Fred. Olsen Express is the fast-ferry company with the most routes between the Canary Islands. It began in 1974 as Ferry Gomera S.A., with the Los Cristianos–La Gomera line, is based in Tenerife and belongs to the Norwegian Olsen family through Fred. Olsen & Co. and the holding company Bonheur. Don't confuse it with Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, the British cruise brand: they are separate businesses.
Our verdict in brief: it runs the most sailings on the key routes (La Gomera, Agaete, Lanzarote–Fuerteventura) and changes tickets free of charge, but it hides the visitor fare on several routes and the complaints about the app are more than the odd grumble.
Fred. Olsen fleet and routes
Its website lists twelve passenger ships, nearly all with names beginning with B, and three cargo vessels. The Benchijigua Express (2005) was launched as the world's first fast passenger trimaran; the ships on the Gran Canaria line, Bajamar and Bañaderos Express, are 118 m trimarans.
Island
How
| Route | Operator | Duration | From (non-resident) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ferry Santa Cruz de Tenerife → Agaete (Puerto de las Nieves) | Fred. Olsen Express | 1 h 20 | €45.98 |
| Ferry Santa Cruz de Tenerife → Las Palmas de Gran Canaria | Baleària Canarias | 1 h 40 | €60 |
| Ferry Los Cristianos → San Sebastián de La Gomera | Fred. Olsen Express · Baleària Canarias | 50 min | €39.74 |
| Ferry Los Cristianos → Santa Cruz de La Palma | Fred. Olsen Express · Baleària Canarias | 2 h 30 | €55 |
| Ferry Los Cristianos → Puerto de La Estaca (Valverde) | Fred. Olsen Express · Baleària Canarias | 2 h 20 – 2 h 30 | — |
| Ferry San Sebastián de La Gomera → Santa Cruz de La Palma | Baleària Canarias | 3 h 50 – 4 h | — |
| Ferry San Sebastián de La Gomera → Playa de Santiago | Fred. Olsen Express | 30 min | €15 |
| Ferry Playa de Santiago → Valle Gran Rey (Puerto de Vueltas) | Fred. Olsen Express | 40 min | €15 |
| Ferry Las Palmas de Gran Canaria → Morro Jable | Fred. Olsen Express · Baleària Canarias | 1 h 45 – 2 h | €70 |
| Ferry Las Palmas de Gran Canaria → Puerto del Rosario | Baleària Canarias | 6 h 15 | — |
| Ferry Las Palmas de Gran Canaria → Arrecife (Muelle de Los Mármoles) | Baleària Canarias | 6 h | €112 |
| Ferry Playa Blanca → Corralejo | Fred. Olsen Express · Baleària Canarias · Líneas Romero | 25 min – 35 min | €20.50 |
| Ferry Puerto del Rosario → Arrecife (Muelle de Los Mármoles) | Baleària Canarias | 2 h | — |
| Ferry Órzola → Caleta de Sebo | Líneas Romero · Biosfera Express | 25 min – 30 min | €16 |
| Ferry Corralejo → Isla de Lobos (El Puertito pier) | Naviera Nortour · Ferry Isla de Lobos | 15 min – 20 min | €17 |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → Gran Canaria | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → César Manrique–Lanzarote | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → Fuerteventura | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → La Palma | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → El Hierro | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife North–Ciudad de La Laguna → La Gomera | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → César Manrique–Lanzarote | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → Fuerteventura | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → La Palma | Binter · Canaryfly | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → El Hierro | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → La Gomera | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Gran Canaria → Tenerife South | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight Tenerife South → La Palma | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight La Palma → César Manrique–Lanzarote | Binter | under 50 min | — |
| Flight La Palma → Fuerteventura | Binter | under 50 min | — |
Journey times and fares as published by the operators, checked on 2 October 2026. One-way fare for a foot passenger without the resident discount; varies by date.
- Santa Cruz de Tenerife – Agaete (Gran Canaria): 80 minutes, up to 8 a day, from €45.98.
- Los Cristianos – San Sebastián de La Gomera: 50 minutes, up to 5 a day, from €39.74.
- Los Cristianos – Santa Cruz de La Palma: 2 h 30, up to 2 a day.
- Los Cristianos – El Hierro (La Estaca): 2 h 20, one daily sailing on the Bentago Express (880 passengers, 230 vehicles).
- Las Palmas – Morro Jable (Fuerteventura): about 2 h.
- Playa Blanca – Corralejo: 25 minutes on the Bocayna Express (takes cars) or 35 on the Buganvilla Express (foot passengers only), up to 12 a day.
- La Gomera coast: San Sebastián – Playa Santiago – Valle Gran Rey on the Benchi Express, €15 per leg, up to 3 a day. It is the only boat to those two ports.
- Huelva – Gran Canaria / Tenerife: 33–40 hours on the Buenavista Express.
There is no Fred. Olsen sailing between Gran Canaria and Lanzarote. Its "Gran Canaria–La Gomera in 2 h 10" adds two crossings together (Agaete–Santa Cruz and Los Cristianos–La Gomera); the road transfer between the ports is extra. Every ferry company is covered in ferries and flights between the islands.
