Getting from Tenerife airport to your hotel starts with knowing which of the island’s two airports you’re landing at. Tenerife South, officially called Tenerife Sur Reina Sofía, is in the south of the island close to El Médano and around 20 kilometres from Los Cristianos. This is where most flights from the UK and the rest of Europe land. Tenerife North, Tenerife Norte Ciudad de La Laguna, is near La Laguna in the north of the island and is mainly used for flights from mainland Spain and the other Canary Islands.
The quick answer: if you land at Tenerife South and you’re staying in Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas or Costa Adeje, take bus 40 or a taxi. If you land at Tenerife North, bus 20 runs to La Laguna and Santa Cruz and bus 30 to Puerto de la Cruz. Below you’ll find all the options with prices, journey times, stops and the return trip. Prices are given in euros with an approximate amount in pounds in brackets.
Contents
Tenerife Airport to Your Hotel at a Glance
- Bus 40 (South): €3.20 (around £2.70) to Los Cristianos and €3.70 (around £3.10) to Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje, around 40 minutes to the final stop at Estación Costa Adeje, running roughly every half hour from 6.30am to 9.40pm.
- Bus 10 (South): €9.35 (around £7.80), around 55 minutes direct to the Intercambiador in Santa Cruz, running roughly every 40 minutes from just after 6am to just after 10pm.
- Night bus 711 (South): same fare as bus 40 and bus 10, running overnight towards Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje and towards Santa Cruz, roughly every half hour to every hour.
- Bus 343 (South and North): €9.70 (around £8.10) between the two airports in around 55 minutes and €13.55 (around £11.35) from the South airport to Puerto de la Cruz, with only four departures a day.
- Bus 20 (North): €2.65 (around £2.20), around 20 minutes to the Intercambiador in Santa Cruz, stopping in La Laguna, running every 20 to 25 minutes from 5.45am to 12.45am.
- Bus 30 (North): €4.75 (around £4), around 30 minutes to Puerto de la Cruz, running once or twice an hour from morning to evening.
- Taxi: metered, and from the South airport you should expect to pay around €30 (around £25) to Los Cristianos and around €40 (around £35) to Costa Adeje. From the North airport, the journey to Santa Cruz costs around €20 to €25 (around £17 to £21).
- Uber (South): UberX and larger cars can be booked from Tenerife South, and the app shows a fixed price before you book.
- Hire car: desks at both airports, around 20 to 25 minutes from the South airport to Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje and around 25 minutes from the North airport to Puerto de la Cruz.
How to Find Your Transport at the Airport
Tenerife South: The airport has a single terminal. The arrivals hall is on the ground floor, which Aena calls Planta 0. Once you’ve come out from baggage reclaim and customs, the bus stop and the taxi rank are just outside the arrivals hall. All the buses stop at the same bus stop, which TITSA calls Aeropuerto Tenerife Sur. You can see the routes on the airport’s bus page.
At the airports there are machines where you can buy TITSA’s ten+ card and tourist cards, and the car hire companies have desks both inside and outside the terminal building. Companies without a desk at the airport usually pick you up in a shuttle bus, so read your confirmation before you land.
Tenerife North: There’s also a single terminal here. Taxis wait by the arrivals hall on the ground floor, while the buses stop in the bus park on the floor below, which Aena calls Planta -1. Buses are called guaguas in the Canary Islands, so that’s the word to look out for. Bus 20, bus 30 and bus 343 depart from here.
1. Bus 40 from Tenerife South to Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje
Bus 40 is TITSA’s airport bus to the resort towns in the south-west, and for most people it’s the bus you’ll need. It runs from Tenerife South along the TF-1 motorway to Los Cristianos, carries on through Playa de las Américas and ends at the Estación Costa Adeje bus station. The whole journey takes about 40 minutes, and you’ll usually reach Los Cristianos in 20 to 25 minutes.
The bus runs every day. The first departure from the airport is at 6.30am, and after that it runs roughly every half hour until the last departure at 9.40pm. Around the middle of the day a few departures are shifted by a couple of minutes, so check the bus 40 timetable on TITSA’s website before you head out to the stop.
On the way to Costa Adeje the bus doesn’t pick up passengers along the route, but it does stop when someone wants to get off. So press the stop button in good time. If you land after the last bus, you’ll need night bus 711 or a taxi.
Watch out for older guides: they often mention bus 111 and bus 450, but these stop at the Enlace Aeropuerto motorway junction rather than at the terminal. From the terminal, the buses to use are bus 40, bus 10, bus 343, bus 415 and night bus 711.
