Los Cristianos isn’t the main cruise port in Tenerife. Almost all of them berth at Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 74 km north. The few that call here anchor a mile offshore and tender you to a small pier, five minutes’ walk from the beach and the promenade, and about ten minutes from the market.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, not Los Cristianos, is where most cruise ships dock
Tenerife has two commercial ports, and almost all the cruise traffic goes to the northern one. At Santa Cruz de Tenerife, ships berth in a U-shaped harbour, with the cruise terminal on Muelle de Ribera in the Dársena de Anaga. It’s the biggest cruise terminal building in the Canaries, built for ships up to 4,000 passengers.
The city centre is less than a kilometre from the berth. A free bus runs from the terminal to Plaza de España, and if you walk it, give it up to 25 minutes.
Los Cristianos, 74 km south, is a ferry harbour with a cruise sideline. It had six cruise calls in a recent season; Santa Cruz de Tenerife had 412.
If your itinerary says Tenerife without naming the port, check before you book timed tickets or arrange a pickup. The two are about an hour and a half apart by bus, and that’s not a mix-up you want to find out about on the morning.
Los Cristianos cruise port map
Tenders bring you ashore at Los Cristianos (tender pier). From the tender pier, Playa de Los Cristianos is about a 4-minute walk, Mercadillo de Los Cristianos about 14 minutes and Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas about 30 minutes. Tap a pin for directions.
- Los Cristianos (tender pier)Where ships dock
- Los Cristianos Ferry TerminalWhere ships dock
- Playa de Los CristianosAbout 4 min walk from the tender pier
- Mercadillo de Los CristianosAbout 14 min walk from the tender pier
- Costa Adeje and Playa de las AmericasAbout 30 min walk from the tender pier
- Tenerife South Airport
- Los Gigantes Cliffs
- La Gomera Island
- Siam Park
- Playa del Duque
- Parque Nacional del Teide Visitor Centre
- Anaga Rural Park
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife Old Town
- Auditorio de Tenerife
What cruise ships go into Los Cristianos
Small ones, and they anchor rather than tie up. The anchorage is a mile offshore, about ten minutes from the harbour, and tenders use a 16-metre pier with a draft of 6 metres. That’s an expedition ship berth, not somewhere a cruise liner pulls alongside.
There’s no schedule you can check in advance for cruise calls here. The calls are expedition-scale: Ponant’s Le Lapérouse calls from 10:00 to 19:00 on a Canaries and Africa itinerary out of Las Palmas. Most Canary Islands cruises use Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Arrecife instead, so a Los Cristianos call usually replaces one of the standard ports on a small ship.
| Detail | Los Cristianos | Santa Cruz de Tenerife |
|---|---|---|
| How you go ashore | Tender from an anchorage a mile out to a 16-metre pier | Alongside at Muelle de Ribera in the Dársena de Anaga |
| Ships that fit | Small expedition and cruise vessels | Terminal built for ships of up to 4,000 passengers |
| Getting into town | Five minutes on foot to the beachfront | Under a kilometre, with a free port bus to Plaza de España |
| Cruise calls in a recent season | 6 | 412 |
Getting ashore: five minutes from tender to beach
The tender pier sits at the edge of the resort. The town is five minutes away on foot, and Playa de Los Cristianos and its promenade start at the harbour wall.
You can be on the sand minutes after stepping off the boat. No shuttle runs from the landing, and you don’t need one.
Taxis wait at the port. The resort strip of Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas starts 2 km away: walkable along the front, or a short ride if you’ve already done enough walking.
The market on Avenida Juan Carlos I: Tuesdays and Sundays
The Mercadillo de Los Cristianos runs on Tuesdays and Sundays from 09:00 to 14:00 on Avenida Juan Carlos I, opposite Playa de los Tarajales beside the Arona Gran Hotel. You get about 60 stalls of clothing, accessories, crafts, souvenirs and aloe cosmetics.
Two things catch people out. Stallholders start packing up around 13:30, so treat 14:00 as the outer limit, and most stalls take cash only.
