With lots of valuable tips for your journey
Here you will find detailed step-by-step explanations for every stage of the journey. That makes getting here child’s play, and your holiday can start stress-free. When booking your flight, always keep an eye on the ferry times.
In short: You fly to Tenerife South (TFS) – there are no direct flights to La Gomera from Europe. La Gomera has no international airport, so the journey almost always goes via Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands.
Tenerife South Airport, officially Reina Sofía, is in the south of Tenerife and therefore closest to the ferry port of Los Cristianos. Pure driving time there: approx. 20 minutes.
Tenerife North is served less often and prices are usually higher. However, flights to La Gomera Airport are only possible from there: the airline Binter Canarias flies to the island airport near Playa de Santiago in the south of the island. From there, the drive to Valle Gran Rey also takes about an hour – there is no coastal road, and the roads on La Gomera almost always lead across the centre of the island.
Yes. La Gomera has a small airport of its own near Playa de Santiago with the code GMZ. La Gomera Airport is served exclusively by Binter Canarias – from Tenerife North and from Gran Canaria. No scheduled European flights land there.
If you want to cross by ferry instead:
From Las Palmas, Binter Canarias flies to La Gomera twice a day, return flight approx. €70–140. Worth it if you find cheap flights to Gran Canaria or are planning a stopover.
So that you do not need an overnight stay on Tenerife, your arrival time should be well before the last ferry leaves. For the return flight, as a rule of thumb: plan no earlier than 11 a.m.
In short: From the airport to the ferry port takes 20 to 25 minutes – by taxi, bus, hire car or as a complete package.
After landing and collecting your luggage, you head to the port in Los Cristianos. By bus it takes approx. 35 minutes plus a 10–15 minute walk, by taxi or hire car approx. 25 minutes.
Approx. €30–35 (no guarantee). When you leave the baggage reclaim hall, the taxis are to the right at the front end of Tenerife South Airport – from the exit, approx. 50 metres straight ahead to the taxi rank. Money-saving tip: ask fellow travellers whether they want to share a ride – that halves the cost.
Scheduled buses run regularly from in front of the airport building to the centre of Los Cristianos; the stops are right in front of the terminal and are numbered.
It has proven worthwhile to pick up the hire car directly at the airport – the extra cost for the ferry is easily offset by the taxi fares you save, and you are flexible from the start.
We are asked this a lot – and the answer decides who you book with. Most rental companies do not allow it: with many, use is restricted to the island where you picked up the car. According to our research, CICAR allows island hopping by ferry (no guarantee). Two things are important:
Clarify the conditions directly with the rental company before booking – they change. If it does not work out: on La Gomera you can also get a hire car at the port, at the airport and in Valle Gran Rey.
The transfer to the ferry port, the crossing to La Gomera and the drive to Valle Gran Rey can be booked as a complete package. Very popular – reserve in good time, for both the outward and the return journey.
Have the car’s registration number ready if you are taking a hire car. For tickets booked online, the registration number has to be added at the counter. To buy tickets at the counter you also need the ID documents of all travellers – you will need them again when boarding the ferry.
Our two apartments Tosca Uno and Tosca Dos are above the valley, with panoramic views down to the sea – you book directly with us.
In short: The crossing takes 50 to 60 minutes – but it is the wait for the ferry, not the crossing itself, that decides the total journey time.
From the port of Los Cristianos you cross to San Sebastián de La Gomera, the capital of La Gomera. Depending on the ship, the ferry crossing takes 50 to 60 minutes. What really decides the total time, though, is the wait for the next ferry – and that depends on your arrival time. If it fits well, you carry on without a break; if you land after the last ferry, you wait until the next morning. So choose your flight according to the ferry timetable, not the other way round. With a car, be there an hour beforehand.
Two shipping companies operate the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera – you can find the current timetable directly on their websites: Fred Olsen Express and Naviera Armas.
Both companies transport suitcases separately – you do not have to haul them on board.
That also makes a stroll through Los Cristianos or along the beach before the ferry leaves more pleasant.
When booking online, you usually do not know the hire car’s registration number yet. Enter “Rental Car” as the registration number – it will then be added at the counter. Also give a mobile number: the companies use it to inform you about timetable changes.
Our house Casa Tosca is in the Casa de La Seda district, a few minutes from the road into the valley. The hiking trails start right outside the door.
In short: From San Sebastián to Valle Gran Rey, allow an hour across the centre of the island – or take the boat along the coast.
You arrive at the port of San Sebastián, the island’s capital. As there is no coastal road on La Gomera, the roads from one coastal town to the next almost always lead across the centre of the island – between the island’s towns, allow about an hour each time.
Many well-known rental companies have desks at the port.
