Travel Information
Getting To Tenerife
Tenerife has two airports, one in the north (code TFN, official name "Aeropuerto Tenerife Norte – Los Rodeos") and the other in the south (code TFS, official name "Aeropuerto Tenerife Sur – Reina Sofia"). Both airports are at about 2.5 hours flying time from Madrid, and about 3 hours from Barcelona. To search simultaneously for both airports use the code TCI. Online information about flights arriving at or departing from the Spanish airports is obtained at the Aena website.
Tenerife North Airport (TFN):
The airport of "Tenerife Norte – Los Rodeos" is located near the city of La Laguna and about 10 km from the capital city (Santa Cruz de Tenerife). Most visitors arriving on scheduled flights will have to fly via Madrid or Barcelona and then to this airport. It also operates most inter-island flights.
Tenerife South Airport (TFS):
The "Aeropuerto Tenerife Sur – Reina SofÃa" is located in the district of Granadilla de Abona, about 50 km from Santa Cruz and about 55 km from La Laguna. Most tourist flights, including most low-cost flights from all over Europe to Tenerife, arrive at this airport, as it is located close to the resorts in the south of the island.
Local Transport
There are several ways to get around Tenerife. You can make use of the public transport network, i.e. tram (connecting La Laguna to Santa Cruz) and bus (or "guagua" as it's known there), the latter essentially covering the whole island. There are also plenty of economic car rentals available. A more expensive option is to travel by taxi. For further information please check this link.
Get to your hotel in La Laguna
From Tenerife South Airport (TFS)
You can catch a taxi (about 80 €). Follow the signs at the airport and if you don't speak Spanish ask the taxi dispatcher to make sure that the taxi driver knows your destination (dispatchers speak several languages, taxi drivers rarely anything but Spanish). A receipt is called 'una factura'. Some but not all taxi drivers accept credit card payments - make sure before you board if you need this.
You can take the bus line 111 in direction of Santa Cruz; it passes the airport every 30 minutes. The ticket can be bought on the bus, just mention "Santa Cruz" to the bus driver. Price is around 9.50 €, one-way. Make sure you keep the ticket until the end of the ride. Alternatively, a multiple-ride ticket (called "Ten+") which allows for some cheaper rides (and can also be used for the tram, just remember to validate it once you get on it, before the following tram stop) can be bought at some newsagents and similar shops. Once on the bus, stay on it until the final stop (Santa Cruz bus station, "Intercambiador de Santa Cruz" in Spanish), trip duration is ~ 40 minutes. Go to the tramway stop which is outside of the lower level of the terminal (i.e. in the direction of the ocean), buy a ticket for the tram (in case you have not already bought a multi-ride "Bono" ticket) from the automatic ticket machine, and take the tram ("Tranvia - MetroTenerife") until the end of the line in La Laguna (Stop "Avenida Trinidad", about 40 mins trip). From there it is 300-500 m walk to Hotel Nivaria or Hotel Aguere. A good alternative is to take a taxi from the Santa Cruz bus terminal (taxi stop outside of the lower floor) to your Hotel, cost about 15-20 €. For a map and timetable, please refer to the document with all bus routes.
You can rent a car for a day and return it the next day at TFN airport; cost ~40 €. Go to the rental car booths at the arrival hall in TFS airport (see the list; best all-in rates are likely with Auto-Reisen or Cicar, whereas Goldcar has a more complicated surcharge system); even better, reserve in advance via the internet to make sure about availability of cars, and, possibly, to get better rates. For direction and distances, please refer to this road map of Tenerife or this map on two pages.
From Tenerife North Airport (TFN)
You can catch a taxi to the hotels in La Laguna. This will cost less than 10 € and is recommended for anyone not knowing the city. Follow the signs at the airport and if you don't speak Spanish ask the taxi dispatcher to make sure that the taxi driver knows your destination (dispatchers speak several languages, taxi drivers rarely anything but Spanish). A receipt is called 'una factura'. Some but not all taxi drivers accept credit card payments - make sure before you board in case you need this.
You can take the bus line Aeroexpress 20, that connects TFN airport to La Laguna and Santa Cruz (or any other green "TITSA" bus going in this direction). If in doubt, ask at the information desk inside the airport, or check the luminous sign at the bus stop just outside the airport exit door and double check with the driver once on the bus (the same line also goes in the opposite direction, to Puerto de la Cruz). Aeroexpress 20 passes by the airport every 15-25 minutes. It departs from TFN and stops at “Intercambiador de La Laguna†(10 min) and “Intercambiador de Santa-Cruz†(20 min).
Once you arrive at La Laguna bus station ("Intercambiador de La Laguna"), exit the bus, go down the stairs to the building's lower floor, exit the terminal and go to the tramway stop across the road. Buy a ticket from the automatic ticket booth and catch the tram in the direction "Avda. Trinidad" (i.e., uphill), which is its next and final stop. Alternatively, you may walk directly from the bus station, which is approx. 1 km away from the hotels. For a map and timetable, please refer to the document with all bus routes. Although this option is probably cheaper than catching a taxi, it will take longer both in time and distance, you should consider if the difference in price deserves the effort.
Get to your hotel in Santa Cruz
- The instructions are similar as the ones above for La Laguna; bus lines are the same as given above, but you need to reach the bus station in Santa Cruz. From the TFS airport, this is the final stop of the 111 bus line. From the TFN airport, it is the final stop of the 102 bus line (in this case, differently from the instructions above, you just need to make sure you stay on the bus until the end, i.e. you do NOT exit the bus at the La Laguna bus station). After arriving at the bus station in Santa Cruz from either of the two airports, either continue with the tramway (for Hotel Principe Paz: stop at "Teatro Guimerá" tram stop, then walk for about 200 m) or by taxi, which should not be more than 5 € for a hotel in the city centre.
- A taxi directly from TFN to Santa Cruz will cost about 20-30 € and from TFS, about 60-70 €.
Get to the venue at Guajara Campus
With public transport, from either the centre of La Laguna or from Santa Cruz, the tramway (official name 'TranvÃa - MetroTenerife') is by far the most reliable and convenient transport. The TranvÃa's line 1 connects the Santa Cruz bus station with the centre of La Laguna. Exit the tram at the stop "Campus Guajara", then it is about 200 m on foot. Check the tram's network and timetables. If you need to arrive from an area not served by the tramway, there are also several bus lines passing by Guajara Campus. For more details, please check this link.