Visit Tenerife without a car: Where to go and how to get around

Tenerife is an amazing place to visit and we always recommend taking the time to explore the island and discover its natural beauty. The reason why Tenerife is such an amazing destination in our opinion is that it has something to offer for everyone: you can sunbathe in Tenerife even in winter, it can also be a hiker's paradise, it offers plenty of things to do with kids and surfers will be able to take advantage of the powerful swells of the Atlantic.

How to make the most of your time in Tenerife

This depends on how much time you have on the island.

You can check out our article with suggested Tenerife itineraries, depending on how much time you'll be staying on the island. We usually advise at least one week, but ideally, 10 - 14 days would allow you to relax and visit some places as well.

Can you visit Tenerife without a car?

Yes, you can.

Although we usually rent a car in Tenerife to move around the island faster, it is possible to get around Tenerife without a car and still see a lot of places and do a lot of things.

You have several options to move around Tenerife without a car:

• Titsa buses (public transport)
• Taxi (can be expensive for long distances, but reasonable to move around the resorts in the south)
• Tours and excursions 

Move around Tenerife using the bus system 

The bus company in Tenerife is called Titsa.

You can buy tickets from the bus driver, or if you plan to do several trips around Tenerife by bus you can buy the Ten+ card where you can charge money and use it to pay for trips (although the card initially costs € 2, it will be cheaper to pay using the Ten+ than paying the driver for individual tickets each time).

Recently Titsa also introduced tourist travel cards, so you can get a Day TravelCard for € 10 and a 7 Day TravelCard for € 50, which would allow you to take unlimited bus trips around Tenerife in the specified period of validity.

You can buy the Ten+ card and the Tourist Travel cards straight from the airport.

How to get to/from Tenerife South Airport by bus:

• Line 40: Route 40 ceased to provide services, which will be carried out by routes 111 and 711.
• Line 711: Santa Cruz (Interchange) -Candelaria Crossing - Güimar Crossing - Arico Crossing - Chimiche Crossing -San Isidro Crossing - South Airport (Reina Sofía) - San Miguel and Guaza Crossing - Los Cristianos - Costa Adeje Station
• Line 111: Santa Cruz (Interchange) - TF-1 South Highway - Caletillas Crossing - Candelaria Crossing - Güimar Crossing - Arico Crossing - Chimiche Crossing - San Isidro Crossing - South Airport (Departures Terminal) - San Miguel Crossing - Guaza Crossing - Los Cristianos - Station Costa Adeje
• Line 343: Puerto de la Cruz Station - Botánico - TF-5 - TFN Airport - TFS Airport - Los Cristianos - Costa Adeje Station
• Line 415: El Fraile - Las Galletas - Las Rosas - Guargacho - Las Chafiras - Costa San Miguel (Golf del Sur) - South Airport - San Isidro

Where to stay in Tenerife if you don't rent a car

The good thing about not renting a car while in Tenerife is that you don't have to worry about parking, which can be difficult in some places.

But if you want to move Tenerife around by bus, we recommend staying in one of these resorts:

• Los Cristianos
• Costa Adeje
• Puerto de la Cruz

Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje are both located in the south of Tenerife, which would be the better option for the winter months, when the Canary Islands are the warmest destination in Europe that you can visit. 

In our opinion, Los Cristianos has better and more bus connections with the rest of the island, so Los Cristianos would be our top choice when looking for a place to stay. Los Cristianos has a very large bus station and it's easy to catch a bus to almost anywhere in Tenerife. Los Cristianos also has nice beaches, lots of restaurants and is well connected with the other resorts like Playa de Las Americas - you can either walk or take the bus. 

Puerto de la Cruz is another good option, especially if you want to explore more of the north of Tenerife or do some hiking. Puerto de la Cruz has good bus connections with Santa Cruz, La Laguna, La Orotava and you can easily visit many beautiful places in Tenerife North.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the island's capital, is also a good place to be if you want to explore Tenerife without a car. Especially if you're staying in Tenerife for a longer period of time, like if you're here to work remotely and explore the island in your free time, Santa Cruz is the best place to stay because it has a huge bus hub (Intercambiador de Transportes de Santa Cruz de Tenerife) which has connections with all the major places on the island and it's easy to just hop on a bus and go somewhere new every day.

Visit Tenerife with guided tours and excursions

If you really want to relax and not worry about planning anything, excursions and tours are the easiest way of visiting Tenerife without a car.

The good thing about Tenerife is that you have plenty of options to choose from when it comes to guided tours and excursions, but the one thing we recommend not missing out on is visiting Mt Teide.

We don't recommend trying to visit the national park using the public bus because you will waste a lot of time and you won't be able to see as many spots as with a tour.

Other excursions to help you see more of Tenerife

Loro Parque

Especially if you're traveling with kids you might want to take a trip to Loro Parque, as they have a ticket option that includes the bus trip to Puerto de la Cruz and the park is really worth an entire day.

Take an island tour

Go on a tour to see some of the most iconic places in Tenerife: Los Gigantes cliffs, El Medano beach and the Candelaria Basilica.

Go on a hike in the mountains of Teno Rural Park

Hike up to the small peak of Gala for magnificent views over the entire mountain range, and see as far as La Gomera and La Palma in good weather. Descend back down the mountain along an old goat track to arrive in the beautiful village of Masca.

Tuk Tuk Tour of Costa Adeje and Canary Farm

See the many sites of Costa Adeje including its beaches and the church of San Sebastian. Experience the natural beauty of the Caldera del Rey and the Canary Farm

SEE ALSO

If you change your mind and you decide to rent a car while in Tenerife, take a look at the post where we show you our favourite drives around the island.