From the airport to your stay: the 8 airports of the Canary Islands
One of the most uncertain moments of any trip is when you walk into the arrivals hall with your suitcase and have to decide where to go next. And in the Canary Islands, an airport's name doesn't always tell you where it takes you. Three things are worth knowing in advance:
Lanzarote has two terminals. Inter-island flights use T2, everything else uses T1.
Tenerife has two airports, and each has two names. Aena, the company that runs the airports, calls them Tenerife Norte and Tenerife Sur, but TITSA, the island's bus company, still calls them Los Rodeos and Reina Sofía. A direct bus runs between the two, with no stops, in about 50 minutes.
On the small islands, the bus waits for the plane. On La Gomera it leaves when the flights arrive, and on El Hierro the timetable can change depending on the flight schedule.
We deliberately don't give bus line numbers, fares or timetables here: they change, and an out-of-date figure is worse than none at all. What we do give you for every airport is the official website where you can check the current details. Taxis and car hire are covered in general terms at the end of the article.
Tenerife Norte: the old Los Rodeos
Its official name is Aeropuerto de Tenerife Norte-Ciudad de La Laguna. It's in the north of the island, in the municipality of San Cristóbal de La Laguna, just 10 kilometres from the capital, Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Its old name is Los Rodeos: back in the day, the authorities closed it to international traffic, kept it for domestic and inter-island flights only, and built a new airport in the south of the island. That's why Tenerife has two airports today. According to Aena, around 48 percent of its flights go to the other six islands.
Bus: according to TITSA's airport page, from here you can get to Santa Cruz and La Laguna and to Puerto de la Cruz, and there's also an express line from here towards Los Cristianos that serves both airports. The stop is on level -1, in the bus park.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: several rental companies operate in the terminal, and you'll find the current list on Aena's website.
Tenerife Sur: Reina Sofía
Aena simply calls it Tenerife Sur, while TITSA calls it Aeropuerto Reina Sofía. It's in the south of the island: for the airport, the Cabildo, the island government, began buying land in the municipalities of Granadilla and San Miguel de Abona. Aena doesn't publish an official distance to the southern resorts, so we don't give one either, but the destinations of the bus lines show clearly where this airport takes you.
Bus: according to TITSA's airport page, lines leave from here for Santa Cruz and towards Costa Adeje and Los Cristianos, and the line between El Fraile and San Isidro, which also runs via Las Galletas, stops here. There's a night service too, and the express line linking the two airports comes in here. The stop is on level 0 of the terminal, at arrivals.
Between the two airports: according to Aena, a direct bus links Tenerife Norte and Tenerife Sur, with no intermediate stops, in about 50 minutes. If you land in the north but are staying in the south, or the other way round, this is the simplest way across.
Closed at night: the terminal closes to the public overnight, and during that window only staff and passengers with an upcoming flight can get in. If you're taking an early morning flight and were planning to spend the night at the airport, check the times first on Aena's contact page.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
Gran Canaria: the bus leaves from the departures level
Its official name is Aeropuerto de Gran Canaria. It's on the east coast of the island, 18 kilometres from the capital, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, according to Aena, and it operates 24 hours a day, every day of the year.
Bus: the island's intercity bus company is Global. According to Aena, one line connects the capital and the Puerto de Mogán resort area with the airport, and another connects the capital and Playa del Cura. Global's line list also includes a line running only to or from the airport, towards Faro de Maspalomas.
Where the bus stops: according to Aena, the stop is on Planta 1, which means it's on the departures level, not at arrivals. It's a small detail, but right after landing is exactly when people look around wondering where to go: if you can't see the buses, head for the departures level.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
Lanzarote: mind the terminal
Its official name is Aeropuerto César Manrique-Lanzarote, and it's 5 kilometres from Arrecife. It has two terminals, and that's the most important thing to know about it: international flights and domestic flights other than inter-island ones use T1, while inter-island flights use T2 (Aena). If you're flying in from Gran Canaria or Tenerife, you'll land in T2, and if you're flying on from here to another island, you need to go to T2.
Bus: the island's intercity bus company is Intercity Bus, and you'll find its lines on arrecifebus.com. According to Aena, one line gets into Arrecife in about 10 minutes, but it only runs on working days, Monday to Friday. Other lines go towards Puerto del Carmen, Puerto Calero, Yaiza and Playa Blanca, and the line list also includes a line linking the airport with Arrecife and Playa Honda. At both terminals, Aena places the stop on level 0, at arrivals.
Taxi: on Lanzarote, Aena recommends the taxi rank at your own terminal, here.
