The second smallest of the Canary Island El Hierro is an amazing place far off the tourist radar, which made it all the more fun for us to explore. It also means that there aren’t any direct flights from mainland Europe (or mainland anything, for that matter).

This leaves you with two options to reach the Island. You can either fly here from one of the bigger islands in the chain, or you can take the more scenic approach and arrive on El Hierro by boat.

In my opinion, this is the better option, especially if you’re connecting via Tenerife. International and inter-island flights leave from two different airports at opposite ends of the island, which means that you would need to take a bus between the two before you could catch your flight to El Hierro.

The ferries, on the other hand leave from the Port at Los Cristianos, which is much closer to the Tenerife South Airport, where most international flights land. You can find everything you need to know about reaching El Hierro by ferry in this post.

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What’s the Ferry Schedule?

The company Fred Olsen operates daily ferries from Los Cristianos on Tenerife to the Puerto de la Estaca on El Hierro and vice versa. There’s one daily ferry in Wednesday and Saturday and two on every other day of the week.

You can have a look below to see the ferry schedule from Los Cristianos on Tenerife to El Hierro at the time of writing.

Below is the schedule from El Hierro to Tenerife at the time of writing.

You can double-check the current schedule on the website of the ferry company.

How Much is the Ferry to El Hierro?

For non-residents the price is about 55€ one-way. There’s no discount for return trips. People under 26 and over 60 pay 41.50€ and children under 12 travel for about 30€.

Can You Take a Car on the Ferry to El Hierro?

You can and the prices depend on the size. You need to enter the make and model of the car you want to take when booking your trip to find out the exact price.

How Long Does the Ferry Ride Take?

The trip takes around 2 h 20 min. if the weather conditions are good.

Where Can You Book Your Ticket?

You can book your ticket online on the Fred Olsen website or directly here for the same price.

There are also ticket counters at the ferry port at Los Cristianos and on El Hierro. We went in the winter and there were only a few people on board but in the summer the situation might be different, so I recommend getting tickets a few days in advance.

What Else to Know About the Ferry Ride

In case you need to grab a bite during your trip, there’s a small café selling snacks and drinks on board. When we went in December, there were a few waves but it wasn’t too rough.

Still, if you’re prone to seasickness, you might want to take some medication before your trip.

How to Reach the Ferry port of Los Cristianos on Tenerife

There are several public bus routes connecting Los Cristianos to other parts of the island, including the capital Santa Cruz and the two airports.

All buses only go as far as Los Cristianos Bus Station (Estación de Guaguas), which is still about 1km from the port. Walking there takes about 20 minutes or you could take a taxi to the port if you have too much luggage to lug around.

You can look for connections on the Tenerife’s Public Bus Website.

How to Reach the Puerto de La Estaca on El Hierro

You can get to the port by taking bus lines 7 and 11 from the island’s capital Valverde. You can check connections and schedules on this website.

There’s also an office of the car rental company CICAR at the port. Renting a car is a good idea if you want to explore the more remote western part of the island.

What to Do on El Hierro

Despite its small size, there are plenty of cool things to do and see on the island. Have a look at my list of 15 must-do things on the island or check out my Ultimate Three Day Itinerary for El Hierro.