How to get around Tenerife?

I’ll admit it, Tenerife is the largest island in the archipelago, so getting around it is more than important. At first glance, it can be a bit unclear, especially when you come to the island for the first time. You’re far from imagining the variety of roads and landscapes it has to offer, believe me. I imagine that if you’re making the trip, it’s to discover all the must-sees in Tenerife once you’re there. Between Teide National Park, the most remote towns and villages, the southern seaside resorts and the magnificent beaches of Tenerife, there’s plenty to do. And for that, you have to move around quite a bit.

Rest assured, the roads in Tenerife are well laid out and paved, the only issue is that in some areas they are both winding and narrow. You need to be a bit prepared for that, especially around Masca or Anaga Rural Park. To help you plan a simple and pleasant stay, we’re sharing here all our tips for getting around Tenerife with complete peace of mind. The goal is that you can map out your Tenerife itinerary without having to compromise.

And if you haven’t booked your plane tickets yet, feel free to check out our complete guide on the best times to go to Tenerife depending on the climate, tourist crowds, etc. As you’ll have gathered, the articles mentioned above plus this one will allow you to plan your trip on the island from A to Z. Handy, right?

Even though the island of Tenerife is the largest of the Canaries, it’s also the most developed and touristic. That’s what makes it possible to find plenty of options to explore the island at your own pace. Car, bus, taxi, organized excursions… each option has its advantages depending on your itinerary, your budget and the way you like to travel. You’ll definitely find a solution that works for you, and you can even combine several. It also depends on where you are staying. If you are interested, we have written a guide on where to stay in Tenerife.

I prefer to warn you, renting a car in Tenerife is clearly the best way to discover the island. That’s what I did both times I went there and it allowed me to see all the places I wanted on the island. There’s so much to do that I still have a list in my head. That will be for another time on the island! For my part, I went through Discover Cars to rent my car and it couldn’t be easier. In just a few minutes, I was able to compare and choose the car I wanted, while enjoying good deals. If you want to compare prices for Tenerife, you can look here:
rent a car in Tenerife.

By the way, if you’re planning to rent a car for your holidays in Tenerife, I recommend choosing a medium-sized and fairly powerful car to cope with the climbs in Tenerife. Believe me, I saw Fiat 500s struggling quite a bit on several routes. You have to keep in mind that Tenerife is a volcanic island and it’s quite a climb! You already have to go up to Teide, to some villages in the north and to the miradors, so having a powerful car really makes a difference.

What I also liked about renting a car was being free to stop wherever I wanted and even make little detours depending on what I felt like at the time. And I’d say that driving in Tenerife is an adventure in itself!

If you don’t want to rent a car and prefer to travel on a budget, getting around Tenerife by bus is a good option for you. As I was saying, it’s the most developed island in the Canaries and that also applies to public transport. Roughly speaking, the TITSA bus network connects most towns and seaside resorts to each other. To give you some examples, Tenerife North and Tenerife South airports are well connected to major towns like Santa Cruz, Costa Adeje, Los Cristianos and Puerto de la Cruz.

On top of that, the buses are quite modern, since the network was set up fairly recently. As for frequency, there are even more services in summer to handle the arrival of all the travellers in Tenerife. Another advantage is that it’s not very expensive. You should count between €1 and €2 per trip. To avoid paying every time and to benefit from a better deal, you can get the Ten+ card. You can top it up as much as you want at a reduced rate. If you’re planning to move around a lot, it’s really worth it, so don’t hesitate!

On the other hand, I still have to warn you that some must-see spots are not accessible by bus at all. I’m thinking of certain miradors such as the one in Masca. In that case, the roads are too mountainous and narrow for public buses to drive there, even if I did see some buses venturing in: they were more like operators running very specific excursions. There are also some trails in Anaga Rural Park that are not served. On the Teide side, there is line 348 which leaves from Puerto de la Cruz and line 342 from Costa Adeje. With these lines, you’re sure you can go to Teide National Park. But the services are infrequent: 1 or 2 in the morning and 1 or 2 in the afternoon, bearing in mind that the park is very large.

