So, you have been to the official website to book your tickets for the Caminito del Rey and to your dismay the dates you want are full and all the tickets are sold out. (agotado!). No tickets for the Caminito left online? No problem (hopefully)…..Not to worry as there are a few other ways that you can get your ticket.
Get Your Guide Caminito del Rey Tickets
Unlike the official Caminito del Rey site, this ticket includes a full refund option — giving you flexibility and peace of mind. The official site will only offer a date change and no refund if, for some reason, the walkway closes on the day of your visit (Extreme heat, rains or high winds for example).
Explore the breathtaking Caminito del Rey in El Chorro, once famed as one of the most dangerous hiking paths in the world, with this convenient entry ticket. Enjoy peace of mind with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund, and keep your travel plans flexible by reserving now and paying later. Your ticket is valid for one day, so you can choose the perfect time for your adventure — simply check availability to find your ideal starting slot. Get your entry ticket here.
Recommended Providers With Strong Reviews
Several tour partners consistently earn strong ratings. One example is La Garganta Activa, which runs a Caminito del Rey tour rated 4.7/5 with more than 8,000 reviews on Get Your Guide. The feedback highlights steady quality, clear communication, and experienced local guides. Because they work directly in the El Chorro area, they understand the route, conditions, and safety requirements better than most operators.
Viator Caminito de Rey Tickets
Another alternative to the official website is to book a ticket for the Caminito del Rey at the Viator website here.
Other Options From Get Your Guide
Hotels can help with your Entry ticket for the Caminito del Rey
Stay in a local hotel such as the Posada del Conde or the Garganta Complex. These are the two hotels nearest to the walk that can get the tickets for you. (When you make the booking, make sure that you add a message to say that you arespecifically booking because you want to walk the Caminito del Rey.) If the hotels are full then other hotels found on booking.com can help as well such as the fantastic Hotel Magdalena closer to Antequera.
Turning up at the gate
Just turn up and buy your ticket at the gate. (10 euros each and you can pay by card as well as cash). THIS DOES NOT ALWAYS WORK BUT MANY PEOPLE HAVE COMMENTED THAT THEY WERE ALLOWED TO PAY AT THE GATE.
Latest comments are that there are just 50 tickets available at the gate and people are turning up to queue as early as 07:00 am!
This is because there are a percentage of tickets (6% of the 1100 people allowed in daily.) When you can enter depends on how many people turn up for each allocated time slot. The maximum amount of people that enter every half an hour is 60 people so if you are there to buy your ticket at 11am and there are only 45 people checking in then you will be allowed to go along with that group… If there are 60 people you will have to wait for the next group in 30 minutes time.
Speaking with the manager there she told me that very rarely do people have to wait for more than an hour and on this day she had sold over 60 entries at the gate and the people went in almost straight away but, she did say…”Try to get here as early as possible for the morning entries and weekends or holidays can be more complicated sometimes meaning people get turned away”
Even if you do have to wait a while, it really isn’t a hardship to sit and admire tha amazing scenery at the entrance to the Caminito del Rey!
Remember that the entrance for the Caminito del Rey is at the reservoirs/kings chair/el kiosko side... The north entrance. You cannot start the walk from the El Chorro (south) side…
If you are staying in malaga go to a train station and see if you can get the combined ticket…. Click here to read more about the combined ticket! This is now discontinued.
So, there you go. No tickets for the Caminito left online? No problem (hopefully)
Listen to the podcast
Missed out on online tickets for the Caminito del Rey? Don’t panic—there are still ways to get in! In this episode, we break down Clive Muir’s expert tips on securing last-minute access. From booking through third-party platforms like Viator and Get Your Guide to leveraging hotel connections or arriving early for limited on-site tickets, we’ve got you covered. Plus, we explore other helpful resources, including Ronda Today and Visiting Cadiz, for more travel insights. Tune in for practical advice on navigating Andalucia’s top attractions!
Frequently Asked Questions: What to Do If Caminito del Rey Tickets Are Sold Out
Yes! While the official website might show no availability, many travelers still manage to secure entry through alternative methods like tour platforms, hotels, and limited on-site tickets.
Tour Companies: Reputable platforms like Viator and GetYourGuide often hold blocks of tickets, even when the official site is full. These typically include guided tours and transport options.
