Getting Around Tenerife: Buses, Tram, the ten+ Card and Car Hire

Getting Around Tenerife: Buses, Tram, the ten+ Card and Car Hire

Tenerife is large and varied, and getting around well makes all the difference. You have two main options: public transport (the buses and the tram), which is extensive and cheap, or a rental car, essential if you want to reach the most secluded corners. Here's how each one works.

The TITSA buses (guaguas)

In the Canaries the bus is called a guagua. The public company TITSA covers practically the whole island with a very broad network: it links both airports with the south and north, connects the main cities and reaches many villages and points of interest. It's the cheapest way to travel around Tenerife. You can check lines, timetables and plan journeys at titsa.com and on its official app, which shows live arrival times.

The tram

The Tenerife tram runs only in the metropolitan area, between Santa Cruz and La Laguna (line 1) and a second cross route (line 2) between La Cuesta and Tíncer, linking the most populated areas of La Laguna and Santa Cruz. It's comfortable, frequent and the best way to move between the capital and the university city without worrying about traffic or parking. There's no tram outside the metropolitan area — there, public transport means the buses.

The ten+ card (tenmás)

The ten+ card is the rechargeable travel pass that replaces the old paper voucher. It works on both buses and tram, with transfers included, and makes journeys much cheaper than paying single fares. Key points:

• It costs around €2 and is sold at TITSA offices, vending machines, tram stations, partner shops and at the airport.
• On the bus, tap in when you board and tap out when you get off: that way you're charged the exact fare for your trip. On the tram you only validate on entry.
• You can top up from €2 to €100, at offices, machines and shops. Register it at tenmas.es to check your balance and recover it if you lose the card.
• It applies discounts of around 20% on short trips and up to 30% on long ones (according to TITSA).

A single card can be used for several passengers on the same bus if the driver allows it, validating once per person. Note: fares and conditions may change; confirm them at titsa.com.

The two airports

Tenerife has two airports: Tenerife South (TFS, Reina Sofía), the main one for international flights and beach tourism, and Tenerife North (TFN, Los Rodeos), closer to Santa Cruz and La Laguna and widely used for inter-island and domestic flights. Both are connected by TITSA buses to the south and north; from Tenerife South, direct lines take you to the resort areas in little time.

Taxi

There are taxis in every resort and city. They're handy for short trips or at night, but expensive over long distances. Going from the airport to your hotel can be worth it if there are several of you; to tour the island, the bus or a car works out far cheaper.

Renting a car: when is it worth it?

If your plans include Teide, Anaga, the inland villages, the viewpoints or the more hidden beaches, a car gives you a freedom public transport can't match. The roads are good and the motorways (TF-1 in the south, TF-5 in the north) connect the island quickly. If, on the other hand, you're staying in a beach area and will take the odd organised excursion, you can manage perfectly well with buses and the ten+ card.

Practical tips

• Download the TITSA app before you arrive to plan trips and see live timetables.
• Buy the ten+ card as soon as you land if you'll use public transport.
• On Teide and in Anaga a car is almost essential; combine it with the bus for the rest.
• Drive calmly on mountain roads: bends, fog in the north and viewpoint stops.

Cover photo: Tenerife tram, by Jtpr92 (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.