Beaches in Tenerife: black sand, pale sand and calm water

Best for: small children and anyone who wants still water. The breakwater 150 m offshore leaves no surf to speak of, and the shallows run a long way out. The sand stretches about 80 m from the palms at the back to the water, and apart from those palms, hired umbrellas are the only shade. There are showers and free toilets but no drinking-water tap, so bring water or buy it at the kiosks.

Best for: a long beach day with lunch close by. The sand is golden and soft, and a row of bars and restaurants runs right behind it. The sea has some life in it. When it's moderate, the waves are half the fun; when the swell builds, the red flag goes up and swimming stops, sometimes for the whole day. Tip: the public toilets nearby charge a fee, and the only shade on the sand comes from hired umbrellas.

Best for: swimmers who need a hand into the sea. Lifeguards watch the shore and help visitors with limited mobility into the water. Take a mask: fish gather around the artificial rocks offshore. The beach fills up at busy times, so come early for a good spot. Tip: the seabed drops away quickly close to shore, so keep children where they can stand.

Best for: a quiet swim with good snorkelling straight off the sand. Resort buildings rise behind it and the sunloungers are for hotel guests, yet the beach is public and rarely feels crowded. A lifeguard is on duty, and there are free toilets and showers. Tip: parking near the beach is scarce and the free car parks are a 15- to 30-minute walk away, so arrive early or drop your passengers off first.

Black sand, white surf and the dark sea stacks of the Roques de Anaga standing in the water further along the coast. Apart from the restaurants on the road above, this shore at the foot of the Anaga mountains has been left alone, and most of the crowd is local. Big waves roll in off the open ocean: playing in them is the fun of the place, though on a rough day they wear you out. Stay for the evening, when the low light turns the rocks golden. Tip: access to the beach is sometimes closed, and police enforce the closure; if it's shut, don't go down.

The surf rarely lets up here, breaking on soft black sand under dark cliffs, and its sound fills the bay. The tide changes the beach from one visit to the next: at high water much of the sand can disappear. Surfers come for the swell; everyone else watches from the sand, and in the afternoon the cliffs give some shade. Tip: keep away from the foot of the cliffs, where rock can fall, and swim only when the sea is calm.

The black sand here is natural, fine and soft, and the cliffs of Los Gigantes close off the view to the north. It's a well-kept resort beach, with showers, changing rooms, a lifeguard and a promenade of restaurants behind it. Small waves can build into big ones with strong currents, so swim while the lifeguard is on duty. In the evening the sun sets over the sea, with La Gomera on the horizon on a clear day. Tip: wear sandals to cross the sand.

The path down the Barranco de Antequera ends right on a black beach walled in by cliffs, on the Anaga coast in the island's north-east. On the way in you pass Las Casillas, a hamlet of a few houses that can only be reached on foot. Each way is 5.7 to 7.5 km, and the return climbs about 690 m, so allow four to six hours of walking, or take the 15-minute water taxi. Tip: there's no mobile signal on the trail; carry 2–3 litres of water each.

From the path above, the hamlet looks like a village on a Greek island: white houses packed together where a ravine meets the sea. The 9 km loop from Chamorga goes out past the Anaga lighthouse and back up the Barranco de Roque Bermejo, two to three hours with plenty of steps. Two small beaches by the hamlet are good for a swim, and at low tide you can pick your way across to a tidal pool in front of Roque Bermejo, the reddish crag that gives the place its name. Tip: check the tide table before you go.

A band of fine sand faces the Atlantic under bare volcanic slopes, with La Gomera on the horizon. The 20-minute walk from the car park by the golf course keeps the beach quiet. Nudity is allowed, but not everyone strips off. The water is clear and shelves gently, though big waves come in at times. Come late in the afternoon for the sunset. Tip: there's no shade, toilet or drinking water, so bring everything you need.

El Médano is a windsurfing town first: the bay, the Harbour Wall and Cabezo Beach are three separate spots for it, and on a windy day kites fill the sky. Swimmers get an area marked off by buoys in front of the main square, sheltered from the bigger waves, and a boardwalk follows the shore past dunes cut by wind and sea. Médano is Spanish for sand dune. Tip: the airport is just north of town, and planes are part of the soundtrack.

Pale sand runs out from the foot of Montaña Roja, and behind the beach there's almost nothing: no promenade, no hotels, just a few rows of loungers. It's quieter than the resort beaches and good for a long walk; some bathers go nude. On calm days the shallow water is easy to swim in, while on windy ones the blown sand stings. Tip: the waves break hard here, with backwash and rip currents you can't see from the sand.