Inter-Island Transport in the Canary Islands

By Air

Each island has its own airport, and Tenerife even has two (North and South). Local airlines Binter Canarias (the main one), CanaryFly, and Naysa operate the routes. Prices are generally very affordable, with many of the shortest flights available from 20 € to 30 € per trip.

• To/from El Hierro: flights to Gran Canaria and Tenerife North operated by Binter/Naysa.

• To/from Fuerteventura: connections to Gran Canaria and Tenerife North offered by Binter/Naysa and CanaryFly.

• To/from Gran Canaria: the largest airport in the Canary Islands (10 million passengers/year) also hosts Binter/Naysa flights to all other islands except La Gomera, plus CanaryFly flights to Fuerteventura, Lanzarote, and Tenerife North.

• To/from La Gomera: the smallest of the Canarian airports, with only Binter Canarias serving Tenerife North.

• To/from La Palma: Gran Canaria and Tenerife North with Binter/Naysa, plus additional Tenerife North flights with CanaryFly.

• To/from Lanzarote: Gran Canaria (Binter/Naysa and CanaryFly) and Tenerife North (Binter/Naysa).

• To/from Tenerife: of the island’s two airports, Tenerife South handles the most international traffic but the least domestic traffic, with only a Binter/Naysa connection to Gran Canaria. Tenerife North, however, offers flights to all other islands with one or another of the local airlines.

By Boat

The Canary Islands have a well-developed ferry network connecting the islands directly or via connections. Generally, the boats are fast and quite comfortable. Prices are also reasonable, with tickets often available in the 15 € to 25 € range for the shortest routes. Depending on the island, services range from weekly to daily, with some routes offering multiple crossings per day. While El Hierro, La Gomera, and La Palma each have only one port, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, and Lanzarote have two, and Fuerteventura has three.

Four companies operate inter-island services: Fred Olsen, Garajonay Express, Naviera Armas, and Trasmediterranea.

Routes

Direct connections, as other options with transfers also exist.

• To/from El Hierro: the most isolated and least populated of the Canary Islands has only a weekly service to Tenerife with Naviera Armas, taking 2 hours and 45 minutes.

• To/from Fuerteventura: ferries to Gran Canaria and Lanzarote with Fred Olsen, Armas, and Trasmediterranea, plus Tenerife with Naviera Armas. The crossing from Fuerteventura (Corralejo) to Lanzarote (Playa Blanca) is the shortest, taking about half an hour with multiple daily crossings.

• To/from Gran Canaria: Fuerteventura and Tenerife with Fred Olsen, Armas, and Trasmediterranea, plus Lanzarote with the last two.

• To/from La Gomera: in addition to an internal service with Garajonay Express, the island is connected to neighboring Tenerife with ferries from Garajonay, Fred Olsen, and Naviera Armas. The last two also operate routes to La Palma.

• To/from La Palma: beyond routes to La Gomera, there are connections to Tenerife with Fred Olsen, Armas, and Trasmediterranea.

• To/from Lanzarote: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife are on the schedule.

• To/from Tenerife: as the main island, it is logically the best connected. All other islands are linked to Tenerife from either Santa Cruz (in the north) or Los Cristianos (in the south), with at least Naviera Armas serving each route.

Inter-Island Distances

Approximate distances (km) between islands.