Tenerife South Airport to Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje: Transfers, Taxis and Buses
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Quick answer: Playa de las Américas is about 20 km from Tenerife South Airport (TFS), roughly 20 minutes by car on the TF-1 with no traffic. Los Cristianos is slightly closer and Costa Adeje slightly further. Shared coaches take longer because of hotel drop-offs. The cheapest option is TITSA line 40, which runs from the terminal to Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje, about every 30 minutes in the daytime.
Route map: Tenerife South Airport (TFS) to Playa de las Américas and Costa Adeje
Tenerife South (TFS) terminal
Tenerife South (Reina Sofía) is the airport most UK package flights use. Jet2's Tenerife flights use TFS, and Jet2 says the airport has only one terminal. A few UK routes use Tenerife North (TFN), on the other side of the island, so check your ticket.
Approximate route: 20 km by road from Tenerife South Airport (TFS) terminal to Playa de las Américas. The calculated free-flow drive time is about 20 minutes. That is an estimate with no traffic, so allow longer. It is a short motorway drive along the TF-1. TITSA line 40 is timetabled at about 40 minutes from the airport to Estación Costa Adeje, via Los Cristianos (TITSA). Shared coaches stop at several hotels, so allow longer.
Towns along the way: Las Chafiras (~7 km, on the route), Guaza (~12 km, on the route), Los Cristianos (~19 km, on the route). Almost all of the route is the TF-1 motorway. We have not mapped individual service stations.
Drop your hotel on the map: click or tap the map, or search by hotel name.
| Option | Time | Stops | Cost | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Package coach transfer | Drive time plus hotel drop-offs. Often noticeably longer than a direct car. | Usually several hotel stops (varies by flight and resort) | Often included (e.g. Jet2holidays packages) or an add-on (e.g. loveholidays, On the Beach). Check your booking. | – |
| Private transfer | About the drive time (direct) | None, direct to your hotel | Check today's price (per vehicle) | Compare private transfers affiliate |
| Shared shuttle / other providers | Varies | Varies | Check today's price | Compare shuttles and cars affiliate |
| TITSA line 40 bus | About 40 min to Estación Costa Adeje (timetable). Roughly every 30 min in the daytime. | Airport, Los Cristianos, Playa de las Américas area, Estación Costa Adeje | Per person. Check titsa.com for fares and payment options. | – |
| Taxi from the rank | About the drive time (direct) | None | Metered official fares (Aena links to fare guidance). Not quoted here. | – |
- Money: Spain uses the euro. Cards are widely accepted, but carry a little cash for small cafés, markets and tips. Tipping is not compulsory: rounding up or leaving a small amount for good service is common. If a card machine offers to charge you in pounds, choose euros.
- Data on arrival: many UK networks include Spain in their Europe roaming add-ons, but rules and daily charges differ, so check yours. Alternatively, install an eSIM at home before you fly.
- Transfer didn't show? Call the number on your voucher and your operator's 24-hour line, keep evidence and receipts. See our step-by-step guide.
- Emergency number in Spain: 112 (ambulance, fire, police). Source: GOV.UK.
- Health cover: your UK GHIC (or valid EHIC) covers state healthcare in Spain on the same basis as residents. It isn't a replacement for travel insurance. Source: NHS.
- Tourist tax: at the time of writing (October 2026) Tenerife has no overnight tourist tax. A separate fee applies only on Teide's summit trails (Cabildo de Tenerife, from 19 January 2026).
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Check you're flying to the right airport
Tenerife has two airports. Tenerife South (TFS, Reina Sofía) serves the southern resorts, and Jet2 and most UK package flights use it. Jet2 says TFS has only one terminal. Tenerife North (TFN) is near La Laguna, on the other side of the island, and is much further from these resorts. Check your booking.
Arriving at TFS
After passport control (EES biometrics may be taken), baggage reclaim and customs, you come out into arrivals. Tour operator reps and private drivers meet you there, as your documents say. Aena advises taking taxis only from the signed rank at the terminal and asking for a receipt.
