There are only two ferry companies – Armas and Fred.Olsen. Armas is usually a bit cheaper, while Olsen is a bit faster. The average price to hop over to a neighboring island for two people + a car is €120-240 one way. Residents of the Canary Islands are entitled to a discount of around 70%. I would like to remind you that citizens of the CIS countries can only get this discount after 5 years of living in Spain (permanent residency) and with a Canarian residence registration. I don’t have this discount yet.
On Tenerife, there are two ports. Ferries to La Gomera, La Palma, and El Hierro depart from Los Cristianos. From Santa Cruz – to Gran Canaria. To get to Fuerteventura, you will have to transfer to Gran Canaria. And there is a ferry to Lanzarote from Fuerteventura. It’s clearer in the diagrams. Occasionally you can buy a ticket to Fuerteventura without a transfer on a ferry that goes to mainland Spain.
Useful websites:
Which rental companies allow moving between islands by ferry
This is a very common question. I asked all the popular car rental companies in Tenerife. Here are the companies that allow moving between islands by ferry in a rented car:
- Cicar – just let them know at the pick-up counter
- Goldcar – an additional service upon receiving the car costs €9 per day (minimum €25 and maximum €90). You will have to pay for all rental days.
- Localrent – when booking on the website, write to their support to have them provide options that allow moving between islands.
- Topcar – only between Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. Return the car to the same office. You need to purchase full SCDW super insurance and pay an additional €30 upon pick-up.
Definitely not allowed:
- Autorisen
- Pluscar
How to buy a ferry ticket for a rental car without a license plate number
It’s advisable to buy ferry tickets in advance, but when purchasing, you need to enter all your passport details, as well as the car model and license plate number. But what if you haven’t received the car from the rental company yet?
Simply enter an approximate model and a license plate number like “ALQ-1234”. When you know the exact license plate number of the car, call the ferry company to change the number for free. If you’re hesitant to call, just go there in advance before your trip and change the details at the ticket office.