Car hire: Aena keeps separate lists of the rental companies at T1 and at T2; the T1 list is here. Before you book, it's worth knowing which terminal you'll pick the car up at.
Fuerteventura: five kilometres from the capital
The Aeropuerto de Fuerteventura is in El Matorral, in the municipality of Puerto del Rosario, just 5 kilometres from the island's capital, Puerto del Rosario.
Bus: according to Aena, one line connects the airport with the capital and with the resort areas of Caleta de Fuste and Las Salinas, and another with the capital and the resort area of Morro Jable. For official timetables and fares, Aena too sends you to the Tiadhe website. The island's scheduled bus service is operated by NEX Continental Holdings under a concession from the Cabildo.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
La Palma: the westbound line only shows up on the bus company's site
The Aeropuerto de La Palma was built by the sea, almost at sea level, in the municipality of Mazo, 8 kilometres from Santa Cruz de La Palma. Its traffic is mainly domestic and is concentrated on Tenerife Norte, Gran Canaria and Madrid.
Bus: on the island, scheduled buses are run by the TILP (Transportes Insular La Palma) cooperative, which in January 1992 became the official operator of all the island's routes. Aena's bus page only shows the line to Santa Cruz de La Palma via Los Cancajos. TILP's own website, however, shows that the line between Santa Cruz and Los Llanos also stops at the airport. If you're staying on the west side of the island, check that page.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
La Gomera: the bus waits for the plane
The Aeropuerto de La Gomera is in the south of the island, in the municipality of Alajeró, 34 kilometres from the capital, San Sebastián de La Gomera, and according to Aena it's the most modern airport in the archipelago. In 2026, Binter flies from here daily to Gran Canaria and Tenerife Norte.
Bus: according to Aena, the buses to San Sebastián and to Valle Gran Rey both leave when the flights arrive. So here you don't have to fit in with the timetable: the bus fits in with the plane. You'll find the lines on the Guaguagomera website.
Taxi: Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
El Hierro: Europe's best in its category
The Aeropuerto de El Hierro opened in 1972 and is in the municipality of Valverde. In 2024, ACI named it the best airport in Europe in the category of airports with fewer than 2 million passengers. Its traffic is domestic: most flights go to Tenerife Norte, fewer to Gran Canaria.
Bus: the island's scheduled buses are operated by TransHierro, and there's a bus from the airport to Valverde. According to Aena, the timetable can change depending on the flight schedule, so here more than anywhere, check before you set off.
Taxi: TransHierro's taxis are licensed to work at the airport, and the company itself warns: don't get into an unlicensed taxi, it's illegal. The TransHierro Taxis listing, plus Aena's taxi page.
Car hire: the current list of rental companies is on Aena's website.
General tips on arrival
Taxi: Aena gives the same advice at all eight airports: always get in at the terminal's signposted taxi rank, avoid anyone offering rides outside it, and ask for a receipt in case you want to complain later. Intercity taxi fares in the Canary Islands are set by the regional government (Gobierno de Canarias), and the amounts have to be displayed inside the taxi where passengers can clearly see them (the regulation). If you can't see them, ask before you set off.
Car hire: there are car rental companies at all eight airports. We don't recommend any, because the list changes: always check the current one on the airport's Aena page. Which Tenerife airport is the better place to pick up your car is covered in our article on car hire in Tenerife.
Bus: you can read about each island's bus companies, travel passes and tourist cards in our article on getting around without a car.
Island hopping: according to Aena's destination lists, Tenerife Norte and Gran Canaria are the two hubs, and both have flights to all six other islands. For choosing between ferry and plane, our island-hopping itineraries will help.
Where to stay: if you haven't decided yet which side of the island to stay on, this article will help. You'll find transfers you can book in advance among our listings.
The island starts at the airport exit. If you know which level to head for and whose website to check, your first minutes won't be spent searching, but looking out of the window and watching the island begin.
Sources: Aena, the official pages of the eight airports (overview, history, getting there by bus and by taxi, car hire, destinations, on Lanzarote the connection between terminals, at Tenerife Sur the contact page); TITSA (titsa.com); Global (guaguasglobal.com); Intercity Bus (arrecifebus.com); Tiadhe (tiadhe.com); TILP (tilp.es); Guaguagomera (guaguagomera.com); TransHierro (transhierro.com); Boletín Oficial de Canarias, 2023/59. Checked on 5 October 2026.
Cover photo (cropped, number plates masked): the terminal of the Aeropuerto de La Palma. Marc Ryckaert, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.