A practical guide to getting around Tenerife without hiring a car
Hiring a car can be a great way to explore Tenerife, but do you actually need one?
For many older visitors staying in the main southern resorts, the answer is no. Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje have plenty of restaurants, shops and beaches within their resort areas, while taxis, buses and organised excursions provide alternatives when you want to travel further.
Whether a hire car makes sense depends largely on where you are staying and what you want to do.
If you’re staying in a main resort, a car can spend most of the holiday parked
This is particularly true if your idea of a good Tenerife holiday involves sunshine, restaurants and gentle days beside the sea.
- 🌊 Promenades connect large sections of the southern resorts
- 🍽 Restaurants and cafés are plentiful
- 🛒 Shops and supermarkets are usually nearby
- 🚕 Taxis can handle occasional longer journeys
Choose your accommodation carefully and many everyday journeys can be made on foot.
Our guide to Los Cristianos for older travellers shows how well this can work in practice.
Taxis are useful for the journeys when walking stops being enjoyable
There is little benefit in exhausting yourself simply because somewhere is technically within walking distance.
- 🚕 Taxis are readily available in the main tourist areas
- 🛍 They are useful when returning with shopping
- 🍽 They make evening restaurant trips easier
- ⛰ They can eliminate an unpleasant uphill walk
For two people travelling together, occasional taxi journeys can also be worth comparing with the overall cost and inconvenience of keeping a hire car for an entire holiday.
Our guide to taxis and transport options in Tenerife provides more information.
Tenerife’s buses can take you surprisingly far
Tenerife’s public buses — known locally as guaguas — operate an extensive island network.
- 🚌 Services connect the major towns and resorts
- ✈ Tenerife South Airport has direct bus connections with Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje
- 🏙 Longer-distance routes make other parts of the island accessible
- 🎫 Tourist travelcards are available for visitors making frequent journeys
For confident travellers who do not mind checking timetables and routes, buses can be an economical way to explore beyond the resort.
A hire car comes into its own when you want to explore independently
There is another side to the argument. Tenerife is much more than its southern resorts.
- 🌲 Mountain villages and rural areas
- 🌋 Teide National Park
- 🌿 The greener north of the island
- 🏘 Historic towns and less touristy areas
If you want to explore these places at your own pace, stopping whenever something catches your eye, a hire car provides freedom that buses and organised excursions cannot completely replicate.
Driving in Tenerife has its own challenges
Older drivers who are perfectly comfortable at home sometimes decide they would rather not drive on holiday.
- ⛰ Mountain roads can be steep and winding
- 🚗 Busy resort roads require concentration
- 🅿 Parking can be frustrating in popular areas
- 🗺 Unfamiliar junctions and road layouts add another task to the day
None of this makes Tenerife unusually difficult to drive around, but hiring a car only makes sense if driving adds to your holiday rather than becoming another source of stress.
Organised excursions solve another part of the problem
If you only want one or two major sightseeing days, an excursion can be easier than hiring a car.
- 🚌 Transport is organised for you
- 🌋 Major attractions can be visited without driving
- 📍 There is no need to navigate
- 🅿 Parking becomes someone else’s problem
The important consideration for older visitors is the itinerary. Some excursions involve substantial walking or long days, so check what is involved before booking.
Our guide to accessible days out in Tenerife may help when considering your options.
Your hotel’s location can determine whether you need a car
This is one of the most important points.
A hotel close to restaurants, shops and the promenade can make a car almost unnecessary. Accommodation further inland or high above the resort may create a completely different experience.
- 📍 Check the actual location rather than the resort name
- ⛰ Look at the terrain between the hotel and seafront
- 🍽 Check how close restaurants really are
- 🚕 Find out whether taxis are readily available nearby
Our guide to choosing the right Tenerife accommodation explains why location deserves careful consideration.
What about airport transfers?
You certainly do not need a hire car simply to get from Tenerife South Airport to your resort.
- 🚕 Official taxis operate from the airport
- 🚌 Public buses serve several important destinations
- 🚐 Private transfers can be arranged in advance
- 🏨 Package holidays may include coach transfers
Visitors requiring additional assistance can also arrange airport support.
Our guide to Tenerife airport assistance explains what to expect.
So, should older visitors hire a car?
Consider hiring one if exploring the island independently is an important part of your holiday, you enjoy driving and you want the freedom to visit more remote areas.
Consider going without one if you are staying centrally in Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas or Costa Adeje and mainly want beaches, promenades, restaurants and occasional excursions.
There is also a useful middle ground: spend most of the holiday without a car and hire one for just a day or two if you decide you want to explore further.
The bottom line
No — most visitors do not automatically need a car to enjoy Tenerife.
For many older travellers, choosing a conveniently located hotel and combining walking with taxis, buses and occasional organised excursions creates an easier and more relaxing holiday.
A hire car becomes much more worthwhile when exploring Tenerife beyond the main resorts is one of the reasons you are coming.
For current bus routes, timetables and fares, visit:
TITSA, Tenerife’s public bus operator.
If you are planning a Tenerife holiday and would like practical help with transport, outings or day-to-day support, you can explore our holiday planning services, request care or get in touch with Tenerife Carers.