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A ferry's white wake across the deep blue sea on the crossing between La Gomera and Tenerife, with the east coast of La Gomera under a bank of cloud.

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Tenerife to La Gomera by ferry: Los Cristianos to San Sebastián

Teide behind you, a whale channel underneath and, an hour later, a laurel forest left over from the Tertiary.

The short answer

The ferry from Los Cristianos in south Tenerife to San Sebastián de La Gomera takes 50 minutes. Two companies, Fred. Olsen Express and Baleària Canarias (the former Naviera Armas service), share six sailings each way a day from Monday to Saturday in the winter 2026/27 timetable, more on Sundays and in summer. The best buy for a day out is the same-day return: on 19 October 2026 Fred. Olsen charged €26.90 each way (€53.80) for a November crossing, against €44.03 for its cheapest single, and Baleària's Day Trip offer was €54 return. Book online with either line; a car costs extra, and many Tenerife hire firms do not allow theirs on the ferry without written permission.

Fifty minutes west of Los Cristianos lies the island Columbus sailed from in 1492, and at its heart a laurel forest of the kind that covered southern Europe millions of years ago. The crossing runs through waters named Europe's first Whale Heritage Site, with Teide, the highest peak on Spanish soil, filling the view astern. Go for the day or stay a while: either way it is one of the finest short sea journeys in the Canaries.

Spain

Crossing time
50 minutes
Distance
34 km
Departures a day
6 each way in winter
Fare from
€26.90 each way, day return
Operators
Fred. Olsen and Baleària
Time ashore on a day trip
about 7 hours

Why this is one of the great crossings

On 8 July 1974 a new company opened its first route, from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera. Fred. Olsen Express still sails it, with the catamaran Bencomo Express and the trimaran Benchijigua Express, the largest in the world, and the 34 km crossing takes 50 minutes. The town at the other end is older in this story than the ship: on 6 September 1492 the Niña, the Pinta and the Santa María sailed from San Sebastián, the last place in Europe Columbus stopped before he crossed the Atlantic.

The sea in between is the second reason. The Cabildo de La Gomera records 21 species of whale and dolphin in the island's waters, short-finned pilot whales among them as permanent residents, and the waters joining La Gomera and Tenerife were the first place in Europe to be named a Whale Heritage Site. Look back and Teide rises over everything: 3,718 m, the highest peak on Spanish soil, and 7,500 m from the ocean floor.

The third reason is the forest. Garajonay National Park covers some 11% of La Gomera, and laurel forest covers about 70% of the park: evergreen laurisilva, fed by fog and permanent streams, a living remnant of the warm forests that covered much of Europe in the Tertiary. UNESCO inscribed it in 1986. From the quay it is 26 minutes by road to the first viewpoint, which is why this is one of the few great crossings that is also an easy day out.

Along the way

  1. Los Cristianos

  2. Los Cristianos quay, Fred. Olsen sailings

    Boarding the big trimaran

    In the winter 2026/27 timetable Fred. Olsen's 09:30 out (Monday to Saturday) and 17:30 back are both sailed by the Benchijigua Express, built in 2005 and the largest trimaran in the world: 1,291 passengers, up to 340 vehicles, 38 knots, and an outdoor terrace open for the whole crossing.

  3. leaving Los Cristianos, looking back

    Teide astern

    As Los Cristianos falls away the whole bulk of Tenerife rises behind the wake, topped by Teide at 3,718 m, the highest peak on Spanish soil and, measured from the sea floor, a volcano 7,500 m tall.

  4. mid-crossing

    The whale channel

    These are the waters the Cabildo de La Gomera describes as Europe's first Whale Heritage Site. Pilot whales live here all year, and bottlenose, spotted and rough-toothed dolphins, sperm whales and rorquals are among the 21 species recorded around the island.

  5. on the approach to San Sebastián

    Columbus's last port

    The harbour Columbus's three ships sailed from on 6 September 1492, his last stop before the Atlantic. The old town is a short walk from the quay, with the 15th-century Torre del Conde and the Casa Colón museum, in the house where Columbus is said to have stayed.

  6. 26 minutes' drive from the quay

    Los Roques and Roque de Agando

    The road climbs from the port to the Los Roques viewpoints, where Roque de Agando, a plug of old volcanic rock, rises to 1,250 m between the Laja and Benchijigua ravines. The rocks have been a protected natural monument since 1994.

  7. Garajonay National Park, the island's centre

    Inside the laurel forest

    Evergreen laurel forest, often wrapped in cloud and mist. UNESCO counts 450 kinds of vascular plant in the park, 34 of them found only on La Gomera and eight only in Garajonay, and two laurel pigeons found nowhere outside the Canaries.

  8. San Sebastián de La Gomera

Where to stand

Go out on deck. Fred. Olsen's ships have an outdoor terrace open for the whole crossing. Stand at the stern as you leave Los Cristianos: Teide is behind you. Mid-channel, watch the water on either side for fins and blows. For the last ten minutes move forward or to the lounge windows to see San Sebastián open up at the mouth of its ravine. Inside, Fred. Olsen's lounges are air-conditioned, with cafés and free wifi.

