Tenerife · South-east Tenerife (Granadilla de Abona)
El Médano
Grey sand, a red volcano and championship wind
El Médano is the south coast with the wind left in, and the world windsurf and kitesurf championships come for it. Its Blue Flag beach of fine grey sand runs from a calm family end by the village to the windsurf end under Montaña Roja, a 171 m cone, and line 470 from Los Cristianos follows the coast here.
Photo: Berthold Werner, Public domain, cropped
- Come for
- A long beach, the windsurf scene and a fishing-village corner
- Make time for
- Half a day to a full day
- By bus
- Reached by a published TITSA line
The journey is part of the day
Getting to El Médano
TITSA line 470 runs between El Médano and Los Cristianos along the coast, by way of Los Abrigos, with separate working-day, Saturday, and Sunday-and-holiday tables. This guide has checked only that route so far: from Tenerife South Airport or Santa Cruz it means going west to Los Cristianos first (line 40 from the airport, line 112 from Santa Cruz Intercambiador) and coming back east along the coast on line 470.
Checked Sources: TITSA
Bus guides
- TFS to Costa Adeje Line 40, Line 711 Direct
- Airport buses TFS: 10, 40, 343, 711, TFN: 20, 30, 104, 343 Direct
Lines from this site’s guides. Times are in this page’s timetable.
Before you settle in
Keep the way home in mind.
Open line 470’s table for the day you travel: it has three, for working days, Saturdays, and Sundays and holidays. Plan the connection at Los Cristianos as a separate leg.
See the next busesA little introduction
Get to know El Médano.
El Médano’s beach holds a Blue Flag and stands out, WebTenerife says, for its fine grey sand and the view of the Montaña Roja volcanic cone. The end nearest the village is the most family-friendly, with less swell; the far end suits windsurfing and kitesurfing, and world windsurf and kitesurf championships are often held here.
Why go
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A beach in two halves
The end nearest the village is the family end with the least swell; the far end is for windsurfing and kitesurfing, and the World Windsurf and Kitesurf Championships are often held here.
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A nature reserve on the sand
Montaña Roja is a 166-hectare special nature reserve of inorganic sands and wetlands where protected birds such as the Kentish plover nest; the volcano itself is a coastal eruption joined to the island by a spit of volcanic material.
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La Tejita, a kilometre of black sand
On the far side of the volcano, La Tejita is a 1,000 m beach of black sand in protected land, reached on foot in about five minutes from the car parks on the road to Los Abrigos; nudism is permitted.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: WebTenerife
Make a day of it
What to do in El Médano
- Beach Don’t miss
A 750-metre beach
A long beach of fine grey sand with the Montaña Roja cone at one end. WebTenerife lists an intercity bus and a tourist office among its services.
- Activity Don’t miss
The windsports end
The part of the beach furthest from the village is the windsurf and kitesurf end, where world championships are often held.
- Sight Don’t miss
Playa Chica and the promenade
WebTenerife points to Playa Chica for a genuine fishing-village feel; along the promenade are surf shops, restaurants and cafés.
- Beach
Playa de La Tejita
A thousand metres of black sand, 33 m wide, isolated and without disabled access; bins, cleaning and sunbed hire are the only services, and an interurban bus serves it.
Show all 6 Show fewer
- Walk
Montaña Roja
The reserve around the 171 m cone can be walked from either of its two car parks, one at the El Tapao bend and one at La Tejita; sea pools and the beaches lie at its foot.
- Beach
Playa Chica
WebTenerife’s pick for a genuine fishing-village feel in El Médano: a small cove of calm water beside the harbour.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: WebTenerife
A day here
How a day in El Médano feels
A plan built on the buses this guide already names. The departure times are in the board on this page; choose your bus back before you set out.
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Morning
Two buses from the airport or the capital
Line 470 runs between Los Cristianos and El Médano along the coast via Los Abrigos. From Tenerife South Airport take line 40 to Los Cristianos first; from Santa Cruz, line 112. Each leg has its own table.
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Middle of the day
The family end, then the promenade
Swim at the village end where the swell is least, then walk the promenade of surf shops and cafés towards the windsurf end to watch the sails.
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Afternoon
Montaña Roja and the bus back
Walk out towards the volcano and La Tejita if the wind allows, and be back for a line 470 departure to Los Cristianos on the table for your day; the connection there is a separate leg.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Asked and answered
Questions people ask about El Médano
How do I get to El Médano by bus?
TITSA line 470 runs between Los Cristianos and El Médano along the coast through Los Abrigos, with working-day, Saturday and Sunday-and-holiday tables. From Tenerife South Airport or Santa Cruz, go to Los Cristianos first (line 40 or line 112) and change there; this site has not checked a direct airport–El Médano line.
Is El Médano good for swimming?
Yes, at the right end: WebTenerife says the beach holds a Blue Flag and the part nearest the village is the most family-friendly, with less swell, while the far end belongs to the windsurfers and kitesurfers. La Tejita, over the volcano, is a long natural beach with no lifeguard services listed.
Can I walk up Montaña Roja?
The reserve has two car parks, at the El Tapao bend and at La Tejita, from which paths lead into it; WebTenerife describes sandy ground, sea pools and nesting birds rather than a summit route. Keep to the paths: it is a special nature reserve.
Checked Sources: TITSA, WebTenerife
Good to know
Small details. Better days.
Show 2 local tips Show fewer
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Pick your end of the beach
For a calmer swim, stay near the village, where WebTenerife says there is less swell; the far end belongs to the windsurfers and kitesurfers.
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Two buses from the north
From Santa Cruz, line 112 brings you to Los Cristianos and line 470 on to El Médano; treat them as two journeys with their own tables.
Checked – Oct 2026 Sources: WebTenerife, Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud, Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias +2
Photos and film
El Médano in pictures
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Watch before you go
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The village end of the beach is the calm end; Montaña Roja and La Tejita lie beyond it, and line 470 from Los Cristianos is the bus here. Photo: Andree Stephan, CC BY 3.0 (cropped), via Wikimedia Commons -
The far end of El Médano beach belongs to the windsurfers and kitesurfers; world championships are held here, which is why the wind is part of the plan. Photo: Mataparda, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Make room for something memorable
Book something around El Médano
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There’s more around the corner
Where next?
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Wouter Hagens / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 -
Marc Ryckaert / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 3.0 -
Diego Delso / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Guide checked · How we check · Suggest a correction
Sources for this page
The sources this page cites, each with the date we checked it. Two dates mean the facts that cite it were checked on different days.
TITSA
- Line 470 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 40 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
- Line 112 timetable Checked – Oct 2026
WebTenerife
- El Médano beach Checked – Oct 2026
- Montaña Roja special nature reserve Checked
- Playa de La Tejita Checked
Gobierno de Canarias, Servicio Canario de la Salud
Gobierno de Canarias, 1-1-2 Canarias
Gobierno de Canarias, Dirección General de Emergencias
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