Car Rental in La Palma
Car Hire from La Palma Airport starts at a very low weekly rate of approximately €95.00. This includes:
- Collision damage waiver (CDW) No Excess
- Third party liability protection (TP)
- Theft waiver (TW)
- Taxes
- Airport fee
- Placement fee
- Unlimited mileage
- Breakdown assistance
What you see is what you pay as we have already factored in all the taxes and the premium location fee into this price as well as any La Palma airport surcharges.
Our low prices for car hire in La Palma are the lowest around because we compare the rates from companies such as Avis, Auto Europe, Budget Car rental, Dollar rent a car, Enterprise, National, Sixt, Hertz and many others.
Mini Tourist Guide for La Palma
La Palma is a Spanish island in the Canary Islands. It is near Morocco, Cape Verde and the archipelagos of the Azores and Madeira, both Portuguese. The nickname of the island is "La Isla Bonita" (the beautiful island).
The island has a small population of just under a hundred thousand. It has one major port (Santa Cruz de la Palma), a second small port (Tazacorte) and an international airport (SPC).
There is a regular ferry connection to Tenerife and freight-only ferries to the other islands, to Cadiz in mainland Spain and the African coast.
There are local direct flights to Tenerife, Gran Canaria and El Hierro. There are flights with Iberia and Binter to/from several airports in mainland Spain including Madrid and Barcelona, Paris, Madeira and Milan.
There are charter flights from Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands and mainland Spain.
Ethnically the population is mostly Hispanic (actually a mix of Spanish, Berber and Portuguese), with a small number of European immigrants and very small number of African and Eastern European immigrants.
The island exports bananas, rum, gofio and some tobacco, and hosts a major international astronomical observatory.
A hire car is the best option for discovering the remote wilderness regions. Roads are well-maintained and marked for traffic control. Only sharp turns and verticals on side roads may challenge some drivers.
There are a few beautiful towns, but the main attraction is the countryside. Spectacular volcanic landscapes reaching up above the clouds with dense vegetation in the valleys make for some spectacular hiking.
The highest point on the island, El Roque de los Muchachos (2426m -- about 8000 feet), is easily accessible by car most of the year and the views from there are spectacular and provide a good introduction to the geography of the island (note that access is restricted at night as this is the site of a major international astronomical observatory -- always read the signposts -- also note that roads and trails can be closed for a few days in the winter due to snow). There is a very extensive network of marked walking trails over the whole island which are well signposted and walking maps are available from the tourist office in Santa Cruz.
Along the northeast coast, you'll find masses of intricately terraced crops (especially bananas) interlaced with small towns and villages.
Los Tilos walk - if possible get four wheel taxi up to start of walk. Then walk around the canal (what in Madeira would be called a levada) following the contours of a steep tree-lined barranco walking through 13 tunnels (stooping to avoid hitting your head). Tunnel number 12 is wet inside - one guide book described it as like a power-shower. Then down through the laurisilva forest (a tiring but stunning descent of about 1000m). Also don't miss the lookout - a volcanic dyke about two feet wide with sheer drops on both sides, but protected by handrails with totally stunning 360 degree views - makes Symond's Yat look a bit pathetic. Details of the walk are in Walk! La Palma [3] and also in the Sunflower book guide [4] though take the times given for the walk with a pinch of salt - this took us about 6 hours. But well worth the effort. See picture at right.
Ruta del VolcanoesRuta del los Volcanos - part of the GR 131 long distance path - along the length of the Cumbre Vieja, a route with fabulous views all round, and with volcanic craters for most of the length. Again, quite a demanding walk on a hot day, and dust kicked up by walking companions gets everywhere, but a stunningly memorable walk.