Ways to do it

When to go

Times, tickets and fares

What time is the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera, and how much does it cost?

In the winter 2026/27 timetable, Monday to Saturday, Fred. Olsen Express leaves Los Cristianos at 09:30, 16:00 and 20:00, and Baleària Canarias at 09:15, 14:00 and 20:00. Back from San Sebastián, Fred. Olsen leaves at 07:00, 14:00 and 17:30, and Baleària at 06:30, 12:00 and 17:00. On Sundays Fred. Olsen sails out at 09:30, 13:00, 16:00 and 20:30 and back at 08:00, 14:30 and 17:30; Baleària sails out at 09:00, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:30 and back at 07:30, 13:30, 16:30 and 20:00. Every crossing takes 50 minutes. Holiday weekends run special timetables, and on 19 October 2026 both lines had times on sale only to mid-January 2027.

Buy on the operators' sites or apps. On 19 October 2026 Fred. Olsen's prices for 18 November, 20 December and 9 January were the same: €44.03 for a Web single and €26.90 each way on a same-day return, port taxes included. The €11 fares you will see advertised are for Canary Islands residents, who get 75% off.

Crossing
50 minutes, 34 km
First out, Mon to Sat
09:15 (Baleària), 09:30 (Fred. Olsen)
Last back, Mon to Sat
17:30 (Fred. Olsen); 20:00 on Sundays
Same-day return
€53.80 (Fred. Olsen), €54 (Baleària)
Single
from €44.03 (Fred. Olsen Web)
Changes
free and unlimited on all Fred. Olsen fares

The ports, luggage and getting to Los Cristianos

Where does the La Gomera ferry leave from, and when should I be there?

Both lines sail from the port of Los Cristianos, on the south coast of Tenerife, and arrive in San Sebastián de La Gomera, the island's capital, where the old town is a short walk from the quay. Be at the boarding point 20 minutes before departure on foot and 40 minutes before with a vehicle: both lines close boarding at those times.

Both lines run a free ferry bus for foot passengers between Santa Cruz de Tenerife and Los Cristianos. Fred. Olsen's leaves Santa Cruz bus station 1 hour 30 minutes before the sailing and takes about an hour; you add it to your booking as an extra, and seats are limited. Luggage is not a problem for foot passengers: Fred. Olsen has luggage trolleys at the port for €1, which its staff load on board for you.

Boarding closes
20 min on foot, 40 min with a vehicle
Ferry bus
free from Santa Cruz, both lines, book with the ticket
Luggage trolley
€1 at Los Cristianos (Fred. Olsen)
Pets
allowed on both lines, added at booking

How to do La Gomera in a day

Can you do La Gomera as a day trip from Tenerife?

Yes, and the first boat makes it easy: off at 10:05 or 10:20, back on board at 17:00 or 17:30, which leaves about seven hours. With a car, the island's tourist board lays out three six-hour routes from the quay. Into the forest and south: the Los Roques viewpoints (26 minutes), the hamlet of Chipude, then El Cercado, whose women potters are known across the Canaries for working the way the islands' first settlers did, and the Mirador de Palmarejo above Valle Gran Rey, designed by César Manrique as his last work before he died in 1992. Or north: through the forest to Hermigua (about 30 minutes), on to Agulo, whose viewpoint looks back to Teide, then the Juego de Bolas visitor centre for the national park and, if there is time, the 6 km walk from Contadero through El Cedro's forest. Or simply walk San Sebastián: the Torre del Conde, Casa Colón and the old streets.

Without a car, take the boat along the coast. In November 2026 Fred. Olsen's Benchi Express left San Sebastián at 11:00 every day, 40 minutes after the 09:30 from Los Cristianos docks, and reached Valle Gran Rey at 12:10; its 16:00 back (15:30 on Sundays) is in San Sebastián in time for the 17:30 to Tenerife. For the forest, GuaguaGomera's line 1 calls at the ferry terminal and passes Roque de Agando on its 67 km run to Valle Gran Rey (€2 to Agando, €5 to the end), but its first bus from San Sebastián bus station is at 10:30, Monday to Saturday, with five a day. A taxi or Baleària's Thursday guided day is the easier answer.

Port to Los Roques viewpoint
26 minutes by car
Port to Hermigua
about 30 minutes by car
San Sebastián to Valle Gran Rey
about 1 hour by car, 70 minutes by coastal ferry
Bus line 1
San Sebastián to Valle Gran Rey, €5

Staying on: Valle Gran Rey and Playa Santiago

How do I get from San Sebastián to Valle Gran Rey or Playa Santiago?

Fred. Olsen's coastal ferry, the Benchi Express, runs from San Sebastián along the south coast to Playa Santiago in 30 minutes and Valle Gran Rey in about 70, with views of the cliffs from the sea. In November 2026 it left San Sebastián at 11:00 and 17:20 every day, reaching Valle Gran Rey at 12:10 and 18:30; the 09:30 from Los Cristianos connects with the 11:00. By road, the GM-2 crosses the island through the national park and the Arure tunnel to Valle Gran Rey in about an hour, and the GM-2 and GM-3 reach Playa Santiago in about 45 minutes. Valle Gran Rey's Puerto de Vueltas is where most of the island's whale and dolphin trips leave, with some from Playa Santiago.

