A La Gomera day trip from Tenerife is one of the best day trips in the Canary Islands, as long as you accept you won't see all of it. The ferry leaves from Los Cristianos, crosses in about 50 minutes and drops you in San Sebastián. From there, seven hours is enough for the capital, the viewpoints, a walk in the Garajonay forest and the villages of the north.
The decision is simple. If you don't have a car, a €110 tour with ferry, coach, guide and lunch costs only €26–31 more than the return boat ticket, and saves you wrestling with one bus there and another back. If you have a car, want to walk or plan to stay the night, go independently.
Our pick
1
The classic, with lunch
9 hours from south Tenerife; the option with the most reviews and the simplest.
GetYourGuide9 hours
From South Tenerife: La Gomera Island Day Trip with Lunch
4.1 (2,224 reviews)
from €110Check availability
2
The guided alternative
10 hours with ferry and lunch at the same price as the classic; well rated across hundreds of reviews.
GetYourGuide10 hours
From Tenerife: Guided Tour to La Gomera with Ferry and Lunch
4.4 (668 reviews)
from €110Check availability
3
Small group
Maximum 18 people and 11 hours; €39 more than the classic for a more manageable group.
GetYourGuide11 hours
From Tenerife: La Gomera Small-Group Day Trip, max 18 people
4.5 (240 reviews)
from €149Check availability
4
By 4x4 from Arona
A jeep instead of a coach, for a more active day.
GetYourGuide1 day
Full-Day Gomera Jeep Safari Excursion from Arona
4.6 (576 reviews)
from €150Check availability
5
From the north, VIP
Leaves from Puerto de la Cruz; the best average rating on the list.
GetYourGuide10 hours
From Puerto de La Cruz: Full-Day VIP Tour to Gomera
4.8 (73 reviews)
from €180Check availability
La Gomera tour or DIY trip: which pays off
| On your own | On a tour | |
|---|---|---|
| Price per person | ferry from €79.48 (Fred. Olsen) or €84 (Baleària) return, plus €1–5 per bus or your car | from €99 (Baleària) or €110–180 on booking platforms, with ferry, transport and lunch |
| Timing | first ferry in the morning and last one back in the afternoon (currently 09:30 and 17:30 on weekdays): about 7 h on the island | early pick-up (from 07:15 on some) and 9–13 h in total |
| Transport on the island | one useful bus out (10:30) and practically one back per line | coach, minibus or 4x4 door to door |
| Garajonay | no bus to Laguna Grande; there is one to Pajarito | they usually stop in the park; check the listing |
| Food | up to you | lunch included on several; check the listing |
| Flexibility | total if you have a car | none: you go at the group's pace |
Going independently pays off if you have a car (both Fred. Olsen and Baleària take vehicles), if you only want San Sebastián and its old town, less than 10 minutes' walk from the ferry, or if you're staying the night on the island. The tour pays off in every other case: without a car, juggling the buses turns the day into a race against the clock.
Tenerife to La Gomera ferry: prices, timetables and ferry companies
All ferries to La Gomera leave from Los Cristianos. There's no boat from Los Gigantes or from Santa Cruz: the boat trips from Los Gigantes are for whale watching, not transport.
- Fred. Olsen Express: 50 minutes, from €39.74 each way for non-residents. Its website mentions up to five sailings a day, but the current timetable has three on weekdays and Sundays and four on Saturdays.
- Baleària Canarias, formerly Naviera Armas: about 50 minutes, daily sailings, from €42.
The €9.93 and €11 fares you see everywhere are for Canary Islands residents, so you can't use them. Both companies use dynamic pricing, so compare for your exact day: which one is cheaper changes.
Fred. Olsen timetable
This is the timetable in force at the start of autumn; it changes with the season:
| Day | Los Cristianos → San Sebastián | San Sebastián → Los Cristianos |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Thursday | 09:30, 16:00, 20:00 | 07:00, 14:00, 17:30 |
| Friday | 09:30, 16:00, 20:00 | 07:00, 14:30, 17:30 |
| Saturday | 09:00, 10:30, 15:30, 18:30 | 08:30, 11:00, 14:00, 17:00 |
| Sunday | 09:30, 15:30, 18:30 | 08:00, 14:00, 17:00 |
On this timetable there's no Fred. Olsen sailing back to Tenerife after 17:30 (17:00 at weekends), and Saturday gives you the longest day: out at 09:00 and back at 17:00. Baleària only shows its times in the search tool on baleariacanarias.com; timetables change by season, so confirm them at fredolsen.es before you finalise your plans.
Boarding, luggage and taking a car on the ferry
Both companies close boarding for foot passengers 20 minutes before departure, and 40 minutes for vehicles. Bring your passport or national ID card: they ask for it when you board. With Fred. Olsen you can leave your suitcase on a luggage trolley at the port for €1.
With a car: vehicles get no resident discount, and a hire car can only go on board if the rental company allows it. Get that in writing beforehand. With Fred. Olsen, a hire car is booked by entering "RENT" as the make and giving the number plate at least an hour before departure.
La Gomera in one day: what you have time to see
With a car or on a tour, the route that fits without rushing is this: the old centre of San Sebastián (Torre del Conde and the Iglesia de la Asunción), the Degollada de Peraza and Roque de Agando viewpoints, a short walk at La Laguna Grande inside Garajonay, and down through the north to Hermigua and Agulo. Valle Gran Rey adds roughly an hour's driving each way from the east: it's either the north or the west.