Fred. Olsen prices, fares and Clase Oro
The fares are Web, Web+, Flexible, Priority and Oro. The most confusing part: for La Palma, Morro Jable and Lanzarote–Fuerteventura the website prints only the resident price (€12.33 to La Palma, with a 75% discount you don't get), and for El Hierro no price at all. The visitor fare appears once you pick a date in the booking engine, and it is dynamic.
Clase Oro (included in Priority and Oro) gives you priority boarding, a lounge with a terrace and food served at your seat: hot and cold dishes Monday to Friday, sandwiches and sharing boards at the weekend. The supplement is not published.
With a car and 2 to 5 people, the saver packages cut the price by up to 60%. With a hire car you can book by typing "RENT" as the make and give the number plate up to an hour before; check first that the rental company allows the car on the boat.
Booking, changes and what happens at the port
- Changes: date, time, fare and route free for a year if the same fare is available; if not, you pay the difference.
- Refunds: only on Flexible and Oro.
- Check-in: 20 minutes before on foot, 40 with a vehicle. Arrive later and your booking is cancelled.
- Luggage: 20 kg per person that you carry yourself; one bag in the lounge and the rest on trolleys or in lockers on the car deck.
- On board: café, shop and free wifi for messaging; boarding pass in the app.
For pets it is better than average: a carrier up to 10 kg from €2, an outdoor lounge with a camera from €3 or a "sofa" next to you from €7; no more than two animals per person, always with a booked ticket (https://www.fredolsen.es/en/travel-with-pets).
Fred. Olsen ferry reviews: what travellers say
On Trustpilot it scores 4.0/5 from 132 reviews (60% five stars, 26% one star), and the company replies to about three in four critical reviews. On Tripadvisor the Los Cristianos listing drops to 2.8/5 (423 reviews) and the Playa Blanca one rises to 4.0/5 (177). People praise the speed, the cleanliness, the crew, the phone line and the pet facilities; the complaints are about prices for non-residents, login and booking-reference glitches on the website and app, patchy service and the limited spaces for animals.
Score
- Routes and frequency
- 4.5/5Seven islands; up to 12 sailings a day across La Bocayna strait
- Speed
- 4.5/5Shortest crossing to Gran Canaria (Agaete) and across La Bocayna
- Price for visitors
- 2.5/5Full fare; only the car packages bring it down
- Fare transparency
- 2.5/5Several routes show only the resident price
- Ticket flexibility
- 4/5Free changes for a year; refunds only on Flexible and Oro
- Pets
- 4.5/5Three options from €2
- Website and support
- 3/5Good phone line; complaints about the app and booking references
The good
- Fast and frequent on the key routes.
- Ticket can be changed free for a year.
- Free bus to Agaete and to Los Cristianos.
- Only boat to Valle Gran Rey and Playa Santiago.
The not so good
- Visitor fare hidden until the booking engine on several routes.
- No refunds on the cheap fares.
- Boarding closes 20 or 40 minutes before.
- Low Tripadvisor scores in Los Cristianos.
Who is Fred. Olsen for?
Book it if you want to get there fast, if you are going from Tenerife to Gran Canaria without a car (with the free bus to Las Palmas), if you are travelling with a dog or if you want to sail along the south coast of La Gomera; for the day trip to La Gomera there are tours with the ferry included. On foot between Lanzarote and Corralejo, compare with Líneas Romero, which publishes €20.50. For Gran Canaria–Lanzarote or an overnight crossing, the only ferry company is Baleària Canarias; for La Palma or El Hierro without a car, Binter from Tenerife North is usually more practical.
GetYourGuide10 hours
From Tenerife: Guided Tour to La Gomera with Ferry and Lunch
4.4 (668 reviews)
from €110Check availability
GetYourGuide35 minutes
Canary Islands: Ferry Ticket Lanzarote/Fuerteventura
4.7 (477 reviews)
from €21Check availability
GetYourGuide9 hours
From Lanzarote: Day Trip to Fuerteventura and Corralejo
4.2 (1,042 reviews)
from €62Check availability
See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026
How much is the Fred. Olsen ferry from Tenerife to La Gomera?
From €39.74 each way for an adult visitor on foot, depending on the date. The €9.93 you will also see is a resident fare.
How much is Fred. Olsen from Tenerife to El Hierro or La Palma?
It does not publish the visitor fare on those routes outside its booking engine (for La Palma it only shows the resident fare). Pick a date on its website or app to see it.
How much luggage can you take on Fred. Olsen?
20 kg per passenger, which you carry yourself; one bag in the lounge and the rest on trolleys or in lockers on the car deck.
Where can I see the Fred. Olsen timetables?
Only in its booking engine (https://www.fredolsen.es/en/) and its app, by choosing a route and a date.
Is Fred. Olsen's Clase Oro worth it?
It includes a lounge with a terrace, priority boarding and food served at your seat, and it makes most difference on crossings of more than two hours. The supplement is not published: compare it when you book.
