Getting Around Tenerife & Car Hire

Public transport covers the main routes well, but a hire car opens up the rest of the island.

TITSA runs Tenerife's bus network (known locally as guaguas), which connects the main resorts, towns and both airports reasonably well and cheaply, especially along the south coast and between Santa Cruz and La Laguna (also served by tram).

That said, a lot of what makes Tenerife interesting — Masca, the Anaga villages, quieter beaches, back roads through Teide National Park — is much easier with your own car. Roads are generally in good condition, though mountain routes are narrow and winding.

✓A Bono Vía Card offers discounted fares on buses and trams if you're relying on public transport.
✓Car hire is widely available and competitively priced outside peak weeks — book ahead in summer and around Christmas/Easter.
✓Fuel is generally cheaper in the Canary Islands than mainland Spain due to a reduced tax regime.
✓Mountain roads (especially to Masca) have tight hairpin bends; drive cautiously and expect tour coaches on the same routes.