Santa Cruz is the main transport hub of Tenerife and is accessible from the other islands or the mainland by ferry or air and from other parts of Tenerife by bus.
Transport from the mainland and surrounding islands
For comprehensive information on transport to Tenerife as a whole, see our Tenerife travel guide.
Ferries
Right in the centre of town at the Plaza de la Candelaria is the port for passenger ferries to some of the islands and the mainland.
- Location of the port on the map
- Tip for a hotel by the port: AC Hotel by Marriott Tenerife ****
From the harbour you can walk to the historic centre in literally 5 minutes.
Fred Olsen and Naviera Armas sail regularly to Santa Cruz from the following destinations:
- Las Palmas (Gran Canaria)
- 2 to 3 times a day
- 1.5 hours sailing time
- from 50 eur for pedestrians / from 55 eur for cars
- Agaete (Gran Canaria)
- 4-5x daily
- Cruise time 1.5 hours
- from 44 eur for pedestrians / from 55 eur for car
- Arrecife (island of Lanzarote)
- 2x daily
- Cruise time 12,5 hours
- from 125 eur for pedestrians / from 155 eur for car
- Puerto Rosario (island of Fuerteventura)
- 2x daily
- Cruise time 12.5 hours
- from 65 eur for pedestrians / from 97 eur for car
- Morro Jable (island of Fuerteventura)
- 2x per week
- Cruise time 4.5 hours
- from 105 eur for pedestrians / from 135 eur for car
- Santa Cruz de La Palma
- Once a week (up to 6 ferries a day from the port of Los Cristianos in the south of Tenerife)
- Sailing time 7 hours
- from 84 eur for pedestrians / from 100 eur for car
- Cadiz
- 1x per week
- Cruise time 54,5 hours
- from 300 eur for pedestrians / from 560 eur for car
- Huelva
- 3x per week
- Cruise time 35,5 hours
- from 105 eur for pedestrians / from 340 eur for car
By Air
The island has two airports:
- Tenerife-Norte TFN - 12 km from Santa Cruz, mostly domestic traffic to surrounding islands and to mainland Spain
- Tenerife-Sur TFS - 62 km from Santa Cruz, mostly international traffic
Details of where to book flights and which major airlines fly here are described in the Tenerife guide.
Transport from cities to Tenerife
You can get to Santa Cruz from virtually anywhere in Tenerife by public transport.
All bus routes are operated by the transport company Titsa and information can be found on the titsa.com website.
All intercity bus services run to the main bus station , Intercambiador - see location on map. All intercity lines stop on the 2nd floor.
What bus lines run to Santa Cruz de Tenerife?
- La Laguna - 14 (Intercambiador on the outskirts of town), 15 (Intercambiador), 26 (centre), 102 (Intercambiador), 103 (Intercambiador), 105 (centre)
- Puerto de la Cruz - 100 (express line without stops), 102, 103
- Los Cristianos - 111, 112 (express line)
- Costa Adeje - 110 (express line), 111
- Candelaria - 111, 120, 122
- Güimar - 120, 128
- Icod - 106, 108
- La Orotava - 108
- Punta del Hidalgo - 105
- San Isidro - 10, 111
Detailed information on tickets, prices and mobile apps can be found here - Transport in Tenerife.
By car - where to park
If you'll be travelling around Tenerife in your own or rental car, you have several options in Santa Cruz for convenient parking.
We don't recommend driving into the centre, as the streets are narrow and parking is prohibited in many places (with a yellow line along the street in all places).
Parking on the street
In Santa Cruz de Tenerife you can park on the street (where not prohibited by a sign) for free.
However, finding a free space on narrow streets can be nerve-wracking and we would recommend using large car parks instead.
Free parking
You can park for free in these car parks in Santa Cruz:
- At the Intercambiador bus station (7:00-22:00 only)
- Between the Palmetum Botanical Garden and Parque Marítimo and near the Auditorio (24/7)