Tenerife Airport Transfers

The worst part of traveling is the stress of getting to the airport and then to the hotel...but what if I told you that there is a way to make this process comfortable, easy and fast?

Alex Grande

Alex Grande

7 min read

Tenerife Airport Transfers

Waiting for the transfer at the airport gate | ©Atoms

There are two airports in Tenerife: Tenerife North (TFN) and Tenerife South (TFS), also known as Reina Sofia Airport. Wherever your flight arrives, the most comfortable and fastest way to get to your accommodation is by shared or private transfer.

In this guide you will find the best value for money options and some very useful tips you should know before flying to Tenerife.

Options for getting between Tenerife North Airport (TFN) and your accommodation

Private transfer| ©Humphrey Muleba
Private transfer| ©Humphrey Muleba

To start enjoying your vacation on the island as soon as possible without added worries, the best thing to do is to book a private transfer from Tenerife North airport to your accommodation. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, this is the option I recommend if you want to avoid overpaying for a cab or private driver and if you do not want to carry your luggage up and down a bus.

In addition, the same transfer is available for the return, so that your last day in Tenerife is worth remembering for that feeling that mixes the sadness of leaving and the joy of having experienced something beautiful, and not for the stress of arriving at the airport. With this transfer you will go to the flight on time and in the most comfortable way.

If you are traveling to Tenerife North in a group of 3, 8 or 16 people, I recommend you to choose the private transfer from Tenerife North airport to your accommodation or vice versa (with choice of vehicle), as you can choose between sedan, minivan or minibus so that the transfer is best suited to the size of your group.

Compare airport transfers

Options to move between Tenerife South Airport (TFS) and your accommodation

Private transfer| ©Mark Cruz
Private transfer| ©Mark Cruz

If you fly to Tenerife South airport, close to Costa Adeje and the beaches of Los Cristianos and Las Galletas, you will have to choose the transfer depending on your destination. All these transfers have the same characteristics as those departing from Tenerife North airport.

If your accommodation is in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the best option is to book the private transfer from Tenerife South airport to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. If your flight arrives in Tenerife South and your accommodation is near Costa Adeje, the private transfer from Tenerife South airport to Costa Adeje is the most suitable to reach your destination quickly.

And, if your hotel or accommodation is near the beach area of Los Cristianos, you have a private transfer from Tenerife South airport to Los Cristianos.

Finally, the private transfer from Tenerife South airport to Playa Las Americas will take you to your hotel or other accommodation located on the beach of Las Americas located in the southwest of the island.

And for the transfer back to the airport? From any of the areas on the island of Tenerife you can request a door to door transfer from your hotel to Tenerife South airport.


How Tenerife airport transfers work

Waiting at the airport| ©Artur Tumasjan
Waiting at the airport| ©Artur Tumasjan

As soon as you know your flight details, you can book online one of these transfers to get to your hotel from the airport. You will have to indicate the day of the transfer and the number of people sharing the vehicle.

You will also be asked for the flight identification number, the name of the airline and, logically, the destination address. Why so much data? Because this way, the operator has real time information about your flight and is aware of any delays or problems, so he can inform the driver so that he can wait for you at the corresponding departure gate.

Once you have landed and picked up your luggage, your driver will meet you and your group and will place your luggage in the trunk, and you can head to your hotel or accommodation in an air-conditioned vehicle with Wi-Fi.

In the case of departure transfers you will need to provide similar details, and by default the driver will pick you up at your accommodation in time for you to be at least three hours beforehand at the airport. In case you do not consider it necessary to arrive at the airport so early, you can always change the pick-up time.

Advantages of the transfers

View from the plane of the island of Tenerife and Mount Teide| ©Peter Reed
View from the plane of the island of Tenerife and Mount Teide| ©Peter Reed

For me, the main advantage is the convenience of landing at the airport and not having to worry about how to get to the hotel, for a price quite better than any cab, Uber or private driver.

Another advantage is not having to carry luggage, especially for trips of a week or more, is something you are going to appreciate for sure.