Local Hotels: Accommodations near the trail — especially Posada del Conde and Complejo Turístico La Garganta — often reserve tickets for guests. Mention your interest in walking the Caminito when booking.
On-Site Tickets: About 50 same-day tickets are released at the gate daily (€10). Arrive early — people start queuing as early as 07:00 AM, especially on weekends.
To improve your chances, arrive by 07:00–07:30 AM. The ticket booth opens around 08:45 AM, but the queue often forms much earlier. Tickets may sell out by 09:00 AM, particularly on weekends or holidays.
General Entry lets you explore the path on your own.
Guided Tours include a licensed guide and are often more available than standard tickets. Tours move at a slower pace, but provide great context about the trail’s history, geology, and wildlife.
Expect 2–4 hours for a self-guided walk. Guided tours may last slightly longer due to stops for commentary.
No toilets are located on the path itself. Restrooms are available only at the north entrance and south exit. For snacks and drinks, you’ll find bars at the north trailhead (El Kiosko) and near the south exit.
The trail may close during high winds or storms due to safety concerns like rockfalls. Refunds vary depending on your booking source — some platforms are better about issuing them than others. Even if closed, nearby spots like El Chorro or the reservoir area offer scenic alternatives.
Bring water, snacks, sun protection (hat, sunscreen), and sturdy shoes. UV levels can be intense, and there are no shaded rest points or vending facilities on the path. Don’t forget your camera!
I’ve been living in this lovely area of Western Andalucia for the last 20 years or so and dedicate most of my time to the running of English language tourist information websites for the towns of Cádiz, Ronda, Grazalema, the famous or infamous Caminito del Rey, and also Wildside Holidays, which promotes sustainable and eco-friendly businesses running wildlife and walking holidays in Spain. My articles contain affiliate links that will help you reserve a hotel, bus, train or activity in the area. You don’t pay more, but by using them you do support this website. Thankyou!
Update on buying tickets on the day. Four of us did the walk on Thursday 9th October 2025. We drove and parked by restaurant El Kiosko (no recommended as we were lucky to get a space at around 10am – best to park at the Camanito del Rey reception car park and get the shuttle bus one stop to get to where we parked). Then it’s a 1.5km walk to the entrance and ticket office (well signed). We arrive there around 10:20am and were able to buy 18 Euro tickets for the next English guided tour at 10:30 (all the 10 Euro self guided tickets were sold out but I would recommend the guided tour anyway as you get a headset and a very knowledgeable guide). We went fairly slowly and it took around 2.5 hours to complete. Toilets and lots of places to get food and drink at the end plus picnic tables.
One word of advice. It’s around an 8km (5 mile) walk overall, including the walk up to the train station to get the shuttle bus back, and it was very hot even in October. My mother struggled towards the end of the walk as there are many steps, and she is relatively fit.
Thanks for the update Ian! Great information!
Just completed the walk (16 April 2024 Tuesday) and thought I will leave this review for people who didn’t managed to get a ticket online (aka me). Took the first train from Malaga 8:58am that arrive to El chorro at 9:39am, not very early. A toilet stop, purchase of water, shuttle bus ride and a long walk from the bus stop, I finally arrive at the entrance at 10:50am. The staff direct me to the ticket office and there’s only a short queue of 5 people in front. Got the guided tour ticket at €18 (€10 tickets were sold out). The first staff told me they only take cash but I seen people paid with card too. I also saw full family of 5 pax getting in and haven’t seen anyone being rejected.
There’s English tour at 11am (which was full) but I managed to join the other English tour at 11:30am.
There were only about 30 of us (I think the full tour has about 50-60 pax) so they can easily accommodate a lot more people even if you don’t already have tickets. The whole tour took about 2 hours and the guide was ok. I took my own pace and walked at the end of the group. Wonderful visit, highly recommended! Amazing to walk amongst the nature!
Bring plenty of water and some snacks. It’s so hot (high UV index). There’s toilets (clean) and kiosks at the end of the walk. Drinks go around €2 each. If you walk further up to where the shuttle bus stop, drinks are cheaper at €1.50 each.
Hope this help anyone who doesn’t have tickets and are still hesitating, just go!
Thank you Li, we did the same route as you. Train is the best choice, drive back was at 16:39
There were only guide tickets available, but that was ok.
