Playa de las Américas isn't a town with a square and a church: it's a resort built from the 1960s onwards on the south-west coast. If you're wondering what there is to see in Las Américas, the short answer is that the area itself has light-sand beaches, a long seafront promenade, the surf schools, the shows at the Pirámide de Arona and the nightlife. The big attractions sold under its name are between 5 and 60 minutes away. If you want a Canarian town with a life of its own, look at Los Cristianos, which is right next door and is exactly that.
Our picks
1
The highest-rated surf lesson
Two hours in a small group or one-to-one, with more than a thousand reviews. Las Américas is where a good share of the island's bookable surf lessons take place.
GetYourGuide2 hours
Playa de las Américas: Private or Small-Group Surf Lesson
4.8 (1,246 reviews)
from €35Check availability
2
The show at the Pirámide
"History", 2.5 hours of live music with around 30 performers. No dinner: eat beforehand.
GetYourGuide2.5 hours
Tenerife: History: The Evolution of Music Show Entry Ticket
4.7 (968 reviews)
from €49Check availability
3
Go-karts near your hotel
Karting Las Américas, in Fañabé, open until 20:30. A good plan after the beach.
4
Teide without driving
A 7-hour jeep tour leaving from the area. More flexible than the one daily bus to Teide.
GetYourGuide7 hours
From Playa de las Américas: Full-Day Teide Jeep Safari
4.6 (1,177 reviews)
from €68Check availability
What Las Américas is and where it ends
Officially, Playa de las Américas lies almost entirely in the municipality of Arona (which also covers Los Cristianos, Las Galletas–Costa del Silencio and Arona's old town) and it blends, with no visible boundary, into Costa Adeje, which is in the municipality of Adeje. The confusion even reaches the paperwork: Adeje's tourism website counts El Bobo among its beaches, and Monkey Beach Club, above Troya, gives Costa Adeje in its address and Playa de las Américas on its contact page. Siam Park, Aqualand, Puerto Colón, Fañabé and El Duque are all in Costa Adeje; we cover them in our Costa Adeje guide.
It suits you if you're travelling with friends, want to surf or go out at night, or like having everything within walking distance or a bus ride. It's not for you if you want total peace and quiet or traditional architecture: here it's all hotels, shopping centres and promenade.
Things to do in Playa de las Américas: ten named plans
- Surf lessons. There are a dozen or so lessons on sale: 2 hours in a small group or one-to-one, from €33. Some include photo analysis, and there's a 3-hour "premium" session. It's all in our surfing guide.
- Paseo Francisco Andrade Fumero. The seafront promenade for walking, running or cycling, which joins up with the Los Cristianos one.
- "History" at the Pirámide de Arona. The auditorium of the former Mare Nostrum Resort (now Spring Hotels) has 1,587 seats. The current production runs through music from Mozart to Michael Jackson with around 30 performers over 2.5 hours. There's no dinner and seats aren't numbered: arrive early. The Carmen Mota flamenco show that many guides still mention is no longer running. More on our shows page.
- Hard Rock Cafe. Opposite the Pirámide. Live music every night from 21:00 to 23:00 (book dinner for around 20:00) and happy hour from 17:00 to 19:00 on the upstairs terrace, not in the dining room. Menus in our Hard Rock Cafe guide.
- Music Hall Tavern. Dinner with a comedy drag show, now back in the centre of Las Américas and held at Vivo Show Bar (Av. Rafael Puig Lluvina 7). Four nights a week, 19:00 to 23:00; €49 per adult and €39 for ages 4 to 12 on its website, drinks extra. It doesn't offer transfers in Tenerife.
- Monkey Beach Club. A terrace and rooftop above Troya beach, looking out towards La Gomera at sunset. The Sunday parties run from May to October, 18:00 to midnight. You can't book in the Kong cocktail area: for the sunset, get there early. Details on the club's page.
- Go-karts. There are two separate tracks: Karting Las Américas, in Fañabé (TF-1 exit 78), with 857 m of floodlit track, open until 20:30 and €20 for 10 minutes from age 14; and Karting Club Tenerife, in Arona (exit 66), with 1,200 m and a free bus if you book online. Compared on our karting page.
- Parque Central de Arona. 42,000 m² of tropical and Canarian plants next to the football stadium.
- Siam Park and Aqualand. Both water parks are in Costa Adeje. Siam's free bus leaves from Calle Llanos de Troya at 09:30, 10:00, 10:45, 11:30, 12:25 and 13:50. Prices and tips on our Siam Park page.
- Whales and dolphins. Las Américas has no harbour of its own for these trips: you board in Puerto Colón (Costa Adeje) or Los Cristianos, both a few minutes away. Which to choose, in our whale watching guide.
The four beaches
The natural sand on this coast is dark: the light-coloured beaches in Las Américas are man-made, with imported sand, and El Camisón and Las Vistas are sheltered by breakwaters, with calm water for children. Troya keeps its grey volcanic sand.
| Beach | Size | Sand | Facilities | Parking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Troya I and II | 650 × 20 m | grey volcanic | showers, sunbeds, accessible | no |
| El Bobo | 130 × 50 m | sand | showers, sunbeds | no |
| El Camisón | 350 × 40 m | fine and light, between breakwaters | showers, sunbeds, accessible | yes |
| Las Vistas | 850 × 80 m | light, between breakwaters | toilets, showers, sunbeds, tourist information, accessible | more than 100 spaces |
Las Vistas is the best in the area and, as things stand, the only beach in Arona with a Blue Flag (El Camisón lost its flag). It's the hinge with Los Cristianos and has an assisted bathing service all year round, with amphibious chairs and a hoist. Troya is the second longest, with gentle waves and no parking: you walk there.