Coastal ferry to Valle Gran Rey
11:00 and 17:20 daily (November 2026)
Back to San Sebastián
08:15 and 16:00 (15:30 Sundays)
Whale and dolphin trips
from Puerto de Vueltas, some days Playa Santiago

Worth knowing before you go

Where to stay at either end

Los Cristianos is 14 minutes by road off-peak from Playa del Duque in Costa Adeje, where several of our Tenerife hotels stand, and La Gomera is the island those west-facing terraces watch the sun set behind: an easy day out from a week in the south.

The journey in pictures

The Fred. Olsen trimaran Benchijigua Express at speed off the coast at Los Cristianos.
Los Cristianos and its harbour in low morning sun, the departure port on Tenerife.
The harbour of San Sebastián de La Gomera and marina below its red cliffs, with the ferry quay on the right.
Teide on Tenerife rising across the sea behind the houses of San Sebastián de La Gomera.
Roque de Agando, the volcanic plug at Los Roques, under a blue sky with the road winding past it.
A railed path through the moss covered laurel forest of Garajonay National Park.

Questions people ask

Good questions about Tenerife to La Gomera

How long is the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera?

Fifty minutes. Both Fred. Olsen Express and Baleària Canarias sail direct from Los Cristianos, on Tenerife's south coast, to San Sebastián de La Gomera, a distance of 34 km, and every sailing in their 2026/27 timetables is scheduled at 50 minutes. Add 20 minutes before departure to board on foot, or 40 minutes with a car.

How much is the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera?

On 19 October 2026, for a crossing in November, Fred. Olsen's cheapest single was €44.03 and its same-day return €53.80 (€26.90 each way); Baleària's Day Trip offer was €54 return. A car adds €22 on Baleària's Day Trip, or €11.32 each way on Fred. Olsen's day fare. Fred. Olsen's prices include port taxes. The €11 fares you may see are for Canary Islands residents.

Can you do La Gomera as a day trip from Tenerife?

Yes. Take the 09:15 (Baleària, Monday to Saturday) or 09:30 (Fred. Olsen, daily) from Los Cristianos, and come back on the 17:00 or 17:30 from San Sebastián: about seven hours on the island. With a car that is enough for Garajonay National Park and one side of the island, either the southern viewpoints towards Valle Gran Rey or the green valleys of Hermigua and Agulo in the north. Without one, Fred. Olsen's coastal ferry to Valle Gran Rey fits between the two crossings.

Can I take my car or a hire car on the ferry to La Gomera?

Your own car, yes: both lines carry cars and motorbikes, and you add the vehicle in the first step of booking. A hire car depends on the rental terms. Sixt and AutoReisen forbid inter-island crossings without written permission, and TopCar's Multi-Island Cover leaves out La Gomera. If yours allows it, Fred. Olsen lets you book with "Rental" as make and model and update the plate up to an hour before sailing. Otherwise cross on foot and hire a second car on La Gomera.

Fred. Olsen or Armas: which ferry should I take?

Naviera Armas's Canary Islands routes passed to Baleària, approved by Spain's competition authority in March 2026, and now sail as Baleària Canarias. Both lines take 50 minutes and their day returns cost much the same. Fred. Olsen offers the later return (17:30) and the same day-trip times all week; Baleària leaves first (09:15, Monday to Saturday) and sells a guided Thursday day with lunch. Pick the times that suit your day.

Will I see whales or dolphins from the ferry?

Perhaps, though nobody can promise it. The Cabildo de La Gomera says whales, dolphins and pilot whales are seen regularly in the island's waters, with 21 species recorded, and the waters between La Gomera and Tenerife were named Europe's first Whale Heritage Site. Stand outside, watch either side of the wake, and for a proper search book a trip from Valle Gran Rey.

Can you get around La Gomera without a car?

For a day, yes, within limits. The old town of San Sebastián is a short walk from the quay. Fred. Olsen's coastal ferry left at 11:00 for Valle Gran Rey in November 2026, 70 minutes along the south coast, and its 16:00 back (15:30 on Sundays) meets the 17:30 to Tenerife. GuaguaGomera's line 1 crosses the national park past Roque de Agando, but its first bus leaves San Sebastián at 10:30, Monday to Saturday. For the forest in a day, a taxi or Baleària's guided Thursday trip is simpler.

Tenerife to La Gomera

Teide behind you, a whale channel underneath and, an hour later, a laurel forest left over from the Tertiary.

Los Cristianos → San Sebastián de La Gomera

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We may earn a commission when you book through Omio. It never changes what we write. · Last checked: October 2026

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Image credits: Javier Sánchez Portero (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Piotr Konieczny (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Tamara Kulikova (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Los Cristianos → San Sebastián de La Gomera

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