Longer walk was from the end of tour to the train station, or we were just tired…
If it wasn’t for the information on this page I would have no idea how to book a ticket! The official website had all the dates booked and when we did find a date the site crashed! In the end we used the advice from this article and booked a guided tour through Get Your Guide. Three clicks and done! Thankyou
Hello, Is it still possible to go to the gate, without tickets and try to buy them over there? We want to go on 20 or 21 september with 2 persones. Thanks
You can try but its not guaranteed. Get there as early as you can though. Latest comments are that there are just 50 tickets available at the gate and people are turning up to queue as early as 07:30 am!
Please let us know how you get on?
Thank you very much. We took your advice. Today we went from Malaga to El Chorro by train, then a shuttelbus to the Camino. We went to the ticket office and were allowed to buy two guided tour tickets. There was no need to wait. We were immediately able to join the group. Definitely try if you can’t get tickets online.
Thats fantastic! Thank you so much for the feedback.
hi Clive ! we want to visit Caminito del Rey on the 6th of May. of course i reached the official website to late and all tickets are already sold out. do you think we have a chance to find some tickets at gate if we arrive there at 9.30 ? i’ve seen your comment “Latest comments are that there are just 50 tickets available at the gate and people are turning up to queue as early as 07:30 am! ” is this still up to date ? hope note 🙁 Also we will be arriving by car, understood that there is a parking lot next to the entrance. are there any indicators that can guide us to the actual entrance ?
Hi Clive,
we will be in El Chorro on 28.05.22 and have bought tickets for the Caminito for 12:20. However, since we will still be traveling on to Granada, we are considering exchanging them for an earlier time. We were offered 10:00. We are staying at La Garganta and would take the shuttle bus from there. We read that you still have to hike from the kiosk to the actual entrance. We are good hikers. 🙂 But where exactly do we have to be at the time indicated on the ticket? What time would we have to start at La Garganta if we take the 10am tickets?
Thank you very much for any info.
Hi Gaby… Your time slot starts from the entry point to the Caminito del Rey which takes about 15/20 minutes to walk to from the kiosko bar. Ideally be there 20 minutes or so before your entry time so if you have a 10 am ticket then be at the kisko around 9 ish to allow plenty of time… Hope that helps and please do let me know how you get on…. If you are off to granada then have a look at this on my other website Wildside Holidays as well 🙂 https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/granada-global-geopark/
Hi there, Im trying to buy 2 x entry tickets in april, but only have the choice of Guided tours. Can I not just buy 2 x Entry tickets??
Many thanks
Writing back with latest update as this page has been a great resource to me.
We arrived at 8:10am in the morning at the entrance tunnel (between Kiosko and Mirador restaurant). Parked on the side of the road (there’s enough space for 10-12 cars) and walked 1.5km to the ticket office. When we get there, there’s already a line of 55-60 people (based on my rough count). The ticket shop open at approx. 8:45am and we made the cut. There’s still about 15-20 people behind us who arrived later and were able to get tickets as well.
The park ranger did say they have limit of 50 people for the on-the-day ticket, however this seems to be a “soft” limit. People who arrive at the ticket office before 8:45am seems to be able to get in based on my experience this morning (26 oct).
For the bus ride back, you need to walk to the bus stop in front of the train station. Bus departs every :00 and :30 from the El Chorro bus stop making stops at the Mirador restaurant and Kiosko restaurant.
Thanks for the great feedback Andy! Very interesting to see that the 50 limit is “flexible”. Glad that you got in and had a great time 🙂
TL;DR – Got in by getting there in the morning and buying ticket from the booth.
I’m writing this as a thank you note, because this is where I found that this option was possible.
So, we were planing this visit for over 1 month. At that time I checked the GetYourGuide site and there were several options from Malaga ~50-60 euro/person, so no biggie. One week before our visit, when I wanted to book one of those day trips, it was not possible because there were no available tickets, or there are no tours in the dates that fits our itinerary.
