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.
Taxis are metered, widely available in resort areas, and a reasonable option for short hops even if you're otherwise relying on buses or a hire car for longer trips. If you're staying entirely within one resort area and don't plan to explore much beyond it, public transport alone is genuinely enough — a car only starts to pay off once you want to see more of the island than your immediate base.
- ✓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.
- ✓Most car hire in Tenerife is manual transmission by default — request automatic specifically and expect a higher price if that's a requirement.