after the owner died, it was left unmanaged. When I lived near there I saw some people working and I also heard someone bought it, so maybe Costa del Silencio will get back to life again. Don’t get discouraged by the comments on the internet. You can still discover some beautiful spots here.
In Costa del Silencio or Las Galletas in the morning hours you can find a fish market where you can buy freshly caught fish. This is an excellent opportunity to see and try some fish that you don’t know.
Beaches
I found Playa La Ballena the most crowded. It’s a really small beach with rocks and a little bit hard to go into and swim. I went there just to refresh myself as it was the nearest to my apartment. There are no bars, toilets or restaurants. I found it really beautiful at sunset.

The second nearest is Playa Las Galletas. It is just beside the road and on the days off it was crowded. I never swam here but if you don’t mind the location, it could work. Here you can find bars and restaurants.
Ok, now to the best part. In Costa del Silencio/Las Galletas you can find 2 of the most beautiful beaches: Playa de Montaña Amarilla and Playa Los Enojados. The first one is where you take pictures and sunbathe. The waves are really high so you can’t really swim. If you want to go for a walk, go towards Playa La Ballena and you will find a natural pool called Piscina natural Costa del Silencio. It is a small pool, where you can refresh yourself and make some pictures. Playa Los Enojados is a wild sandy beach, with no bars and no restaurants. On the day off you could find people with grill and music there. The water is really nice, whe waves can get quite high. You can also go horse riding in this area.
Playa de MontaPlaya de Montaña Amarilla Playa Los Enojados Playa Los Enojados
Food, Entertainment, Health
A friend told me about this pizzeria called Pizzerica Fuoco&Pizza. I went there three times and I was always satisfied. Maybe he could use some other, better salami. Other than that, the dough is really good and tiramisu is also really nice. On the other side we found a bar where we payed 1€ for beer and played billiards for free. We were so sad we found it on the second to last day. In Costa Adeje you pay per minute and also the price of beer is “touristic”. So this was really a hidden gem. In Tenbel we also tried thai food which was really nice and chinese on the Av. Jose Antonio Tavio which was OK. So you don’t have to worry about food in Costa del Silencio.
If you want to know where to train in Costa del Silencio – go to Gym El Templo I. A really nice gym and staff. You have everything you need, good people and vibes. Could not recommend more. Also the price is really good.
Just beside the highway you can also find gokarts. We went to Karting Club Tenerife and it was fun.
Another quite popular stop in this area is Finca Las Margaritas Banana Experience de Tenerife, where you can see and learn more about bananas. I would higly recommend this. Staff is really nice and you actually learn some interesting things.
Karting Club Tenerife Las Galletas in Christmass time PizzaPizzeria Fuoco&Pizza Finca Las Margaritas Banana Experience de Tenerife
5. El Medano
On the internet you can read a lot about the strong with in this area and a lot of people will say to rather go somewhere else. Because of that I never had the intention to visit this place. God I was wrong. Luckily I found Ori Surf that made me visit the place.
Here you have a lot of cute options where to eat and drink. Ubuntu Cafe got my heart. Food, drinks, staff and the place are really nice. Here is also where I ordered The barraquito. This is a coffee cocktail that is typical in Canary Islands. Sweetness and alcohol are added to coffee. A must try.
Surfing in El Medano Ubuntu Cafe Ubuntu Cafe The barraquito
Ori Surf on the other hand was also OK. I don’t know if the guy had/has some problems with women in general or just with me, but in his own way he tried to help me learn. And at least I got the photos. 🙂
A little bit to the southwest you can find another beach called Playa de la Tejita or hike to the Mirador Montaña Roja.
Playa de la Tejita Playa de la Tejita and Montaña Roja
Bonus
On the 5th of January in Tenerife you can celebrate the Three Kings’ Day. You can find different parades around the island where people dress up in costumes. You can also see the camels.

And that’s about it. Hopefully you found all the information about what to do in Tenerife South. In short words: if you want a more touristic experience then choose Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos or Las Americas. El Medano is also quite popular. And last but not least, opt for La Costa del Silencio or Las Galletas for a more relaxed vacation. There are a lot more beaches and places to discover but sadly you just can’t see them all. If you have any questions you can comment or write me an email valerijasblog@gmail.com.
If you are interested in longer travels and itineraries you can find my Cuba itinerary here: https://valerijaklinec.com/cuba-itinerary/.
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