Tenerife is an island, nevertheless it’s a giant one, notably whenever you enterprise off the autopista (freeway) and onto the slim roads that rollercoaster into the distant mountains rippling throughout the north.
In the event you’re planning a highway journey, you’ll be in your component on Tenerife, breezing by way of otherworldly landscapes with the volcanic peak of Teide hovering on the horizon, or feeling your abdomen flip as you profession alongside cliff-edge roads with the Atlantic raging far under.
Renting a automotive makes it simpler to succeed in off-the-radar locations, however you may get round Tenerife in loads of different methods. Buses sprint between the large cities and resorts for small change, and cheap shuttles make airport transfers a breeze. If you wish to go greener, lease a motorcycle or an e-bike to see the island in wonderful sluggish movement.
Listed below are eight of the perfect methods to get round in your go to to Tenerife.
Hire a automotive to succeed in the seaside and Tenerife’s volcanic heights
With its cinematic volcanic landscapes and coastlines, Tenerife is usually a pleasure to discover by automotive, however twisty roads and tailgating buses within the mountainous north can put even probably the most assured drivers on edge.
The island is fairly simple to navigate, particularly when you stick with the large roads. The TF-1 freeway hyperlinks the capital of Santa Cruz de Tenerife within the northeast to Costa Adeje within the southwest, whereas the TF-5 freeway connects Santa Cruz to Puerto de la Cruz within the north. However extra enjoyable – and gear-crunching, camera-grabbing drama – awaits on the roads that swing round hairpin bends as much as Teide Nationwide Park (TF-21), Masca (TF-436) and the Anaga Rural Park (TF-12). Keep away from peak season when you don’t wish to be harassed by impatient bus and coach drivers. The highways can also get jam-packed at rush hour.
Discovering a free parking area, notably close to the seaside, is usually a headache, particularly in excessive season when roads are stuffed with automobiles attempting to cram into too few areas (be sure you don’t park on any yellow strains). Paid parking typically prices round €1.80 an hour, which provides up over the course of a trip, so it’s price seeing in case your lodging supply parking. By no means depart valuables in automobiles, as petty thieves have been recognized to pounce shortly in cities and resorts.
All the key automotive rental corporations have desks at Tenerife South Airport, with automotive rental costing an inexpensive €15 a day on common. If you wish to up your eco sport, Cicar rents out electrical automobiles, and Chargemap lists e-vehicle charging factors across the island.
Take the short path to your resort in a taxi or shuttle
Journey-hailing providers like Uber have but to succeed in Tenerife, however official white taxis with meters are available at airports, in resorts and at taxi ranks in larger cities. If you wish to name one, good choices embody Servitaxi Tenisur within the south and 24-hour Official Taxi island-wide. Be sure to get an estimated price in your journey earlier than hopping in. A brief 15-minute journey – from Tenerife South Airport to Playa de las Americas, as an illustration – will set you again round €26.
In the event you’re touring solo or as a pair, it’s cheaper to leap aboard one of many many shuttle buses that ply the island, doing the airport and door-to-door resort rounds. Some additionally supply inexpensive personal transfers. Respected corporations embody Holiday Extras and Hoppa. You may count on to pay as little as €4.50 for a 45-minute switch from Tenerife South Airport to Costa Adeje.
Hop on a public bus for a budget-friendly spin across the island
No need to drive? You don’t need to: Tenerife has an environment friendly bus service that covers a large chunk of the island. Titsa runs guaguas – pronounced wa-was – or public buses. Yow will discover timetables, routes and a useful journey planner on the web site.
In the event you intend to journey quite a bit by bus, spend money on a Ten+ day by day or weekly journey go, which price €10 and €50 respectively. You should purchase contactless variations at ticket machines and bus stations or use the ten+Móvil app.
Journey the tram from the previous capital to the brand new
Essentially the most thrilling method to get from La Laguna to Santa Cruz is by tram. The journey takes 40 minutes, and at €1.35, one-way tickets price subsequent to nothing. The tram runs from 6am to midnight Monday by way of Friday, and across the clock on weekends. Tickets may be bought at machines and repair facilities, and refilled at newsstands and kiosks.
Get in your bike to breeze alongside the coast or climb to Mt Teide
Tenerife has taken off as a biking vacation spot just lately, with routes crisscrossing the island and a gentle local weather making it attainable to get in your bike yr spherical. Professional highway cyclists typically practice right here within the winter, limbering up on the outstanding climbs to Mt Teide.
You may simply lease highway bikes, mountain bikes and e-bikes in all the principle resorts and cities. Count on to pay between €15 and €35 per day, relying on how fancy the wheels are. On the south coast, Free Motion and Bike Point are each good bets; the latter has put collectively an important collection of GPS routes and gives guided bike excursions, each on and off-road. Cycling in Tenerife’s excursions swing from a road-bike tour to Masca to a downhill MTB journey at Teide.
Stretch your legs on seafront promenades and mountain trails
Whether or not it’s to be a sundown stroll alongside a wave-hammered seafront promenade or a hike into the fantasy laurel forests of the north, Tenerife is a terrific island for strolling. Sure, you’ll want wheels to get from A to B, however you may break up the journey by stretching your legs on the paths threading alongside the coast and into the mountains.
For day or multi-day hikes, Rother and Cicerone publish strolling guides that can level you in the appropriate route. The Tenerife Topo Maps app can be useful when you plan to stray past the overwhelmed observe.
Accessible journey in Tenerife
Tenerife has made nice progress to grow to be extra accessible lately. Trendy south-coast resort cities have typically been designed with mobility wants in thoughts, together with well-equipped inns with ramps, wheelchair-accessible rooms and traffic-free seafront promenades.
Shuttle corporations comparable to Vacation Extras and cab corporations like Official Taxi Tenerife supply wheelchair-accessible transport at no further price. Newer public buses are outfitted with ramps, and the tram between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and La Laguna is accessible. If you wish to lease a wheelchair or mobility scooter throughout your go to, attempt Active Mobility Tenerife.
For extra journey ideas, obtain Lonely Planet’s Accessible Travel eBook.
Why e-bike is my favourite method to journey in Tenerife
Tenerife is an island with a heck of lots of altitude, with roads whipping up from the coast to 2000m (6562ft) above sea stage, the place the stark, rocky, purple desert–like landscapes of Teide Nationwide Park make you’re feeling such as you’ve landed on Mars.
You may blaze up right here by automotive, however to actually see the panorama unfold – from ocean to pine forest to rugged, barren mountain – an e-bike is the best way to go. It’s attainable to highway bike up right here when you’re tremendous match, however for everybody else, an e-bike takes the sweat out of the grueling climb to the highest, permitting you to deal with these sensational views.
