Off to the Canary Islands? Find out how to navigate from island to island with this mini-guide!
How do I get around the Canary Islands by ferry? The Canary Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Morocco and Western Sahara, are made up of seven main islands of volcanic origin, divided from east to west between Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro. Located on the edge of Europe, 960 kilometers from the coast of Portugal, they are one of Europe’s major tourist destinations, and for good reason: thanks to their sunny tropical climate, more than 13 million travelers visit them every year, in particular to visit beaches and volcanoes, soak up the sun, party or discover the contrasts between Spanish and aboriginal culture. Set in the ocean between Africa and Europe, the Canaries attract visitors to Tenerife – the island of eternal spring -, Gran Canaria – for its rugged terrain -, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro – classified as a biosphere reserve by UNESCO.
Would you like to sail from island to island and visit the Canaries without taking a plane? Several companies offer ferry services to the various ports on the seven islands of the archipelago. Here’s a mini-guide to ferrying around the Canary Islands.
See ferries to get around the Canary Islands
Ferry companies in the Canary Islands
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / De anyaivanova
How does it work?
Travelling by ferry between the Canary Islands is a more economical way to travel than by plane, and offers unique panoramic views, while observing dolphins and many other species. There are several ferry companies offering boat trips across the Canary Islands. There are numerous ferry routes from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Las Palmas (Gran Canaria), from Los Cristianos (Tenerife) to Santa Cruz de La Palma, from Santa Cruz de Tenerife to Arrecife (Lanzarote), from Tenerife to Puerto del Rosario (Fuerteventura), and so on. The Salut îles Canaries website gives you an overview of the sea links from one island to another, with an interactive map inviting you to choose the island of departure and destination, and providing information on the shipping companies or flights that can make the connection. The advantage is that distances from one port to the other are often short, making a ferry trip to the Canary Islands a breeze.
What are the main companies?
There are three main ferry companies to sail from island to island in the Canaries. Environmental activists and sympathizers will unfortunately have to put their convictions aside during their stay: ferries are one of the biggest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. If we forget pollution, here are the six most important shipping companies operating in the Spanish archipelago:
- Naviera Armas, 10 routes through the seven islands of the Canary archipelago;
- Trasmediterranea, for the islands of Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and Tenerife;
- Biosfera Express, for a ferry ride from La Graciosa to Orzola ;
- Fred Olsen Express, 9 routes between Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Spain, La Gomera, La Palma, Tenerife;
- Lineas Romero, 2 routes from Corralejo to Playa Blanca and from La Graciosa to Orzola ;
- Naviera Nortour, 1 route de Corralejo à Lobos.
All the islands have at least one port where you can dock: there are several crossings a day, but fares vary enormously!
See ferries to get around the CanaryIslands
Plan a ferry trip to the Canary Islands with Direct Ferries
Photo Credit: Shutterstock / De Olena Tur
In order to compare fares and port times on each island for each shipping line, it’s best to plan ahead. Sounding out the offers of four or five companies can be time-consuming and tedious, and you may not get the best deal this way. Imagine: you find a boat on August 10 that’s cheaper than on August 11. You didn’t see it, but perhaps on the 8th or 9th, crossings were even more affordable. To avoid this pitfall, we invite you to use a ferry comparison service: Direct Ferries.
On Direct Ferries, all you have to do is enter your outward and return travel dates, your preferred timetable, your means of transport (car or no vehicle), the number of passengers and their ages, and the comparator will rank all the available ferry crossings for your trip to the Canary Islands.
There are many choices:
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Las Palmas,
- Los Cristianos-San Sebastian de la Gomera,
- Los Cristianos-Santa Cruz de La Palma,
- Los Cristianos-Valle Gran Rey,
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife-Arrecife,
- Agaete-Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
- Las Palmas-Santa Cruz de Tenerife,
- Puerto del Rosario-Santa Cruz de Tenerife, etc.
Among the most popular routes, of course, are Los Cristianos-San Sebastian de la Gomera and Las Palmas-Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Logically, these are the most popular island ports for tourists.
How do I book a ferry trip to the Canary Islands?
Photo Credit: Flickr – Jörg Bergmann
There are numerous direct connections from the ports of Spain and the Canary Islands. For example, it’s possible to depart from Barcelona to Ibiza, or to reach Ibiza from Valencia. To book a ticket for a ferry trip to the Canary Islands, you’ll need to check the crossing time, as the islands of the archipelago stretch from west to east over several hundred kilometers. For example, it takes 6 hours to get from Las Palmas to Puerto del Rosario, but only 1h50 to get from Las Palmas to Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Los Cristianos-Santa Cruz de La Palma takes 3.5 hours. To book a ticket for a ferry trip in the Canary Islands, the procedure is very simple:
- Visit the Direct Ferries website to find your ferry route by comparing ferry offers according to price and timetable;
- Choose your seat, your private or non-private cabin and your meals online;
- Enter your first and last name, telephone number, e-mail address, ID number and date of birth;
- Choose whether or not to take out cancellation insurance, and proceed to payment.
A confirmation email will be sent to you as soon as payment has been made.
See ferries to get around the Canary Islands