I’d say the bus remains a cheap option if you want to stay in the best-known towns without overthinking it. But if you’re planning to explore the island of Tenerife in depth, I won’t lie: the bus does impose limits and requires more organization on your part. At least now you know it all!

If you’re staying in the capital, Santa Cruz, and you want to get around in the north of the island, it’s absolutely possible by tram! I have to admit I was surprised to see a tram in the heart of Santa Cruz. It’s a bit cliché, but since it’s the capital of an island, I wasn’t expecting there to be a tram, run by Metrotenerife. You can not only get around the city with the Tenerife tram, even though it’s a human-sized city and you can simply walk; if you’re tired, there is always the tram as a solution.

That’s not all! The tram connects Santa Cruz to San Cristóbal de La Laguna. It’s a town I really recommend you visit. First of all, its historic centre is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. It has kept all its authenticity with its colonial, colourful façades. I really enjoyed strolling around and soaking up the local atmosphere. If this visit appeals to you, know that the tram runs every day and at fares I found reasonable. As with the buses, the Ten+ card also works and costs you less. I’ll admit it, the tram only serves a small part of the island, but I still think it’s pretty good and that it can be useful during your stay.

As in any destination, taxis are a transport option for exploring Tenerife. Apart from buses, they allow you to move around faster and, above all, more freely, without having to organize yourself around bus timetables. Rest assured, they are regulated and have official meters, which immediately avoids any nasty surprises when you arrive.

So, you should know that you’ll mainly find them in the most popular and touristic areas of the island, especially in the south of Tenerife in Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos, as well as in the north around Santa Cruz and La Laguna. In fact, as soon as you move away from these towns, it becomes much harder to find them, if not impossible. Taxis will mainly be useful for short trips to the beach or the airport, but not for visiting Tenerife.

You should also know that there are rideshares in Tenerife, but they’re far more limited than what we’re used to seeing. They’re where there is demand, always in well-known towns or seaside resorts. Roughly speaking, whether it’s taxis or rideshares, they’re not going to replace a car, but they can still come in handy, especially in busy areas.

Unsurprisingly, Tenerife is the island best connected to the rest of the Canary archipelago. Whether you’re heading to La Gomera, La Palma, El Hierro, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote or Fuerteventura, you’ll always have options. Of course, it’s much easier to get to neighbouring islands like La Gomera and Gran Canaria. But in general, you can take either the ferry or the plane.

As I’ve just mentioned, inter-island ferries are often the simplest way to travel to neighbouring islands from Tenerife. There are two companies operating the routes between Tenerife and the surrounding islands: Fred. Olsen Express and Naviera Armas. I’ll reassure you straight away, there are several departures every day.

Roughly speaking, from Tenerife you can reach:

• La Gomera in about 50 minutes from Los Cristianos
• La Palma in 2.5 to 3 hours
• El Hierro in about 2 hours
• Gran Canaria in 1 hour 20 to 2 hours depending on the port (Santa Cruz, Agaete or Las Palmas)

The advantage is that you can take your rental car on the boat. You can therefore continue your itinerary around the archipelago without having to change cars. As for me, I went to Tenerife and then to Lanzarote. Since they’re not close at all, it was more convenient, faster and cheaper for me to fly and rent a different car on each island. So I recommend taking the ferry if you’re doing short trips like the ones I’ve just mentioned, otherwise it can quickly become long and involve stopovers. Just remember to book in advance!

Domestic flights within the Canaries are mainly operated by Binter. There are also a few flights with Canarfly. Personally, I took the second airline to get to Lanzarote from Tenerife because it was much more affordable. To give you an idea, my ticket was €100 cheaper than with Binter. That’s not nothing. You should also know that all domestic flights or flights to mainland Spain depart from Tenerife North airport. Tenerife South is only for international flights. That’s the one I arrived at from France.

To come back to flights within the archipelago, be aware that they’re operated by small planes with two rows of two seats and about 18 rows of passengers. Needless to say, you feel air pockets and turbulence a bit more. There was quite a bit of wind the day of my flight, but honestly, I was expecting worse when I saw the size of the plane. Don’t worry, it’s still manageable, ahaha.