Fares and tickets
The fare depends on distance. From the airport to Los Cristianos and El Camisón in Playa de las Américas, a single ticket costs €3.20 (around £2.70). To Columbus, Magma and Estación Costa Adeje it costs €3.70 (around £3.10). With a ten+ card you pay €2.80 (around £2.35) and €2.90 (around £2.45) respectively. TITSA has a fare calculator on its website where you can look up the price to your stop.
Children aged 4 and under travel free as long as they don’t take up a seat. There are also discounts for children and young people, but these require you to live in the Canary Islands, so as a tourist you’ll pay full fare for older children.
Where to buy your ticket
There are three ways to pay. The easiest is your bank card: TITSA accepts contactless Visa and Mastercard cards, including on your phone or watch, as long as the card doesn’t ask for a PIN, and you pay the same fare as with cash. You can also pay the driver in cash, but drivers don’t have to change notes over €10, and between 9pm and 5.30am you must pay the exact fare.
The cheapest option is the ten+ card, the island’s rechargeable travel card for buses and the tram. You top it up with credit and pay a lower fare per journey. You can buy and top it up at the machines in the airport, at bus stations, in kiosks and at tram stops. Remember to tap the card on the reader both when you board and when you get off, as the fare is calculated on how far you’ve travelled. This is explained in the ten+ frequently asked questions.
If you’ll be taking the bus a lot, there are also tourist passes you can load onto the ten+ card: €10 (around £8.50) for unlimited travel for 24 hours and €50 (around £40) for 7 days on all buses and the tram. The card itself costs €2 (around £1.70), and the tourist passes are personal. You can also buy them in the ten+ móvil app. All the ticket types are listed on TITSA’s tickets page.
Where should you get off?
Los Cristianos: The Los Cristianos stop is in the town, and from here you can walk to most hotels in the old fishing town and by Playa de Los Cristianos beach. This is also where the ferries to La Gomera leave from. If you want to stay close to the bus and the harbour, you can see hotels in Los Cristianos here.
El Camisón, Zentral Center and Columbus: These three stops are in Playa de las Américas, home to the big beach hotels, the restaurants and the nightlife. Check on a map which stop is closest to your hotel, as the resort is long. You can see hotels in Playa de las Américas here.
Los Geranios, Magma and Estación Costa Adeje: Here you’re in Costa Adeje. Magma is named after the conference centre of the same name, and the terminus, Estación Costa Adeje, is the island’s bus hub in the south-west. From here, bus 473 continues past San Eugenio and Fañabé towards Los Gigantes. You can see hotels in Costa Adeje here. If you’re not sure which resort suits you, read my guide to where to stay in Tenerife.
2. Bus 10 from Tenerife South to Santa Cruz
Bus 10 is the airport bus from Tenerife South to the island’s capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. It runs along the TF-1 motorway on the east coast and only stops at San Isidro, at Caletillas near Candelaria and at the Meridiano shopping centre before ending at the Intercambiador, the large bus and tram terminal in Santa Cruz. The journey takes about 55 minutes.
From the airport the bus runs every day from 6.35am to 10.05pm, with about 40 minutes between departures, and on weekdays there’s an extra departure at 6.10am. So the last bus leaves shortly after 10pm, and if you land later, night bus 711 also runs to Santa Cruz. You’ll find the departures in the bus 10 timetable on TITSA’s website.
A single ticket costs €9.35 (around £7.85) by card or cash and €6.95 (around £5.80) with the ten+ card. You pay the same way as on bus 40. The bus suits you if you’re staying in Santa Cruz or heading on to La Laguna. A taxi to Santa Cruz costs about ten times as much, so the bus is a good choice, even with luggage.
Where should you get off?
Intercambiador Santa Cruz: The terminus is in the centre of Santa Cruz, close to the harbour. From here you can walk to most hotels in the centre, and you can change to tram line 1, which runs up to La Laguna. Your ten+ card is valid on the tram too. Ferries to Gran Canaria leave from the harbour in Santa Cruz.
Caletillas: This stop by the motorway is near Candelaria, with its basilica and seafront square. The bus only stops here to drop passengers off in the direction of Santa Cruz and only to pick passengers up in the direction of the airport.
3. Night bus 711 from Tenerife South
Night bus 711 runs every night between Santa Cruz, Tenerife South, Los Cristianos and Estación Costa Adeje, covering the hours when bus 40 and bus 10 aren’t running. The bus passes the airport in both directions, so check the sign on the front of the bus before you get on. From the airport the journey usually takes 20 minutes to Los Cristianos and 30 minutes to Estación Costa Adeje, while the trip to Santa Cruz takes about 50 minutes.