Taxis wait at the port. The taxi ride also takes about an hour and costs approx. €60–70 (no guarantee). With a bit of luck you can share a taxi with other travellers.
Line 1 runs from San Sebastián to Valle Gran Rey and back; it starts at the main bus station “Estación de Guaguas” and takes the route across the centre of the island.
Since 2022, Fred Olsen’s Benchi Express, a small ship, has connected the ports of San Sebastián, Playa Santiago and Valle Gran Rey by sea. The trip from San Sebastián to Playa Santiago takes around 30 minutes, and from there to Valle Gran Rey another 40 minutes or so. That saves you the hour-long drive across the centre of the island – particularly convenient for guests without a hire car. Please note: it does not sail the route every day, and the timetables change with the seasons.
If you took the 7 p.m. ferry, you may be driving the winding route in the dark. Please drive carefully – during or after heavy rain, larger stones regularly lie on the road.
In short: After the second tunnel it is another 10 to 15 minutes – you will receive everything else by email in good time.
On the well-signposted route you pass through two tunnels in the last quarter. We describe the last few kilometres to our guests once again in detail: 7 days before arrival you will also receive an email with all the information on getting here and check-in.
There is a key safe at the apartment door – so there is no rush. You will receive the code by email in good time.
The beaches in Valle Gran Rey are a good two kilometres away, and the hiking trails start right at the house. We have gathered everything else that awaits you in Valle Gran Rey on a separate page.
Via Tenerife. You fly to Tenerife South (TFS), drive 20 to 25 minutes to the port of Los Cristianos and take the ferry to San Sebastián de La Gomera, a crossing of 50 to 60 minutes. Alternatively, you can go via Gran Canaria with a Binter flight to the island airport at Playa de Santiago.
From around 44 euros per person each way with Fred Olsen (as of 03/2026); Naviera Armas is usually a little cheaper. A hire car costs extra, depending on its size. The crossing from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián takes 50 to 60 minutes. Booking early is cheaper – in the main season it is worth it.
Usually not. Many rental companies restrict use to the island where you picked up the car – taking it on the ferry is then not allowed. According to our research, CICAR allows island hopping (no guarantee). Register the change when booking or at the latest when picking up the car, and return the car on the island where you started. Clarify the conditions directly with the rental company beforehand – they change. And if it does not work out: on La Gomera you can also get a hire car at the port of San Sebastián, at the airport and in Valle Gran Rey.
From take-off to the apartment, usually eight to eleven hours. The flight from German-speaking countries takes four to five hours, from Tenerife South Airport to the port is 20 to 25 minutes, the crossing 50 to 60 minutes and the drive to Valle Gran Rey another hour. The decisive factor is the wait for the ferry – and that depends on your arrival time. If you land after the last ferry, you will only get across the next morning. Our own record is eight hours. Everything fitted that time.
The flight does not go to La Gomera but to Tenerife South – from German-speaking countries that is four to five hours of pure flight time. Add about 20 to 25 minutes to the ferry port of Los Cristianos, the wait for the ferry and a 50 to 60 minute crossing. For the whole journey it is best to plan eight to eleven hours.
No, there are no direct flights from elsewhere in Europe. La Gomera only has a small island airport near Playa de Santiago, served exclusively by the Spanish airline Binter – from Tenerife North and from Gran Canaria, twice a day from there. The usual route is therefore via Tenerife South and the ferry.
For the island, yes – La Gomera is all about its mountain roads, and by bus your day revolves around the timetable. In Valle Gran Rey itself you can manage without a car: the beach is a good two kilometres away, and hiking trails start right at the house. In the main season from October to Easter, book early.
From Tenerife South Airport (TFS) to the ferry port of Los Cristianos it is around 20 to 25 minutes‘ driving time. By taxi the ride costs about 30 to 35 euros (no guarantee); the scheduled bus, which leaves right in front of the airport building, is much cheaper. If you have booked a hire car, you pick it up directly at the airport. Better to allow a buffer – without a ferry ticket booked in advance you should be at the port at least 1 hour before departure. With a ticket, approx. 45 minutes before departure.
La Gomera has no international airport. The usual route is a flight to Tenerife South (TFS) – four to five hours from German-speaking countries, and at approx. 25 minutes away it is the closest to the ferry port. Tenerife North (TFN) is served less often and is usually more expensive, but it is the only starting point for onward flights with Binter to the island airport at Playa de Santiago on La Gomera. From Gran Canaria (LPA), Binter flies to La Gomera twice a day.
All information on travel times and prices without guarantee. Last checked: 09/2026.
Take a look at our two holiday apartments Tosca Uno and Tosca Dos – your base for an unforgettable holiday.