It’s busiest after 10:00, and there’s no shade anywhere on the site. An early start with water and sun cover is the better plan.
TITSA buses 467, 477, 473, 447, 470 and 483 serve the market.
Whale watching and Los Gigantes from the Muelle de Pescadores
Whale and dolphin watching trips and excursions to the Los Gigantes cliffs leave from the same harbour, from the Muelle de Pescadores, with the meeting gate next to Los Cristianos beach. There’s nothing to transfer to: you walk off the tender and join the boat.
If your call is short, check how long the trip runs and what time the last tender goes before you pay. Book through the ship when the timing is tight.
Mount Teide by public bus only suits a long call
Mount Teide is the question everyone asks, and the public bus makes it look easier than it is. A TITSA service leaves Los Cristianos at 09:40 and comes back from the Parador Nacional at 16:00. That’s a full day out before you’ve counted the tender ashore and the tender back.
On anything short of a long call, do Mount Teide as a ship’s excursion or leave it. Spend the day on the beach, in the harbour and at the market instead.
Los Cristianos ferry terminal: La Gomera, El Hierro and La Palma
Fred Olsen Express and Naviera Armas run the inter-island ferries from this harbour, to San Sebastián de La Gomera, La Estaca on El Hierro and Santa Cruz de La Palma. The terminal has a café and step-free access, with free help boarding and disembarking for passengers with reduced mobility.
Boarding closes 40 minutes before departure if you have a vehicle, and 20 minutes on foot. That matters if you’re using a ferry as a day trip. This is also the busiest passenger port in the Canaries, with around 300 vehicles arriving for each Fred Olsen and Armas sailing, so the quay and the approach roads clog up at departure times.
El Hierro is the other island on the same run, landing at La Estaca, and the El Hierro Island cruise port guide covers what waits at the other end.
Getting to Los Cristianos: Tenerife South 18 km, Santa Cruz 74 km
Tenerife South is the closer airport, 18 km and about 15 minutes by road. Tenerife North is 55 minutes away. The main bus station is 15 minutes on foot from the quay, with TITSA line 40 from Tenerife South and line 112 direct from Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
Lines 110 and 111 follow the same corridor between Santa Cruz, the south airport and Costa Adeje. They take roughly an hour and run every 20 to 30 minutes. By road, leave the TF-1 at exit 72, follow Avenida Juan Carlos I and Avenida Chayofita, then the port signs to Calle El Espigón.
Where to eat near Los Cristianos cruise port
In Los Cristianos, you eat by the beach and around the market: fish from the lonja by the harbour, and cheese, honey and wine sold by Arona’s growers. The seafront behind Playa de Los Cristianos, a few minutes from the tender landing, is where the restaurants and cafés are.
- Fish from the lonja beside the harbour, in the La Gomera ferry terminal area, sold Tuesday to Sunday, mornings only.
- Cheese, honey and wine straight from Arona’s growers at the Mercado del Agricultor de Arona, which adds a fortnightly seafront market at Plaza de La Pescadora.
- Fruit and vegetables from the same growers’ stalls, easy to carry back to the ship or down to the sand.
What to wear in Los Cristianos: outfit ideas for a port day
Los Cristianos is a beach resort, so sand and sun decide most of what you wear. The market site on Avenida Juan Carlos I has no shade at all. Even for a morning there, take water and sun cover: a hat and a light layer, not town clothes.
The front and the harbour are flat and paved, so sandals or light trainers will carry you through the whole day. If you plan to eat in the resort afterwards, a cover-up over beachwear is the practical swap for women and men alike.
If you want more ideas, see these casual cruise outfit ideas for women and cruise outfit ideas for men.
Best photo spots in Los Cristianos
Every good shot in Los Cristianos is within a few minutes of the tender pier. Playa de Los Cristianos and its promenade give you the bay from the harbour wall.