Towards Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje the bus leaves the airport from 11pm to 4.50am, and towards Santa Cruz from 10.40pm to 6.55am. There’s between half an hour and just over an hour between departures, so check the time in the night bus 711 timetable before you head out. The night bus stops at most of the same stops in Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje as bus 40.
The fare is the same as during the day: €3.20 (around £2.70) to Los Cristianos, €3.70 (around £3.10) to Costa Adeje and €9.35 (around £7.85) to Santa Cruz. If you pay cash at night, you’ll need the exact fare ready, so it’s easiest to use your bank card or the ten+ card.
4. Bus 343 between the airports and to Puerto de la Cruz
Bus 343 is an express bus running between Puerto de la Cruz and Estación Costa Adeje via both airports. Between Tenerife North and Tenerife South it runs non-stop and takes around 55 minutes. That makes it the only direct bus from the South to Puerto de la Cruz, and the journey takes about an hour and 20 minutes.
The catch is that there are only four departures in each direction a day. On weekdays the bus leaves Tenerife South for the North and Puerto de la Cruz at 9.35, 13.05, 17.50 and 21.50, and at weekends and on public holidays at 9.20, 12.25, 16.40 and 19.40. In the other direction it leaves Tenerife North for the South at 6.25, 10.40, 15.10 and 18.40 on weekdays. See all the times in the bus 343 timetable.
A ticket from Tenerife South to Puerto de la Cruz costs €13.55 (around £11) and €9.55 (around £8) with the ten+ card. Between the two airports it costs €9.70 (around £8) and €7.15 (around £6) with the ten+ card. From the South to Costa Adeje the fare is €3.70 (around £3), the same as on bus 40. If the departures don’t suit you, you can take bus 10 to Santa Cruz and change to a bus to Puerto de la Cruz, but it takes longer.
Where should you get off?
Puerto de la Cruz: The bus terminates at the Estación Puerto de la Cruz bus station in town. On its way through town it stops at Puente del Botánico, La Paz, Tucán and El Risco if anyone needs to get off, so check on a map which stop is closest to your hotel. If you want to stay in Puerto de la Cruz, you can see hotels in Puerto de la Cruz here.
5. Bus 20 from Tenerife North to La Laguna and Santa Cruz
From Tenerife North, bus 20 is the quickest way to both La Laguna and Santa Cruz. It runs from the bus terminal below the airport to Intercambiador La Laguna and on along the TF-5 motorway, past Meridiano, to the Intercambiador in Santa Cruz. The whole journey takes around 20 minutes, and you reach La Laguna in just a few minutes.
The bus runs every day. The first departure from the airport is at 5.45, and after that it runs every 20 to 25 minutes during the day. In the evening the gaps between departures get longer, but the last bus doesn’t leave until 0.45, so you can catch it even after a late flight. See the departures in the bus 20 timetable.
A single ticket costs €2.65 (around £2.20) by card or cash and €2.25 (around £1.90) with the ten+ card, and the fare is the same to La Laguna and Santa Cruz. You pay the same way as on the buses from the South. The bus suits you if you’re staying in Santa Cruz or in the historic town of La Laguna.
Where should you get off?
Intercambiador La Laguna: The bus terminal in La Laguna is on the edge of the old town centre, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage List. From here you walk to the hotels in the centre. Heading towards Santa Cruz, the bus only drops off at La Laguna, so get off at the stop outside the terminal.
Intercambiador Santa Cruz: The final stop in Santa Cruz is the same terminal that bus 10 from the South goes to. The bus stops outside in front of the courthouse, and from here you walk into the centre and to the harbour. Tram line 1 also runs from the Intercambiador to La Laguna.
6. Bus 30 from Tenerife North to Puerto de la Cruz
Bus 30 runs directly from Tenerife North along the TF-5 motorway to Puerto de la Cruz on the north coast. The journey takes around 30 minutes, and on its way into town the bus stops at Puente del Botánico, La Paz, Tucán and El Risco before terminating at the Estación Puerto de la Cruz bus station. Between the La Orotava exit and the bus station the bus only drops passengers off, so you can safely stay in your seat until your stop comes.
On weekdays the first bus leaves the airport at 7.30 and the last at 23.20, usually once or twice an hour. At weekends and on public holidays it runs from 7.50 to 21.15, with longer gaps between departures. If you land late at the weekend, it’s a good idea to check the bus 30 timetable in advance, otherwise you’ll end up taking a taxi.
