Welcome to the Santa Cruz Cruise Port Guide. Santa Cruz de Tenerife is a city of about 200.000 on the island of Tenerife, which is part of the Canary islands. In the middle of the Atlantic ocean off the southern coast of Morocco we find a group of islands that make up the Canary islands or Canarias. The 7 main islands all have their own landscape and identity and that makes cruising through the area a delight. Tenerife is the biggest islands and well known for housing Spain’s largest mountain: Mt. Teide. This dormant volcano reaches a height of 3718 meters and that makes it the 3rd largest volcano on earth. Visiting this moon landscape is an absolute delight. Tenerife is more than a volcano hotspot though. There are tuns of little scenic villages that you can visit, you can lay on the beach or simply stay in Santa Cruz. Santa Cruz is a city where old and new meet. On one hand you can find the beautiful modern design architecture, but you will also see its old historical buildings with wooden balconies here. The city has a great vibe and there is plenty to explore here. Read the Santa Cruz cruise port guide for all the information.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife cruise port – fast facts

– Cruise ships dock at the long pier in the Santa Cruz port
– The cruise port of Santa Cruz also provides a free shuttle service
– There is not a direct cruise terminal building at the pier
– The cruise port is about 1,5 km from Santa Cruz’s city center
– Santa Cruz offers taxi service, hop on hop off busses and great public transportation

Cruise port dock of Santa Cruz de Tenerife

In Santa Cruz you will find a very long pier where cruise ships can dock.

Taxis waiting at the cruise dock for cruise guests

At the pier you will find limited facilities. Only taxis and shore excursion busses are allowed on the pier. The port usually sends a representative from the tourist information for the first few hours to hand out information and maps.

The port shuttle will drop you off at the port terminal. This is a at the foot of the city centre.

At Santa Cruz you will find wi-fi at plenty spaces. Find this building at the end of the pier for free wi-fi.

Travel information Canary Islands

Official currency – Euro
Accepts Us dollars – generally not
Creditcards – are often accepted

Drives on the – right
Timezone – UTC +1

About Spain

Inhabitants – 46 million
Official language – Spanish
Capital city – Madrid

Kingdom of Spain
Government – Unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy

Spanish language

Good day – buen dia
How are you? – ¿como estas?
Thank you – gracias
Cruise ship – crucero
Port – puerto

Also visit our cruise port guides for:

Las Palmas – Gran Canaria
Arrecife – Lanzarote
Casablanca
Funcal – Madeira
Cadiz
Lisbon

Cruise Port Guide Santa Cruz de Tenerife – Spain: docked

The port of Santa Cruz is a large one. There is a specific area where cruise and passenger ships can come in. Most cruise ships will have to dock on the very long pier as you can see in the map above. Your ship could either be docking at the beginning or at the end of the pier. You can tell how far the walk is to the city centre by checking the blue signs on the wall of the long pier when you exit the ship. Usually the distance to town is between 1000 and 1500 meter.

Santa Cruz Cruise Shuttle Service

The cruise port of Santa Cruz also provides a free shuttle service. This port shuttle will take you to the cruise terminal and port exit. This is also where you find the start of the city centre. From here you are about 300 meter away from the main square: Plaza de Espana. The city of Santa Cruz is easy to explore by foot, but if you want to go a little further afield you might want to go with one of the following types of transport:

Taxis at Santa Cruz

Official taxis in Santa Cruz are white with a small blue stripe and they have a meter. You will find them waiting on the pier for you and also in the city centre. Prices vary and you have to negotiate if you want to go for a taxi tour. Expect that it costs you about 140 euro to hire the taxi for the whole day.

Hop on hop off bus at Santa Cruz

There is a hop on hop off bus in Santa Cruz, but it only takes you around town. Find its closest hop on location at the Plaza de Espana.

Public Transport

Public transport is a really nice and cheap way to see the island. There is an extensive bus and tram system that can take you anywhere. Keep in mind that on Sundays the busses don’t go that often (only few times per day). There is a main bus station in town (see its location on the map above). From here you can catch the bus to Candelaria, Teresita, Puerto de la Cruz or La Laguna. Plan your journey ahead with the following planner: http://titsa.com/index.php?idioma=1 The main lines you might be interested in would be:

Bus 101, 102 and 103 – to Puerto de la Cruz Bus
Bus 110 to Los Cristianos – Costa Adeje
Bus 120, 121, 124 and 127 to Guitar
Bus 122, 123, 126 and 127 to Candelaria
To get to the main bus station you can either walk (2,5 km from port) or pick up the public bus at the Plaza de Espana to Intercambiador (main bus station).

Beaches close to Santa Cruz cruise port

In town there are no beaches. If you would like to go to one catch bus 910 to Teresita at the main road in front of the terminal. Teresita beach is the closest beach available with sand that was imported from the Sahara.

Car Rental

Why not rent a car and drive around yourself? There is a Cicar car rental in the terminal building, but it is not always open. It is therefore wise to make reservation ahead of time: www.cicar.com/EN

Destination and distance from the cruise port

San Cristobal de La Laguna = 5 km / 3 miles north
Pyramids of Guimar = 20 km / 12 miles south west
Hamlet of Masca = 16 km / 9 miles west
Candelaria = 20 km / 12 miles south west
Tacoronte = 22 km / 13 miles west Taganan = 22 km / 13 miles north
Teide National Park = 40 km west