The Muelle de Pescadores puts working boats and the Los Gigantes trip boats in the same frame. The market on Avenida Juan Carlos I is the colour shot, best on a Tuesday or Sunday morning before the crowd builds and the stalls start packing up around 13:30.
Further along the coast, Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas give you the resort strip.
Save this port day plan to Pinterest: Los Cristianos port day plan and cheat sheet.
How to spend a port day in Los Cristianos
A port day in Los Cristianos works best close to the tender pier: the beach, the harbour and the market, with Mount Teide only for a long call.
Before you sail
- Check your itinerary names Los Cristianos, not Santa Cruz de Tenerife
- Book a ship excursion to Mount Teide if your call is short
- Bring euros in cash for the market, most stalls are cash only
Short port day: under 6 hours
- On dockingTender ashore to the pierTender callShips anchor offshore and tender to a small pier right by the resort, no shuttle needed.
- +15 minPlaya de Los CristianosA 5 minute walk to the beach and promenade, which runs along the harbour wall.
- +45 minMuelle de PescadoresWorking boats and whale watching trips leave from here, next to the beach.
- +1 hr 15 minMercadillo de Los CristianosCash onlyOn Tuesdays and Sundays only, on Avenida Juan Carlos I, about 10 minutes from the pier. Most stalls take cash, no shade on site.
- +2 hr 15 minWalk to Costa AdejeAbout 2 km along the front to the resort strip of Costa Adeje and Playa de las Americas.
- +3 hr 15 minLunch near the harbourTry local fishFish from the lonja by the ferry terminal, or a seafront cafe behind Playa de Los Cristianos, on your way back toward the pier.
- All-aboard minus 1 hrBack at the tender pierAllow extra time, tenders can queue and move slower than expected late in the day.
The time on the map is the whole walk, every stop added together.
Open this walking route in Google Maps
If plans change: If the market isn't running that day, spend the extra time on the beach and around the harbour instead.
Long port day: 8 hours or more
- On dockingTender ashore to the pierTender callShips anchor offshore and tender to a small pier right by the resort.
- +15 minWalk to the bus stationAbout 15 minutes on foot from the quay to the main Los Cristianos bus station.
- +45 minTITSA bus to Mount TeideFull day tripThe public bus leaves for the Parador Nacional. This only works on a long call, count the tender time too.
- +1 hr 30 minMount Teide viewpointsSpend time at the Parador and the surrounding volcanic viewpoints.
- +3 hr 15 minLunch near the ParadorThere's a restaurant and cafe at the Parador for a simple lunch before heading back.
- +4 hr 15 minMore time at the viewpointsWalk the trails near the Parador for more volcanic views before the bus back.
- +5 hr 30 minReturn bus from the ParadorThe return service leaves mid afternoon, allow the full journey back to the bus station.
The times on the map are for the whole journey there by train and bus.
Get train and bus times in Google Maps
If plans change: If the Teide bus is full or running late, skip it and treat the day as a beach, harbour and market call instead.
Los Cristianos cruise port FAQs
Can you get a ferry from Tenerife to mainland Spain?
You can’t get a ferry to mainland Spain from Los Cristianos. Crossings leave from Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Cádiz has a weekly Sunday 23:00 sailing of about 33 hours, and Huelva runs roughly twice weekly at around 38 hours 30 minutes.
Is there parking at Los Cristianos port?
Yes. The port has parking, and Fred Olsen runs a pre-boarding area where you can leave the car if you arrive early. Check the rate with the port or your ferry line before you go.
Where is the main strip of Tenerife?
The main resort strip in Tenerife is the southern run of Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas. Los Cristianos sits directly next to Playa de las Américas, so the strip begins at the edge of town.
Can you visit La Gomera during a Los Cristianos port call?
You can visit La Gomera during a Los Cristianos port call. San Sebastián de La Gomera is 41 km across, roughly 50 minutes by conventional ferry and around 30 minutes on the fast ones, with several sailings a day. Count the 20-minute foot-passenger check-in and the tender back.
Last Updated: 2 November 2026