A single ticket costs €4.75 (around £4) by card or cash and €3.40 (around £2.85) with the ten+ card. The bus suits anyone staying in Puerto de la Cruz, and it’s far cheaper than a taxi, which costs about ten times as much. If you’re staying in La Orotava, you can take the bus to Puerto de la Cruz and change to a local bus, or take a taxi for the last stretch.
7. Taxi and Uber from the airports
Taxis wait outside the arrivals hall at both airports, and Aena recommends that you only take a taxi from the signposted rank and turn down drivers offering rides anywhere else. The taxis are metered, and the fares are set by the authorities. During the day on weekdays between 6am and 10pm, the starting fare is 3.85 euros (around £3.20) and then 1.35 euros (around £1.15) per kilometre. At night, on Sundays and on public holidays, the starting fare is 4.25 euros (around £3.55) and then 1.55 euros (around £1.30) per kilometre.
Journeys to or from the airport carry an extra supplement of 2.10 euros (around £1.75). The fares are listed on the airport’s taxi page, and ask for a receipt if you want to complain about a journey. Based on the daytime fares, you can expect to pay roughly the following:
- From the South to El Médano: around 15 to 20 euros (around £13 to £17).
- From the South to Los Cristianos: around 30 euros (around £25).
- From the South to Playa de las Américas: around 35 euros (around £30).
- From the South to Costa Adeje: around 40 euros (around £35), a little more to the northern end at La Caleta.
- From the South to Los Gigantes: around 70 euros (around £60).
- From the South to Santa Cruz: around 90 euros (around £75).
- From the North to La Laguna: around 12 to 15 euros (around £10 to £13).
- From the North to Santa Cruz: around 20 to 25 euros (around £17 to £21).
- From the North to Puerto de la Cruz: around 45 euros (around £40).
The final fare depends on where your hotel is and on the traffic. A standard taxi seats four, so if there are four of you sharing a taxi to Los Cristianos, it works out at around 7.50 euros (around £6.30) per person, and it takes you right to the door.
Uber also operates from Tenerife South. You can book an UberX or a larger car, and the app shows you the price before you book. However, according to Uber’s page on Tenerife South, you can’t book a regular taxi through the app from the airport. The app also shows you where to meet your driver outside the terminal.
Private transfer
Many hotels in Costa Adeje and Playa de las Américas offer airport transfers, and if you’re on a package holiday, the coach transfer is often included in the price. Ask your hotel before you travel if you’re landing late or have young children with you. Otherwise, a taxi from the rank is almost always the easiest option, as there are usually cars waiting.
8. Car hire from Tenerife South and Tenerife North
If you want to explore the island and drive up to Teide, a hire car is the most flexible option, and you can pick it up right at the airport. At Tenerife South, AutoReisen, Cicar, Europcar, Goldcar, Hertz, Record Go and TopCar have desks in the terminal and outside the terminal building, and there’s also car hire at Tenerife North. Budget companies without a desk at the airport usually take you to their office by shuttle bus, so allow a little extra time.
From Tenerife South, you take the TF-1 motorway west and reach Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje in around 20 to 25 minutes. To Santa Cruz, you take the TF-1 north, which takes around 45 minutes. From Tenerife North, you take the TF-5 and reach Puerto de la Cruz in around 25 minutes and Santa Cruz in around a quarter of an hour. The motorways on Tenerife are toll-free, but there can be queues on the TF-5 around La Laguna and Santa Cruz at rush hour.
The pitfalls are the fuel policy and the insurance, so read the terms before you book and check whether a deposit will be taken on your credit card. Take photos of the car before you drive off, and check whether your hotel has parking, especially in Puerto de la Cruz and Santa Cruz. If you’re staying in Los Cristianos or Playa de las Américas and plan a poolside holiday, you can easily manage without a car and hire one for a day or two.
Getting around Tenerife straight from the airport
El Médano: The surf town is only around a 10-minute drive from Tenerife South, but there’s no direct bus from the terminal. Take bus 10 or bus 415 to San Isidro for 2.45 euros (around £2), and change to bus 408, which runs from San Isidro to El Médano in around 10 minutes for 1.45 euros (around £1.20). With suitcases, though, a taxi for around 15 to 20 euros is far easier.
Golf del Sur and Las Galletas: Bus 415 runs from the airport to Golf del Sur, Las Chafiras, Las Galletas and El Fraile. A ticket to Golf del Sur costs 2.45 euros (around £2), and the bus runs all day from early morning until the evening.
