You’ve planned the climbs, booked the bike, and packed your suitcase. Now, all that’s left are those small travel details that can cause confusion: “What time is it there?” and “Do I need to change money?”
Organizing a trip to Tenerife, from this perspective, is incredibly simple. The island is part of Spain and the European Union, but its geographical location in the Atlantic creates a small (but important) time difference.
Here’s the quick guide to arrive prepared and avoid confusion with flight times and appointments.
Currency: No Problem, You’re in Europe
Let’s start with the easiest part: the currency.
Tenerife is part of Spain, which is a member of the European Union and the Eurozone.
- Official Currency: The Euro (€).
- For those traveling from the UK: You will need to exchange your Pounds (GBP) for Euros.
- For those traveling from Switzerland: You will need to exchange your Swiss Francs (CHF) for Euros.
- For those from a Eurozone country (Italy, Germany, France, etc.): You don’t need to change anything at all. Your currency is the same.
Payments: Cards and Cash
Credit and debit cards (Visa, Mastercard) are accepted almost everywhere in Tenerife, especially in hotels, restaurants, supermarkets, and bike rental shops like ours.
However, it’s always a good idea to carry a small amount of cash. Why? For the cafes along the route.
When you’re in the middle of a climb and stop for a coffee (cortado) and a piece of cake in a small bar in a mountain village (like Vilaflor or Masca), they will likely prefer cash or may not accept cards for amounts under €5-10.
Time Zone: One Hour Behind (and Watch for Daylight Saving)
This is where things get interesting. Tenerife, like all the Canary Islands, is geographically very far west, on almost the same longitude as Iceland.
For this reason, the island adopts a different time zone than mainland Spain and Central Europe.
- Official Time Zone: Western European Time (WET), which is GMT/UTC+0.
- Mainland Spain, Italy, Germany, France: Use Central European Time (CET), which is GMT/UTC+1.
The Simple Rule:
When you are in Tenerife, the clock is always one hour behind Italy, Germany, or France.
Example:
- 12:00 PM (Noon) in Central Europe = 11:00 AM in Tenerife.
What about Daylight Saving Time (DST)?
The rule doesn’t change. The Canary Islands, like the rest of Europe, observe DST. They move the clocks forward one hour in spring (to UTC+1) and back in autumn (returning to UTC+0).
Since the rest of Europe does the same, the -1 hour difference remains constant all year round.
(Note for UK/Ireland: You are on the same time zone, GMT/UTC+0, so there is no time difference.)
The Practical Impact on Your Trip
Why does this one-hour difference matter?
- Booking Flights: Pay close attention to your airline tickets. The departure time is always in the local time of the departure airport. The arrival time is always in the local time of the destination.
- Calls Home: Remember that if you call friends or family in Central Europe at 6:00 PM (your time), it will already be 7:00 PM (dinnertime) for them.
- Tour/Rental Appointments: When you book a guided tour or bike pick-up with us, all times we give you are always in local Tenerife time. If we say “departure at 9:00 AM,” it means 9:00 AM Canary time.
Fortunately, your smartphone will manage the time zone change automatically as soon as you land.
In summary: bring your Euros and set your watch back one hour. That’s it. The rest is just riding.