Inside the park, the Laguna Grande walks range from 20 minutes (0.9 km) to 1 h 40 (3.8 km). The park's free guided walk isn't for you: you have to be staying on the island. And if you're driving in summer, there's usually controlled access at El Cedro with a vehicle booking; check the dates at reservasparquesnacionales.es.
- 1San Sebastián de La GomeraportDirections ↗
- 2Roque de AgandopeakDirections ↗
- 3La Laguna Grandenature areaDirections ↗
- 4HermiguatownDirections ↗
- 5AgulotownDirections ↗
- 6Valle Gran ReyportDirections ↗
Independently without a car: two plans that work
- Through the park by bus. The 09:30 ferry, then the 10:30 line 1 bus from the Estación Marítima towards Valle Gran Rey; get off at Cruce de Pajarito and climb the Alto de Garajonay on route 17 (2.2 km, 1 h 15). To get back, line 1 leaves Valle Gran Rey at 13:00 and 14:30 Monday to Saturday and passes Pajarito a little later: ask the driver for the time.
- Through the north by bus. The 10:30 line 2 bus to Hermigua and Agulo; the return from Vallehermoso leaves at 13:30 and 15:30 Monday to Friday.
- Valle Gran Rey by sea. The Benchi Express catamaran (€15 a leg) leaves San Sebastián at 11:00 and arrives at 12:10; it comes back at 16:00 on weekdays and gets in at 17:10. That leaves 20 minutes for the 17:30 ferry, exactly the boarding cut-off: have your ticket already and go straight there.
If you miss the bus back, it's a taxi: Valle Gran Rey is 45–60 km away. Bus timetables at guaguagomera.com.
La Gomera day trip prices: what's included and which to choose
| Where | Ticket | Rating | Price | Where to book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuide | From South Tenerife: La Gomera Island Day Trip with Lunch | 4.1 (2,224) | €110 | View on GetYourGuide |
| Tiqets | La Gomera Day Trip From Tenerife | 4.4 (29) | €110 | View on Tiqets |
Adult prices checked on 2 October 2026. They may vary by date; each site confirms the final price.
The classic tour costs the same on GetYourGuide and Tiqets: €110. There's no published official price for this tour to compare it with. That price matches Civitatis for a 9-hour day with ferry, coach, a guide in four languages and lunch. The cheaper alternative sold by the ferry company itself is Baleària's La Gomera Experience, from €99: it leaves Los Cristianos at 09:15 and returns from San Sebastián at 17:00, with ferry, coach, guided visit and lunch. That's only €15–20 more than the boat ticket; ask whether it includes hotel pick-up.
Small group or coach. The coach (€110) is efficient and cheap. The small group of up to 18 people (€149) and the jeep or VIP tours (€150–180) cost more in return for fewer people or a different vehicle. For most people the coach is enough.
Pick-up. The Civitatis tour, for example, picks up between 07:15 and 08:30 in Los Cristianos, Las Américas and La Caleta, and in other parts of the south on request; check each tour's listing. From Puerto de la Cruz there are tours of 10 to 13 hours in all. If you're staying in Santa Cruz and going independently, Fred. Olsen runs a free bus to Los Cristianos that you book with your ticket at least 48 hours ahead. More on the departure area in Costa Adeje, Las Américas and Los Cristianos.
Seasickness, tiredness and other drawbacks
The crossing is short, about 50 minutes over a channel of some 26 km, but it's open sea. If you get seasick, take your usual remedy before boarding; there's no reliable evidence that one boat moves less than another, so don't choose on that basis. It's a long day: with a 07:15 pick-up and a return late in the afternoon, it's hard going with small children.
GetYourGuide9 hours
From South Tenerife: La Gomera Island Day Trip with Lunch
4.1 (2,224 reviews)
from €110Check availability
GetYourGuide1 day
Full-Day Gomera Jeep Safari Excursion from Arona
4.6 (576 reviews)
from €150Check availability
GetYourGuide10 hours
From Tenerife: Guided Tour to La Gomera with Ferry and Lunch
4.4 (668 reviews)
from €110Check availability
GetYourGuide11 hours
From Tenerife: La Gomera Small-Group Day Trip, max 18 people
4.5 (240 reviews)
from €149Check availability
GetYourGuide10 hours
From South Tenerife: VIP Gomera Tour
4.6 (176 reviews)
from €165Check availability
GetYourGuide13 hours
Full-Day Gomera Jeep Safari from Puerto de La Cruz
4.5 (193 reviews)
from €165Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
If it leaves you wanting more, the island has plenty to keep you busy: see things to do in La Gomera or compare with other trips in getting around between the islands.
Can you see La Gomera in a day?
The essentials, yes: San Sebastián, Garajonay, the viewpoints and the north in about seven hours on the island. Valle Gran Rey only fits if you give up the north.
How much is the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera?
For non-residents, from €39.74 each way with Fred. Olsen and from €42 with Baleària, with prices that vary by day. Return, from about €80.
How long is the ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera?
About 50 minutes with both companies, from Los Cristianos to San Sebastián de La Gomera.
What time is the last ferry from La Gomera to Tenerife?
On Fred. Olsen's current timetable, 17:30 Monday to Friday and 17:00 at weekends. Timetables change by season: confirm the day's times on the ferry company's website.
Is there a La Gomera day trip from the north of Tenerife or from Santa Cruz?
Yes, there are tours with pick-up in Puerto de la Cruz (10–13 hours). Independently from Santa Cruz, Fred. Olsen offers a free bus to Los Cristianos that you book with your ticket.
Can I take my hire car on the ferry to La Gomera?
Only if the rental company allows it; get that in writing beforehand. The vehicle pays the full fare.