Los Gigantes: Take bus 40 to the final stop, Estación Costa Adeje, and change to bus 473, which runs along the coast via Playa de San Juan and Puerto de Santiago to Los Gigantes. A ticket on bus 473 costs 4.20 euros (around £3.50), or 2.80 euros (around £2.35) with the ten+ card. With luggage and a late flight, a taxi or a hire car is more practical.
La Gomera and Gran Canaria: Ferries to La Gomera sail from the port in Los Cristianos, which you can reach on bus 40. Ferries to Gran Canaria sail from Santa Cruz, and flights to the other Canary Islands usually depart from Tenerife North. If you’re heading on to Gran Canaria, you can read my guides to where to stay in Gran Canaria and to things to see in Gran Canaria.
The return journey to the airport
To Tenerife South: Bus 40 runs from Estación Costa Adeje from 5.30am and then roughly every half hour until 9.40pm. It picks up passengers at all the stops in Costa Adeje, Playa de las Américas and Los Cristianos on its way to the airport. For a very early flight, night bus 711 runs from Estación Costa Adeje during the night, for example at 3.20am, 4.00am and 5.55am, and reaches the airport around 30 minutes later.
From Santa Cruz, bus 10 runs from the Intercambiador from 5.30am every day and from 5.10am on weekdays, and the last one leaves at 9.30pm. At night, night bus 711 runs from Santa Cruz and reaches the airport around 50 minutes later. From Puerto de la Cruz, bus 343 runs directly to Tenerife South four times a day, and the first departure at 6.00am reaches the airport at 7.15am.
To Tenerife North: Bus 20 runs from the Intercambiador in Santa Cruz from 5.10am and every 20 to 25 minutes, stopping at Intercambiador La Laguna on the way. From Puerto de la Cruz, bus 30 runs from 6.30am on weekdays and 7.15am at weekends. For the earliest flights, night bus 104 leaves Puerto de la Cruz at 4.40am and 5.25am and passes Tenerife North.
The airports have no fixed arrival time, so follow your airline’s check-in times and allow extra time for the security queue at Tenerife South in high season. If you have plenty of time before your flight, you can buy access to the VIP lounge at Tenerife South here.
Which option should you choose?
Here’s my recommendation based on where you’re staying:
Los Cristianos: Take bus 40 from Tenerife South. It gets there in 20 to 25 minutes and costs €3.20 (around £2.70).
Playa de las Américas: Take bus 40 and get off at El Camisón, Zentral Center or Columbus, depending on where your hotel is.
Costa Adeje: Take bus 40 to Magma or Estación Costa Adeje. If you’re staying further north at Fañabé or La Caleta, I’d take a taxi so you don’t have to change buses with your suitcases.
El Médano and Los Gigantes: Take a taxi or a hire car. The bus involves a change for both.
Santa Cruz and La Laguna: If you land at the North airport, take bus 20. If you land at the South airport, take bus 10 to Santa Cruz and then the tram on to La Laguna.
Puerto de la Cruz: If you land at the North airport, take bus 30. If you land at the South airport, bus 343 is the only direct bus, but it only runs four times a day. If the times don’t suit you, a hire car is the best choice, as a taxi costs more than €100 (around £85).
If you land at night: From Tenerife South, night bus 711 runs towards Los Cristianos, Costa Adeje and Santa Cruz. From Tenerife North, bus 20 runs until 00:45. Otherwise, it’s a taxi.
If there are three or four of you: The bus is still the cheapest, but a taxi to Los Cristianos for about €30 (around £25) works out at only about €7.50 (around £6.30) per person when there are four of you, and it takes you right to the door.
Practical tips for getting from Tenerife airport to your hotel
Check which airport you’re landing at. It’s about a 55-minute drive between Tenerife South and Tenerife North, and a taxi between them is expensive. If your ticket says TFS, you’re landing at the South airport, and if it says TFN, you’re landing at the North airport.
Tap your ten+ card on the reader twice. With the ten+ card, you need to check in when you board and check out when you get off. If you forget to check out, you risk paying for a longer journey than the one you actually made.
Have change or a card ready in the evening. The driver doesn’t have to change notes over €10, and after 9pm cash payments must be the exact amount. Contactless payment with Visa or Mastercard works on all TITSA buses.
Consider a tourist card if you’ll be using the bus a lot. The day card for €10 (around £8.40) is worth it if you’re making more than a couple of long journeys on the same day, and the 7-day card for €50 (around £40) suits you if you want to see the island without a car.
Choose your hotel based on the connections. Bus 40 runs directly to Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje, while El Médano and Los Gigantes require a change. Puerto de la Cruz is easiest to reach from Tenerife North. If you’re unsure about the area, read my guide to where to stay in Tenerife before you book.
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