Practical information

Do you need a car in Tenerife?

The TF-421 road in El Tanque, dropping towards Garachico with the sea beyond — Photo: -wuppertaler · Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0

Short answer: to stay in the northern midlands, yes. The listing itself says so, and we repeat it here because we would rather you read it before booking than after.

What public transport covers

TITSA, the public bus company, covers the northern coastal corridor well: lines link Icod with Puerto de la Cruz, La Orotava, La Laguna, Santa Cruz, Garachico and Buenavista, and one crosses south via Santiago del Teide. What it does not cover is the midlands, which is where this house is and where most of what is interesting inland sits.

TITSA — guaguas de Tenerife

Tenerife

The island's public bus company. Icod has its own station. The lines cover the northern coastal corridor well, but not the midlands: for Teno, Anaga, Chinyero or Teide a car is far more practical.

Address: Estación de guaguas de Icod de los Vinos
Phone: +34 922 53 13 00
Línea 108: Icod – Los Realejos – La Orotava – La Laguna – Santa Cruz (~1 h 15)
Línea 363: Puerto de la Cruz – San Juan de la Rambla – Icod – Garachico – Buenavista (~1 h 30)
Línea 460: Icod – El Tanque – Santiago del Teide – Guía de Isora – Costa Adeje (~1 h 40)
Línea 369: Buenavista – Punta de Teno (la única forma de llegar en transporte público)

Timetables change. Always check titsa.com before relying on a bus. We have not verified whether a direct line runs between Icod and the airports.

Official website Reviewed on 2026-09-22 · official source

What the access to the house is like

Driving in the north, in four notes

The TF-5 is the northern motorway and genuinely backs up at rush hour between Santa Cruz, La Laguna and Puerto de la Cruz. Allow extra time if you are heading to the airport.
Midland roads are narrow with tight bends. It is not hard, it is slow. If someone comes up behind you in a hurry, let them past.
Fuel in the Canaries is considerably cheaper than on the mainland. Live prices for every station are on the Ministry's official geoportal.
There are no petrol stations inside Teide National Park. Go up with a full tank.

If you really do not want to drive

It is possible, but let us be realistic: you would depend on taxis to reach and leave the house, and outings would have to be built around the coastal bus lines. For Punta de Teno, for instance, cars are banned anyway and you go in on the 369 from Buenavista. For Teide there are lines 348, 341 and 342, but with very limited timetables. Our honest advice: hire a car.

Finca Julia is a few minutes from all of this.

Check availability on Airbnb

Keep reading

Getting to Icod de los Vinos

Which airport to fly into, what the drive in on the TF-5 is like, and why we do not publish an exact journey time.

A week in northern Tenerife

Seven days from Icod, with what must be booked weeks ahead and what you decide in the morning depending on the weather. A real itinerary, not a wish list.

Punta de Teno and Masca: how access works now

Private cars are banned at Punta de Teno every day, and the Masca ravine needs a booking and a boat back. The current rules, from official sources.

The whole guide