The most accessible beaches in the south of Tenerife
A boardwalk over the sand is not the same thing as getting into the sea. Here is what each beach in Arona and Costa Adeje is officially listed as offering, and how to pick one you can use.
What "accessible beach" actually means
Some beaches are called accessible because there is a ramp down from the promenade. Others have staff who take you into the water. Seven things tell them apart:
- Ramped access from the promenade or car park, not steps.
- Boardwalks over the sand, and how far they reach.
- An amphibious chair: a beach wheelchair that rolls on sand and floats.
- An assisted bathing service: staff who help with the transfer and go in with you.
- An accessible toilet and level shower, with grab rails and a seat.
- Reserved blue badge parking near the ramp.
- Shade, or somewhere to hire a parasol.
The last three sound like small print. In July they are not.
A boardwalk gets you to the sand. Staff get you into the sea.
A boardwalk takes your wheelchair across soft sand to a point near the water, so you sit with everyone else rather than at the top of the ramp. But it stops short of the sea, and an amphibious chair only helps if someone can manage the transfer.
What decides whether you can bathe is an assisted bathing service: staff on duty, at set hours, who bring the chair, help with the transfer and stay with you in the water. Where a hoist is provided, the transfer does not depend on anyone lifting you. So the question is not "is this beach accessible?" but "who is on duty, and when?"
Playa de las Vistas: the one to plan around
If bathing is the point of the trip, this is the beach. Playa de las Vistas is around 850 metres of fine, pale sand behind a breakwater, so the water is calm rather than surfy. The island's accessibility guide lists ramped access, boardwalks, an accessible toilet, an outdoor shower, blue badge parking and shade, plus a Blue Flag and AENOR universal accessibility certification.
What sets it apart is the assisted bathing service run by Arona council: two amphibious chairs, amphibious crutches and a hoist, at 11:00 to 14:00 and 15:00 to 18:00. It is the one beach here listed all year, not only for the summer.
On booking, read Arona's own page, on arona.travel under "Destino accesible". It says an individual does not normally need an appointment, and offers online booking for those who prefer one; groups must email ahead. The heading of that page still says booking is required, so if the swim matters, book.
Arona has also listed the service at Playa de Los Cristianos, and at Playa de las Galletas on Thursdays and Fridays — both for July and August only, with the dates reissued each season. Out of season, Las Vistas is the one that stays open: a fair reason to stay in Los Cristianos.
El Camisón, Troya and La Pinta
What everyone calls Playa de las Américas straddles two councils, Arona and Adeje, either side of the Barranco del Rey. Services change as you walk along it, so check the beach, not the resort.
Playas de Troya, in the middle of the resort, are the best equipped on paper: a ramped main entrance under 12%, boardwalks, an accessible toilet, a family changing room with level shower and grab rails, an outdoor shower and reserved parking. But the listing records no amphibious chair and no bathing support, so treat Troya as a beach for the day, not for a swim.
Playa del Camisón, on the Arona side, is smaller and sheltered, with a flat promenade behind it and, by most listings, ramped access and boardwalks — though it is not in the island accessibility guide, and Arona runs no bathing service there. Playa de la Pinta, by Puerto Colón marina, is shielded by the harbour breakwaters, so its water is calm.
Torviscas, Fañabé and El Duque — and a note for the north
Costa Adeje is the easiest part of the south to move around, with wide, level seafront avenues. Adeje council states that an amphibious chair is available at Torviscas, Fañabé and El Duque. The island accessibility guide also lists Torviscas and Fañabé with a bathing support service; El Duque it lists with the chair but without that support, so expect to need someone with you.
All three list a ramped entrance and boardwalks. Fañabé and El Duque add blue badge parking and an accessible changing room; Torviscas lists an outdoor shower and shade. At El Duque the toilet and changing room nearest the accessible point serves the neighbouring hotel's guests and European Key holders, so bring your key.
One catch, in Adeje's own words: the service cannot be booked in advance, and is provided according to availability and the hours of the lifeguard service. The guide lists winter hours as well as summer ones, so it is not summer-only — but you cannot ring ahead and be sure. If the swim is the point of the day, plan around Las Vistas.
Staying in the north? In Puerto de la Cruz, Playa Jardín has an accessible route from the car park towards the shore, but it has been closed to bathing for long spells on water-quality grounds — check the council's current notice first. Lago Martiánez is steadier: its own information gives the El Lago pool a ramp for reduced mobility and an amphibious chair, with tickets sold at the box office on the day.
Timing, hot sand, and which equipment to take
Go in the morning. The service at Las Vistas breaks between 14:00 and 15:00, the hottest part of the day.
Respect the sand. Several southern beaches have fine dark volcanic sand — Adeje describes Torviscas's exactly that way. Dark sand absorbs heat and can be painful underfoot by midday, which matters if you transfer barefoot.
Check the tide. Boardwalks end where they end, and at low tide there may be a stretch of soft sand between the last plank and the water.
Take the right wheels. A manual, transit or lightweight wheelchair is the sensible beach chair: it rolls along boardwalks and folds into a taxi. Pushing it on open sand is hard work, so stay on the planks. A mobility scooter belongs on the promenade — our advice is to keep it off the sand and away from salt water: fine grit works into bearings. If you tire quickly but are steady on your feet, a rollator with a seat beats both.
The amphibious chairs stay at the beach; what you hire from us is everything else. Our guides on visiting Tenerife with a wheelchair and which scooter to hire go further; the FAQs cover the rest.
Have the right chair waiting at the hotel
Delivery is free anywhere in Tenerife — hotel, apartment, villa or private address. Only airport handover, at Tenerife South or Tenerife North, costs extra: €25 each way — €25 for the handover and €25 if we collect it there too.