Tenerife - Transport and Communications

Transport and Communications

The island of Tenerife is served by Tenerife North - Los Rodeos Airport (GCXO) and Reina Sofía Airport (GCTS).

Los Rodeos Airport, the smaller of the two, is located near the metropolitan area Santa Cruz-La Laguna (423,000 inhabitants). It serves inter-insular flights as well as national and European flights, and for the last two years, a weekly service to Venezuela. Reina Sofía Airport (south) is the busiest Airport in Tenerife, ranking 7th in Spain. It typically serves the mass of regular and vacation charter flights constantly arriving from most of Europe.

The other way to arrive on Tenerife is by ferry, either to Santa Cruz de Tenerife or Los Cristianos, near Playa de Las Américas.

A network consisting of two fast, toll-free motorways (TF1 and TF5) encircles nearly the entire island, linking all the main towns and resorts with the metropolitan area. The exception is in the West, from Adeje to Icod de los Vinos, which is traversed by a smaller winding mountain road. However, plans are in progress to complete the motorway, which caused a heavy debate between the environmentalists and the local businessmen.

Away from the major motorways, there is a network of secondary and communal roads, varying from wide to steep, winding narrow roads, mainly unlit and often with drops on either side of the main carriageway surface.

Public transport on the island is provided by an extensive network of buses and run by TITSA, who operate a fleet of modern, air-conditioned buses. TITSA buses cover most of the island and they are fairly frequent. For more than one journey, customers can purchase BonoBus cards at €12 or €30 which work out much cheaper than single cash fares; on boarding stick the BonoBus card in the green bonobus box, and tell the driver where you want to go. The BonoBus can be purchased at many newsagents, most bus stations, and at Tenerife South (Reina Sofia) Airport in the Alpizpa souvenir shop, opposite gate 47 (Departures). The Bonobus is also valid on the tram in the capital, Santa Cruz (See Below).

A rental car is sometimes a good option for discovering the remote wilderness regions, although TITSA do operate reliable bus services in the remotest spots, such as the Teno Massif via Masca (355), and up the Anaga mountains (247). TITSA even run two daily services up Mount Teide - from Puerto de la Cruz (348) and from Los Christianos/Las Americas (342) up to the Teide Parador, Teleferico cable car, Montana Blanca and El Portillo. The only car rental companies that actually have offices in the airports are: Autoreisen, Avis, Cicar, Europcar, Goldcar (only south airport) and Hertz.

The metropolitan Area formed by Santa Cruz and La Laguna is served by the Tranvía de Tenerife (English: Tenerife Tram) which opened in early 2007, after 3 years of intensive works. The fairly lengthy line from Santa Cruz up the hill to La Laguna serves almost 20 stops. A second line within La Laguna was added in 2009.