And also, if you are arriving in Tenerife in the wee hours of the morning, this is your safest option to arrive comfortably at your destination, and sometimes perhaps the only one as other types of transportation will have less availability at certain times of the night.

How long does it take to get to the hotel or airport?

Plane landing| ©Pascal Meier
Plane landing| ©Pascal Meier

It depends greatly on where your hotel is and which airport your flight arrives (or departs from). To give you an idea, the journey time between Tenerife North airport and the south of the island is about 50 minutes.

To get to Santa Cruz de Tenerife from Tenerife North airport (located in San Cristobal de la Laguna), it takes about 20 minutes.

And to get to the beaches of Costa Adeje, Playa de las Americas, Los Cristianos or Las Galletas from Tenerife South, it takes no more than 15 minutes.

Getting to the hotel from the airport by public transport

Bus to Tenerife airport| ©Vasile Cotovanu
Bus to Tenerife airport| ©Vasile Cotovanu

If, for whatever reason, you are not completely seduced by the idea of booking a private transfer, the only option you have left to get to your accommodation is to take a cab or an Uber (which will be considerably more expensive for a worse service) or take public transport. Here you have specific information about transportation from each of Tenerife's airports:

Tenerife North Airport Public Transport

All these bus routes will take you from the airport to various points of the island. The stop is on floor -1 of the airport, with schedules operating from 7-8 am to 22-23 pm, depending on the line.

  • Bus 20: runs between the airport, the capital (Santa Cruz) and the north of the island (La Laguna). Price per ticket is 2,65 € (Airport - Santa Cruz de Tenerife) or 2,45 € (Airport - La Laguna).
  • Bus 30: goes from Tenerife North airport to Puerto de la Cruz. Price per ticket is 4,75 €.
  • Bus 104: connects the north airport with Santa Cruz, Tacoronte and the north of the island (Puerto de la Cruz and La Laguna). Price per ticket is 2,65 € to get to Santa Cruz, 2,45 € to get to La Laguna or Tacoronte and 4,75 € for the ticket to Puerto de la Cruz.
  • Bus 343: to get from Tenerife North to Tenerife South via La Laguna. Price per ticket is 9,70 € to go to Tenerife South airport, 4,75 € to go to Puerto de la Cruz, and 12,40 € to go to Los Cristianos beach.

Public transport from Tenerife South

Buses from Tenerife| ©tenerife holidays
Buses from Tenerife| ©tenerife holidays

The bus stop at Tenerife South is on floor 0, in the arrivals area.

  • Bus 40: to get from Tenerife South to the tourist beaches of this area of the island. The ticket costs 3,20 € to get to Los Cristianos and 3,70 € to get to Costa Adeje.
  • Bus 111: connects Tenerife South airport with the capital of the island, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with a ticket price of 9,35 €.
  • Bus 711: this route goes from Tenerife South airport to Santa Cruz and the main beaches of the island, with the particularity of being a night service. The price per ticket is 3,20 € to go to Los Cristianos, 3,70 € to go to Costa Adeje and 9,35 € to get to Santa Cruz.
  • Bus 343: this bus takes you from Tenerife South to Tenerife North, passing through La Laguna de San Cristobal. Price per ticket is 9,70 € to go to Tenerife South airport, 4,75 € to go to Puerto de la Cruz, and 12,40 € to go to Los Cristianos beach.
  • Bus 415: connects the airport with the towns in the south of the island, with a ticket price of 2,85 €.

What I should know about the airports of Tenerife

Tenerife South Airport Terminal| ©assillo
Tenerife South Airport Terminal| ©assillo
  • Free Wi-Fi is available at both airports.
  • There are several restaurants of major fast food chains.
  • Probably the most important thing: the maximum value you can carry in your suitcase (from your purchases without taxes) is up to 430 €, with a maximum of up to 200 cigarettes or 250 grams of tobacco and 1 liter of alcohol in case of spirits, 4 liters of wine and up to 16 liters of beer, although the truth is that you have to have a very good excuse to carry so much alcohol in your luggage.
  • You will find car rental counters at both airports.