Article about Canary islands Airport Transfers and Taxis, also in Tenerife, Gran Canaria, and other islands. You’ll learn how to get a taxi from the airport, how much it costs, how to find transfers, and what pitfalls and difficulties to watch out for. This taxi article will help you save time and sometimes even money. I won’t talk about buses or car rentals here; that information is available elsewhere in this guide.

Taxis in the Canaries: Rates and Features

Here are the main points about taxis in Tenerife and other islands:

  • Taxi services are licensed. All taxis on the islands are white and must have a checkered sign on the roof and issue a receipt after the trip.
  • If the sign on the roof is green, the taxi is available, and you can hail it. If it’s red, the taxi already has a passenger. Often, you’ll see a number from 1 to 3 next to the red sign. This is the fare for the passenger. This information helps the police control taxi drivers.
    • For example, Fare No. 1 is for trips within the city. If a car with the number 1 is found on the highway outside the city, the police may question the driver.
tenerife taxi
Typical taxis in the Canaries are white. There are occasionally non-white cars, but they’re very rare.

Taxi Prices in the Canaries:

Rates may vary slightly depending on the location and island, but generally, the prices are as follows: starting fare – around 3.5 euros, price per kilometer approximately 1.3 euros. There are surcharges for intercity trips, trips to the airport, or during nighttime. But roughly, a 10km trip will cost around 10-15 euros. And a 30km trip to the airport will easily cost you 50-70 euros

For information on public transport in the Canaries, read the guide; it covers buses, where to check schedules, and how to buy tickets.

Canary islands Airport Transfers

Firstly, when booking a taxi from Tenerife airport, make sure you don’t confuse them: there are two airports, and they are in different parts of the island, with slightly different IATA codes, which is a common mistake for tourists. On other islands, there’s only one airport. You can find a list, online boards, and official websites for all Canaries airports.

To leave the airport by taxi, you have three options:

  • Catch one at the airport. The easiest but most expensive option. A couple of cars are usually waiting almost all the time. You can try negotiating the price upfront before starting the trip. Spanish drivers may haggle a bit, but you won’t likely get much of a discount. Or you can go by the meter.
Canary islands Airport Transfers
At La Gomera Airport, as shown on the arrival board photo: only 5 flights per day. Usually, there are 1-2 taxis at the entrance for each flight, but not always. It’s better to book transfers from any airport in advance.
  • You can search on Google in English or Spanish; each licensed taxi driver on each island has their own website. There are many sites, and prices vary widely. The downside is that it’s Spain, with siestas and mañana; they might come for you, or they might forget, and you’ll have no one to complain to. All about language in the Canaries for tourists, lots of advice and recommendations.
  • You can use international transfer booking platforms. It’s one of the cheapest and most convenient options; they meet you with a sign and guarantee your price. The downside is that they don’t have drivers on every island. And during peak season and on Tenerife, they may show no available cars for the nearest dates. Popular services include:
    • Intui
    • Kiwitaxi
    • Search everywhere, at least you’ll get an idea of prices for your arrival dates and whether there are available cars.

Travel Tips

There aren’t any global online taxi-hailing services in the Canaries, and each island has its own management, transport company, and even its own laws. You can find more information about this in the article: General information about the Canary Archipelago. Here are a few tips:

  • UBER operates in the Canaries (an equivalent of Bolt), but it’s quite peculiar; it’s not available on all islands and not even in all parts of Tenerife. Just keep in mind that the option exists.
  • In resort centers, ports, airports, and near popular tourist attractions, there are almost always or often taxi cars available.
  • If you need to travel within a city for short distances, there’s no need to negotiate or ask how much the trip will cost. All you need to know is that you should be taken according to Fare No. 1.
  • Scamming and cheating tourists are rare. At most, they might give you incorrect change or take a slightly longer route. But this isn’t even considered a scam; it’s how taxi drivers earn a few extra coins from tourists in any country.
  • You can hail taxis in the Canaries by waving your hand if the signs on the roof are lit green.
airport transfer tenerife
If you look closely, on the roof to the left of the word “Taxi,” you’ll see a green light bulb, which means the taxi is available.

In conclusion: On one hand, taxi services in the Canaries are well-developed. There are plenty of cars, and scams or cheats are practically nonexistent; short trips are inexpensive. However, if you’re used to services like Bolt, available at any time of day or night, here you’ll feel like you’ve traveled back about 10 years. You’ll need to plan ahead and book a taxi. For instance, at 6 in the morning to or from the airport, you might not get a ride without prior booking.

Useful links to help you plan your dream trip to Canary Islands:

  • Car Rental: LocalRent or DiscoverCars – the most popular car rental platforms.

  • Accommodation:
    • Trip.com – the largest accommodation booking platform.

    • or TripAdvisor – to compare prices among other platforms and choose the best one.

  • Budget-friendly vacation packages to Spain and Canary Islands: CheapOair.

  • Tours and activities: GetYourGuide or Viator – hundreds of offers, whales and dolphins, entrance tickets with discounts.

  • eSIM and internet: Airalo.

  • Flights: WayAway compares prices among dozens of companies.

  • Travel Insurance: EKTA.