Ferries to the Canary Islands
Select the departure or arrival port to compare ferry routes
Ferry to the Canary Islands
Most people fly to the Canaries, but you can sail: ferries leave Huelva and Cádiz on the Spanish mainland at least once a week and call at the main islands on arrival. The crossing takes between 27.5 and 54.5 hours depending on the stops and the island you get off at; the Spain to the Canary Islands guide has the ports, ships and timings.
Our take
Fly in, then use the ferries. The long crossing from Huelva or Cádiz is for people moving house or spending the winter with their own car; for a fortnight it is two days of your holiday each way. Within the islands the ferries beat flying almost every time: the Playa Blanca to Corralejo hop is half an hour, Fred. Olsen’s fast ferry links Las Palmas and Santa Cruz de Tenerife in 80 minutes, and the Los Cristianos boats to La Gomera make a day trip realistic. Book the fast ferries a few days ahead in high season, and expect the Armas conventional ships to be slower but cheaper on the same route. The one thing to resist is planning a west-to-east hop across the whole chain in one go; Lanzarote and Fuerteventura form one pair, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro another, and Gran Canaria sits in between.
Below you will find every ferry route within the Canary Islands, the island guides, and three island-hopping itineraries that work in practice.
Map: all ferry routes between the Canary Islands
The map shows all active ferry routes in the Canary Islands.
Island by island
What sails where, and which port to use on each island.
Ferry to Tenerife
Tenerife is the most visited island and the main ferry hub for the west of the archipelago. Los Cristianos in the south is the port for La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro; Santa Cruz in the north-east is where the Gran Canaria fast ferry and the mainland ship arrive. If you land on Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura or Lanzarote first, you can continue to Tenerife by sea. Details and timings are in the ferry to Tenerife guide.
Most used routes to Tenerife:
Ferries to Gran Canaria
Gran Canaria sits in the middle of the chain and connects both ways: west to Tenerife from Agaete and Las Palmas, east to Fuerteventura and Lanzarote from Las Palmas. The three routes people actually use are Gran Canaria to Tenerife, to Fuerteventura and to Lanzarote. More in the Gran Canaria ferry guide.
Ferry to El Hierro
One route serves El Hierro: from Los Cristianos in the south-west of Tenerife to Puerto de la Estaca, near Valverde. Fred. Olsen Express sails it with the Bentago Express in about 2 hours 20 minutes, Naviera Armas with a slower conventional ship, up to two departures a day between them. Flying in first, Tenerife South is the airport to use; it is a short bus or taxi ride to Los Cristianos.
Ferry to La Gomera
La Gomera, with around 22,000 inhabitants and San Sebastián de La Gomera as its capital, is a steep island built around the Garajonay peak, so driving is scenic and slow. The crossings from Los Cristianos are short and frequent, on modern fast ferries. Within the island, Fred. Olsen’s Benchi Express links San Sebastián, Playa de Santiago and Valle Gran Rey (30 to 70 minutes), handy if you arrive on foot and stay in the south or west. Give it at least three days; a day trip shows you the port and one valley. Many travellers also arrive from La Palma, which makes the two a natural pair.
Getting to Valle Gran Rey
There is no longer a direct ferry from Tenerife to Valle Gran Rey. Sail from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera and continue by road, about an hour, or with the Benchi Express along the south coast via Playa de Santiago. The internal sailings are fewer in winter, so check the Fred. Olsen timetable.
Ferries to La Palma
La Palma is reached from La Gomera and from Tenerife:
Ferries to Lanzarote
Lanzarote is the nearest Canary Island to mainland Spain and a good place to start a trip through the eastern islands. The routes from the other islands:
- From Corralejo (Fuerteventura) to Playa Blanca: the fast, frequent crossing everyone uses, about half an hour.
- From Las Palmas (Gran Canaria): direct, and the way in if you are coming from the west.
- From Tenerife: only indirect, via Gran Canaria, and rarely worth it.
From La Palma, La Gomera or El Hierro you first go to Los Cristianos on Tenerife and work east from there. Distances between the western and eastern islands are large; a flight is the honest answer for that leg.
Ferries to Fuerteventura
Fuerteventura is the beach island, and the ferry is how most visitors from the neighbouring islands get there: day trips and two-day visits from Lanzarote, Gran Canaria and, less often, Tenerife, the three islands with direct sailings. Armas and Fred. Olsen Express compete on the main routes, which keeps fares sensible, and most routes have several crossings a day. From the western islands, La Gomera for instance, the journey is indirect and too long to be practical.
The discontinued Madeira to Canary Islands ferry
There used to be a ferry between Funchal on Madeira and the Canary Islands. It stopped, for political and monopoly-related reasons rather than lack of passengers, and there are no plans to bring it back. The story is in Ferry to Madeira: what happened to it?
Prices and availability
Enter your dates and ports below for live fares on the mainland crossings and on every route between the islands.
Island hopping by ferry: three itineraries
If you want two or three islands in one holiday, these are the combinations that work with the timetable rather than against it.
1. Fuerteventura and Lanzarote
The Playa Blanca to Corralejo ferry links the two in half an hour, in either direction, with departures through the day. While you are in Corralejo, the small boat to Lobos Island makes an easy half-day; it is a nature reserve, so visitor numbers are capped and you need a permit, which is free but limited.
2. Tenerife, La Gomera and La Palma
The only loop of the three, and the one we would pick. Sail from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera, stay at least two nights, take the ferry to La Palma for the day or longer, and return to Los Cristianos. Short crossings, three very different islands.
3. Gran Canaria and Tenerife, with La Gomera as a day trip
Take the fast ferry from Agaete to Santa Cruz de Tenerife, stay on Tenerife for three days or more, and from Los Cristianos do La Gomera as a day trip. Return to Las Palmas by ferry. La Gomera deserves longer than a day, so if you have the time, add a night there instead of the third day on Tenerife.
Useful for travellers to the Canary Islands
More on the Canary Islands
Tips for ferry travellers