Nightlife in Las Américas
The nightlife is concentrated in three areas: the Veronicas Strip, the Starco shopping centre and what everyone calls "the Patch". If you'd rather sit down, the Hard Rock has live music until 23:00 and the shows at the Pirámide and the Music Hall Tavern finish around then too.
Markets and viewpoints: you'll need to head out
Las Américas has no market with officially published days. The nearest one with a council listing is Costa Adeje–Fañabé, on Avenida de Bruselas, twice a week; the days aren't listed, so ring the organiser (922 716 867). To see the coast from above, the nearby climbs are Roque del Conde (about 1,000 m) and the Caldera del Rey crater, both in Adeje.
Getting there from the two airports
From Tenerife South (19 km, about 17 minutes)
- Bus 40: leaves the airport at 06:30 and then every 30 minutes from 07:00 to 21:40. It stops at El Camisón, Zentral Center, Columbus and Magma. To El Camisón it costs €3.20 in cash or by contactless bank card, and €2.80 with credit on a Ten+ card.
- Night bus 711: nine departures from the airport between 23:00 and 04:50.
- Taxi: about €30 by day and about €33 at night, on Sundays and on public holidays, on the meter. The regional fare has no luggage supplement; just €2.10 for leaving the airport. Four people fit, children included.
From Tenerife North (83 km, one hour)
The 343 links the north airport with Costa Adeje bus station for €12.40, but there are only four a day (on weekdays it calls at the airport at 06:25, 10:40, 15:10 and 18:40). If those times don't work, take the 20 to Santa Cruz (20 minutes, €2.65) and from there the direct 110 to Costa Adeje (55 minutes, €9.45). A taxi is about €116 by day. Every option, compared, in our airport transfers guide.
Getting around and parking
For trips along the coast, the 467 runs through Los Cristianos, San Eugenio, Costa Adeje bus station and La Caleta; the Los Cristianos–bus station stretch costs €1.45. A Ten+ card (€2) with credit on it can be shared between several people and brings each fare down; the €10-a-day tourist card is personal and only pays off if you make lots of long journeys. Timetables at https://www.titsa.com.
If you're driving, Las Vistas has more than 100 spaces and El Camisón has a car park too. Troya and El Bobo have none. Cicar, the Canarian car hire firm, has offices in Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje.
Excursions you can book from Las Américas
GetYourGuide2 hours
Playa de las Américas: Private or Small-Group Surf Lesson
4.8 (1,246 reviews)
from €35Check availability
GetYourGuide7 hours
From Playa de las Américas: Full-Day Teide Jeep Safari
4.6 (1,177 reviews)
from €68Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Surf Lesson in Playa de las Américas, Tenerife | Small Group
4.7 (245 reviews)
from €40Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Tenerife: Surf Lesson at Playa de Las Americas
4.8 (125 reviews)
from €35.10Check availability
GetYourGuide2 hours
Tenerife / Playa de las Americas Surf lessons All levels
4.5 (97 reviews)
from €33.15Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →
The "History" show costs the same on both platforms. On GetYourGuide you can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before; on Tiqets, read the cancellation policy on the listing before you pay.
| Platform | Product | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Tenerife: History: The Evolution of Music Show Entry Ticket | 4.7 (968) | €49 | See on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | History: The Evolution of Music Show | 4.7 (188) | €49 | See on Tiqets |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They can change with the date; each platform confirms the final price.
The Hard Rock's prepaid menu is also the same price on both. It gets you priority seating and a single drink; the restaurant takes ordinary bookings on its website, so it's only worth it on very busy nights.
| Platform | Product | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | Tenerife: Hard Rock Cafe Set Menu Lunch or Dinner & Drink | 4.1 (214) | €34 | See on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | Hard Rock Cafe Tenerife: Lunch or Dinner Set Menu | 4.2 (4) | €34 | See on Tiqets |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They can change with the date; each platform confirms the final price.
Are Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje the same place?
No. Las Américas is almost entirely in the municipality of Arona and Costa Adeje is in Adeje, but there's no visible boundary between them. Siam Park, Aqualand, Puerto Colón and Fañabé are in Costa Adeje, 5–10 minutes away.
What is there to do in Playa de las Américas?
The beaches (Las Vistas, El Camisón, Troya), surf lessons, the seafront promenade, the "History" show at the Pirámide de Arona, the Hard Rock Cafe and the nightlife. The water parks and the whale-watching boats are a few minutes away, in Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos.
How much is a taxi from Tenerife South airport to Playa de las Américas?
About €30 by day and about €33 at night or on a Sunday, on the meter. Bus 40 does the same journey for €3.20 and night bus 711 covers late arrivals.
Which beach in Las Américas is best for children?
Las Vistas: 850 m of light sand sheltered by breakwaters, toilets, more than 100 parking spaces and, as things stand, Arona's only Blue Flag. El Camisón, also between breakwaters, is the alternative.
Is there a market in Playa de las Américas?
There isn't a council-run one with published days in the area itself. The nearest with an official listing is Costa Adeje–Fañabé, on Avenida de Bruselas, twice a week; confirm the days on 922 716 867.
Can you get from Playa de las Américas to Teide by bus?
Yes, on line 342, which goes up only once a day: it leaves Costa Adeje bus station at 09:25 and leaves the cable car for the return at 15:40. If you miss it on the way back, a taxi is the only option.
