Getting To Tenerife

Being an island, there are only two ways to get to Tenerife. Most people prefer to fly into one of the two airports, as this is the quickest and most convenient option. Tenerife is well connected to the rest of the world with regular flights from Madrid and other cities in Europe. The other choice is to take a ferry. The services are good and at least one boat per week arrives at Tenerife from Cadiz on the mainland and even more frequently from La Palma.

By car

Even though Tenerife is an island, it is completely possible to arrive by car. Ferries frequently run from Cadiz on the Spanish mainland as well as from the other Canary Islands. You can drive your car right on to the boat. You can also rent a car on the island at the airport, but it’s advisable to book your car hire online ahead of time to avoid disappointment and to save money on the rental rate.

By bus

There are no bus services that runs from the Spanish mainland to Tenerife. However, once on the island, local buses make the rounds to the various towns and resorts.

By air

Tenerife is the only Canary Island to have two airports. Los Rodeos Airport is in the north of the island, near La Laguna. The second, newer airport, Reina Sofia Airport, is in the south, near the Costa del Silencio. Reina Sofia now handles most of the international flights in and out of Tenerife. After landing at the airport, you will find bus services available to take you into one of three towns: Santa Cruz, Puerto de la Cruz and Los Cristianos. Taxis are also available outside the terminals. The trip from the airport into Santa Cruz takes about 60 minutes from the southern airport and about 15 minutes from the northern airport.

By ferry

There are several ferry options when travelling to Tenerife. Trasmediterranea is a large ferry company which offers services from Cadiz to Santa Cruz once a week. The trip takes 48 hours, but ships are equipped with children’s play areas and comfortable sleeping quarters (tel: +34 922 84 22 44). There are also more frequent ferries which run between the other Canary Islands and Tenerife with Naviera Armas, Fred Olsen (tel: +34 922 62 82 52) and Trasmediterranea. The trip from Las Palmas takes 3 hours and there are 14 crossings each week. There are four crossings to Santa Cruz de la Palma a week and the journey takes 6 hours. The ferry from Puerto del Rosario runs once a week and takes 14 hours.

Tenerife: Flights

Tenerife is the only Canary Island that has two airports, one in the north and one in the south. The northern airport, called Los Rodeos, is primarily used for domestic flights arriving from Spain and the other Canary Islands. Most Iberia flights use Los Rodeos Airport, so if you are staying in the southern part of the island, you should book a flight into Tenerife’s southern airport. The northern airport is located 13kms from Santa Cruz and 28kms from Puerto de la Cruz. The single terminal at Los Rodeos handles flights from a number of domestic airlines, with Iberia being the main carrier. The terminal has plenty of ATMs as well as full banking services at the Caja Canarias, which is open from 08:30 to 14:00 most days. There are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop in the terminal, but there are no dedicated business facilities. Assistance is available at the airport information desk in the Arrivals Area (tel: +34 922 635 635).

Tenerife’s southern airport, Reina Sofia, is by far the busiest airport on the island, processing nearly 10 million passengers each year. Its single terminal mainly handles international flights, but also services a number of domestic flights from the mainland. On Fridays, its busiest day, it receives one flight every six minutes. This newly opened, modern airport is designed to serve the major resorts in the south of the island such as Playa de las Americas. The terminal has ATMs, a full service bank and a post office. There are plenty of places to eat, drink and shop as well as travel agents, a pharmacy and a medical centre. The airport information desk is easy to find in the central hall (tel: +34 922 759 510).  

Several buses connect the northern airport, Los Rodeos, with destinations around the island including Puerto de la Cruz, La Laguna and Santa Cruz. Buses depart from the airport every 30 minutes from 06:00 until 23:00. Once in Santa Cruz, you can take a connecting bus to other, smaller towns. Taxis, located outside the main terminal, are also an easy way to reach more remote destinations.

If you are driving from the airport, the TF-5 motorway will take you towards Santa Cruz and other destinations around the island.

If you arrive at the southern Reina Sofia Airport, there are buses located outside the Arrivals Area, which regularly leave the airport on three routes. Bus 341 runs to the central bus station in Santa Cruz. Bus 340 goes to the northern airport and Puerto de la Cruz, while bus 487 runs to Los Cristianos and Playa de las Americas. Taxis are also readily available outside the Arrivals Area to take you to any place on the island.

If you are driving from the southern airport, take Highway Tenerife 1 (TF-1), which will lead you north towards Santa Cruz, 60kms away. Several car hire companies have offices at the southern airport, but it’s advisable to book your car online to avoid any hassles and to get the best rates.