From Tenerife, getting to Lanzarote is simple and rather quick by plane. There are several flights making the connection every day. There is almost one every hour with Binter and four a day with Canarfly. It’s easy, 50 minutes maximum including take-off and landing. Honestly, it goes by fast, I didn’t see the time pass! I had a few worries when I saw the size of the plane. I think it was the first time I’d been on a plane that small. The landing was what shook the most, because it was windy in Lanzarote. On the other hand, take-off from Tenerife was great: we didn’t climb very fast, so I had time to see Teide and several beaches on the island, with a little pinch in my heart as I left.

If you prefer to take the ferry to reach Lanzarote, that’s absolutely possible, but much longer! Basically, you need to plan for 8 to 10 hours of travel with a stopover and a change in Gran Canaria. I think you can go for this solution if you’re travelling with your own car. If you’re renting, believe me, it’s better to rent two different cars. Plus, it works out expensive to rent a car in Tenerife and return it in Lanzarote: it can double the price!

Once you’re there, you’ll discover a completely different island from Tenerife, with volcanic landscapes and small villages with white houses. It changes all at once! It even struck me to go from one setting to another so different in less than an hour in the air. If you’re also planning to visit this island, know that we’ve written a guide on how to get around Lanzarote.

I haven’t yet had the chance to go to La Gomera, but I’ve already seen it several times from Tenerife. To give you an idea, it’s only 47 km off the south coast of Tenerife. However, it’s much wilder and more unspoiled than Tenerife. It enjoys a warm, humid climate which offers lush scenery in a super calm atmosphere. Honestly, this island intrigues me more and more. Given the short distance between Tenerife and La Gomera, it’s really easy to get there!

The simplest way is to take the ferry from the port of Los Cristianos, in the south of Tenerife. It only takes 50 minutes to reach San Sebastián de La Gomera, the island’s capital. You can even do a round trip to visit the island in a single day, even though I think it deserves more time! You should also know that you can take your rental car on the ferry. No need to change in that case! For your information, there are also flights between Tenerife North and La Gomera, but I don’t think that’s the most interesting option for you. They’re rare and more expensive than the ferry for a 30-minute flight; given that you have to arrive at the airport well in advance, you don’t really save time. And let’s agree it’s not very eco-friendly…

Very often, people tend to compare Tenerife and Gran Canaria. They’re next to each other and they’re the two largest islands in the Canarian archipelago. In my opinion, many of you combine Tenerife and Gran Canaria on the same trip. So, to get to Gran Canaria from Tenerife, you still have the same two options:

• The ferry: this is the most commonly used option. There are crossings every day from Santa Cruz or Los Cristianos, depending on what suits you best. For arrivals, there are also two ports: Las Palmas and Agaete. But you should allow between 1 hour 20 and 2 hours of crossing depending on the departure and arrival ports. It goes quickly and you’ll be comfortable on board the ferry, bearing in mind that about 70 km separate the two islands.
• The plane: there are very regular flights between the two islands, if not daily. The journey takes 30 to 45 minutes, so it’s quick. It’s a good solution if you get seasick, for example, and don’t need to take a car with you!

We’re coming to the end of this article on getting around Tenerife. As you’ll have gathered, the best option is a rental car if you want to discover the island from every angle. But it all depends on the style of trip you’re planning. If you’re coming to Tenerife to relax and discover the towns in the north and south, the bus is more than enough, with a little backup if needed from taxis or rideshares for certain journeys. In any case, I hope you’ll take the time to discover Tenerife, because it’s really worth the trip.

I’ve been there twice and my second trip only confirmed my crush on the island. To go further in planning your trip, I recommend checking out our article on the budget to plan for travelling to Tenerife.

Written by Laura CALLES

Thanks to Mélanie and Sylvain, I had the chance to discover the Canary Islands, specifically Tenerife and Lanzarote, so that I could share these island paradises with you. Two real favorites of mine!

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