Transportation

Road network
The roads of the island form a network of 1,200 kilometers. All main roads are paved and in good condition, and virtually all have many curves, some very close together. To reach some villages in the north one must travel on tracks of land.

There is a ring road of about 180 kilometers around the island.  Strictly speaking, this is composed of two roads, referred to as LP-1 and LP-2.  The LP-1, of 102.430 km, is North Ring Road.  It starts in Santa Cruz de La Palma and ends in Argua, running through (or near) Puntallana, Los Sauces, Barlovento, Garafia, and Puntagorda Tijarafe.

The LP-2, of 55.450 km, is South Ring Road.  Starting from Santa Cruz de la Palma it ends at the Port of Tazacorte and runs through (or near) Brena Baja, Mazo, Fuencaliente, Los Llanos and Tazacorte.

The LP-3, of 25.9 km, also known as the “Road to the Summit,” is a mountain road that crosses the island from east to west through two tunnels under New Summit.  Its origin is 3 km from Santa Cruz and it ends at the junction of Collins (El Paso).

The LP-4, of 47.840 km, is Roque Road, and climbs to the astrophysical observatory of Roque de los Muchachos, and then goes down to Hoya Grande (Garafia) on the northern side of the island.

The LP-5, Airport Road, is 3.8 km long and runs from the district of Fuerte (Brena Baja), to the airport of La Palma.

The LP-20, via outer Santa Cruz de La Palma, is a 3.7-km bypass that prevents passage through the center of the capital.  It has 5 tunnels totaling 1831 m in length, which constitute 49% of the total track.

The network is completed with 47 minor island roads.  The origin of all roads, kilometer zero of the island, is set at the roundabout to access the port of Santa Cruz (Glorieta de Blas Perez Gonzalez).

Public Transport
Several bus lines connect the major towns of the island, running at different times. Details on the current service can be accessed at the official website of Transport Island of La Palma.  The island has busses adapted for disabled people, such as with wheelchair lifts.  Tourist trains for visiting the island are also available.

Shipping
The bay of the capital has been used as a port since the conquest of the island in 1493. Currently, ferries depart from Santa Cruz de La Palma to the other islands, especially to Tenerife, where companies operate Naviera Armas, Trasmediterranea Acciona and Fred Olsen Express.  The times and schedules vary based on ship and company, ranging from 2 hours to 5 hours. There is also a weekly line joining Santa Cruz de La Palma to Cadiz. Tazacorte Tenerife is also a connected weekly with Santa Cruz de La Palma.

There is a municipality of Los Llanos de Aridane next to the aforementioned Tazacorte with a coastal town called Puerto Naos.  The town, despite its misleading name, has no port to use.

Air
In 1950 service began at Buenavista Airport, the airport of La Palma, which was located in Brena Alta.  However, due to weather problems and the inability to expand to accommodate new high-propelled aircraft, the airport closed in 1970.  After that, a new airport began operations on the coast of Mazo.

On February 24, 1970 the first plane landed at the airport, a DC-3 flown by the Air Force.  In 1987, operations at La Palma Airport fell to sixth place in the archipelago.  Currently, Binter Canarias and Islas Airways conduct air links with other islands.  Iberia offers connections to the mainland and Transavia, Air Berlin, and other charter operators such as LTU, provide low-cost flights connecting the island with several European cities.