Option 1: package coach transfer
Jet2holidays packages generally include coach transfers, and with loveholidays and On the Beach they're usually an add-on. The drive is short, so most of the extra time comes from waiting for other passengers and the order of hotel stops.
Option 2: private transfer
Direct and priced per vehicle. Good for families with young children, late arrivals and groups.
Option 3: taxi
Taxis are metered at official rates, and Aena links to the fare guidance. Because it's a short trip, a taxi can be competitive for three or four people. No current official fare table is published online, so check the tariff at the rank (see taxi fares below) and ask for a receipt.
Option 4: TITSA bus
- Line 40 (Estación Costa Adeje to Los Cristianos to Aeropuerto Tenerife Sur): runs every day, about every 30 minutes from early morning to late evening, and takes about 40 minutes end to end. TITSA describes it as a direct tourist line. In the Costa Adeje direction, it only stops at intermediate stops to let people off.
- Line 711 (night): Santa Cruz to the airport, then Los Cristianos and Costa Adeje, for late arrivals.
- Line 343: links TFS with Tenerife North Airport, Puerto de la Cruz and Estación Costa Adeje, with only a few journeys a day.
- Line 111: the main Santa Cruz to Costa Adeje route, but TITSA lists its stop as Cruce Aeropuerto, the motorway junction, not the terminal. Don't plan on it with luggage.
The return journey
- Coach pick-up times are set by the operator, often well before your flight. Check them as soon as they're published.
- Allow extra time for EES checks when you leave the Schengen area (GOV.UK).
Read our Tenerife resort companion for areas, Teide permits, day trips and hotel checks.
Fair taxi fares from Tenerife South Airport (TFS)
Official or published taxi fares, plus clearly labelled estimates where an official per-km tariff lets us work one out. Where there's nothing official we say so, rather than guess. See all four airports on our airport taxi fares page.
| Airport to | Road distance (approx.) | Day fare | Night/holiday fare |
|---|---|---|---|
| Los Cristianos | slightly under 20 km | Check the official tariff board at the rank | Check the official tariff board at the rank |
| Playa de las Américas | about 20 km | Check the official tariff board at the rank | Check the official tariff board at the rank |
| Costa Adeje | a little further | Check the official tariff board at the rank | Check the official tariff board at the rank |
How to avoid being overcharged
- Use the official rank outside arrivals, never someone who approaches you inside the terminal.
- Meter or fixed fare: agree which before you set off. In Majorca and Tenerife taxis are metered, so check the meter starts at the flag-fall amount. At Dalaman the cooperative publishes fixed fares, so confirm the fare for your resort with the driver. At Antalya, photograph the fare board and insist on the meter or the board price.
- Know the supplements. Airport and night/holiday rates, and extra passengers, are legitimate. Luggage is free in Majorca under the official tariff.
- Ask for a receipt (recibo in Spain, fiş in Turkey) with the licence or plate number. In Majorca the tariff says a receipt must be given free.
- Card vs cash. Majorca's tariff says card payment can't be charged extra. Elsewhere card acceptance isn't guaranteed: carry some euros or lira, and pay in the local currency rather than pounds if offered a conversion.
- Note the licence number and keep the receipt if you want to complain. Complain to the local town hall (Spain) or the airport and cooperative (Turkey).
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FAQs
How far is Playa de las Américas from Tenerife South Airport?
About 20 km on our calculated route, roughly 20 minutes on the TF-1 motorway with no traffic.
Which bus goes from Tenerife South Airport to Playa de las Américas?
TITSA line 40 runs from the airport to Los Cristianos and Estación Costa Adeje, about every 30 minutes in the daytime. Night line 711 covers the late hours. Line 111 stops at the motorway junction (Cruce Aeropuerto), not the terminal.
Should I fly to Tenerife North or South for Costa Adeje?
South (TFS). It's much closer. Most UK package flights, including Jet2's, use TFS.
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