Fred. Olsen Express Schedules 2026

Fred. Olsen Express is the fast-ferry operator of the Canary Islands, linking all seven islands to each other and running the only scheduled sea service between the archipelago and mainland Spain. Its fleet is built around high-speed trimarans and catamarans, which is why a crossing that takes a conventional ferry half a day is measured here in minutes.

The network, crossing by crossing

Fourteen scheduled crossings, with the times the operator itself publishes:

• Gran Canaria (Agaete) – Tenerife (Santa Cruz) — 80 minutes, worked by Bañaderos Express or Bajamar Express. The busiest link in the islands.
• Lanzarote (Playa Blanca) – Fuerteventura (Corralejo) — 25 or 35 minutes depending on the ship: the faster Bocayna Express or the Buganvilla. Two vessel classes on one berth, which is worth knowing when you compare timetables.
• Gran Canaria – Fuerteventura (Morro Jable) — 2 hours, Betancuria Express.
• Tenerife – La Gomera (San Sebastián) — 50 minutes, Benchijigua Express or Bencomo Express.
• Tenerife – La Palma — 2 h 30 m, same two ships.
• Tenerife – El Hierro (Valverde) — 2 h 20 m, Bentago Express.
• Tenerife – Fuerteventura — 3 h 20 m, Bañaderos or Betancuria Express.
• Gran Canaria – La Gomera — 2 h 10 m; Gran Canaria – La Palma — 3 h 50 m; Gran Canaria – El Hierro — 3 h 40 m.

The mainland run is a different kind of journey

Huelva – Gran Canaria and Huelva – Tenerife take 33 to 40 hours aboard the Buenavista Express. This is the only scheduled ferry between the Canaries and mainland Spain, and at well over a day at sea it is a cabin-and-vehicle crossing rather than a hop — a completely different proposition from the inter-island services above, despite carrying the same brand.

La Gomera has its own internal service

Easy to miss when planning: alongside the island-to-island network, Fred. Olsen runs a coastal route within La Gomera aboard the Benchi Express, connecting three points on the south and west coasts.

• San Sebastián – Playa Santiago — 30 minutes
• Playa Santiago – Valle Gran Rey — 40 minutes
• San Sebastián – Valle Gran Rey — 70 minutes

Fares on this coastal service start around €3.75, and for anyone staying in Valle Gran Rey it is usually quicker than the mountain road.

Ports served

Thirteen terminals across seven islands plus the mainland: Gran Canaria (Agaete and Las Palmas), Tenerife (Santa Cruz and Los Cristianos), Fuerteventura (Corralejo and Morro Jable), Lanzarote (Playa Blanca), La Palma (Santa Cruz de La Palma), La Gomera (San Sebastián, Playa Santiago, Valle Gran Rey), El Hierro (Valverde) and Huelva on the Andalusian coast.

Note that several islands are served from two different ports: on Tenerife, northern crossings use Santa Cruz while the southern ones leave from Los Cristianos, and the two are an hour apart by road. Check which one your ticket names.

The fleet

The ships are named after Canarian places and landmarks, and each tends to stay on its own routes: Bañaderos Express, Bajamar Express, Benchijigua Express, Bencomo Express, Bentago Express, Betancuria Express, Bocayna Express, Buenavista Express, Buganvilla and the smaller Benchi Express on the La Gomera coastal run. Because vessels differ in speed, the same crossing can show two published durations — the Lanzarote–Fuerteventura run is the clearest example at 25 against 35 minutes.