Found out this article on Google and also asked some Spanish friends to call at the Caminito del Rey and confirm the information. We decided to do it on Tuesday 19/10/2021. There is no train or bus that gets there so early in the morning, so we needed to get a ride. Checked in the Uber app the night before and it was ~80eur trip from Malaga to Caminito. I checked also some other local app FreeNow (~55eur – but the fixed price was not available so this could vary a lot) but after seeing the bad reviews online I decided is not a good idea. Got up early in the morning with the decision in mind of getting the Uber, but wanted to check also with the local taxi drivers. After leaving the building at 6.30 I asked the first taxi driver I found if he would take us there and agreed on the first asked price of 70eur. I bet if you insist you can get this figure lower. About 1 hour drive and he leaves us at the intersection right before Restaurante El Mirador Ardales. From here we walked about 40 mins to the starting point of the Caminito del Rey. No sunlight until 8 o’clock in the morning so we used our phone lanterns. We arrived there at 8:10 laughing at what we discussed with the taxi driver “I bet you’ll be the first visitors today” after seeing on the official website that it opens at 10 o’clock. We counted 45 people in line before us without tickets. It opened at 9:00 with a group of ~25 people, and we entered in the second group 10 mins later. Behind us there were probably ~50-100 people, but I do not know if all of them gained access.
There is no rush on the path, you can take your time. To get back in Malaga we used the train from El Chorro that leaves at 13:50 and is 6.25eur/person. Basically we arrived at around the same price that we were ready to pay for the tour on GetYourGuide.
In the end I want to thank you very much for this article! It helped us get in without pre-booked tickets. Cheers!
Thanks for the excellent feedback! And, glad you managed to get tickets at the gate. Can’t beleieve that there were already 45 people there at 8am! My goodness…. 🙂
Hi Clive, we are trying to do a hike tomorrow (Saturday), but we don’t have tickets. It looks like some people here are having luck with the early morning tickets? Have you heard any more updates on what time to arrive for the those tickets?
Hi Michael. Many people are commenting that they are getting there as early as 7am… Some get tickets still at 9am… Best of luck and let me know how you get on 🙂
Hey Clive, a group of 4 of us are planning on going this Saturday/Sunday! We’re booking transport to get there at 7:30AM, reckon we’ll get lucky?
Thanks
You may well get lucky…. Many people comment that by 10 am there are no tickets left so you are getting there eatly enough… Best of luck and let me know how you get on! 🙂
Unfortunately our taxi didn’t show up, but best of luck to everyone trying 🙂
Oh what a shame! Sorry to hear that your taxi failed to show.
Hello. I went to the official website to check for tickets but none of the days are active. I don’t see anything red or green, it’s just grayed out. Does that mean that there are no tickets left by the end of October or it’s just a glitch in the system?
Many thanks!
Heeey, we successfully visited Caminito del Rey. We got there around 8:30 and bought the tickets from there. We were in the first 50 people in line, so I am not sure if the rest of them waiting in line after us got in as well.
Wish you a nice afternoon,
nElena
Thats great that you got tickets. Thanks for letting us know!
Hi,
We are planning to go tomorrow (which is a Wednesday) to try and get tickets at the gate.. do we have a chance if we arrive around 8:00 Am, considering also that is middle of the week ?we want 4 tickets.
Thanks,
Elena
Hi Elena… I spoke last week with the official people and they told me that there are 50 tickets available at the gate….. They said by 8.30 to 9 there are none left!…. Best of luck and let us know how you get on…. 🙂
ANy word on whether tickets sold at the gate during Covid re opening?
Hi Natalie…. Yes, there are 50 tickets at the gate each morning…. But you need to get there as early as possible and its not guaranteed that any will be left… This is the message from the official company running the site.
“Ticket availability is as shown on the website. In addition, a very small number of tickets (around 50) at the box office go on sale every day. They are very few and sell out quickly, so we recommend going as early as possible. The box office opens at 09:00 A.M , but we cannot guarantee the exact time the tickets stay as it will depend on the number of people waiting that day.”
Let us know how you get on! 🙂 best of luck….
Today, 18.06.2021 I went in the morning at the train station and I found there are no more combo tickets available to sell due to COVID.
Hi Costin, thanks for the update….
hello
just wonder is the ticket at the train station be sold on august 2020?
we trying to buy tickets online but they been sold out in minutes…
As far as I am aware the tickets are available at the train station…..
Hi Clive,
I just want to give a short feedback. We have managed to visit Caminito del Rey on 23rd October based on the information I read here. As our accommodation in Malaga was very close to the train station I got there early. At 7:00 am there were still 63 tickets out of the 70 without guide, so I could buy for us without any problem. There were noone at the ticket machine at that time (still dark :)).
The train and bus combo was easy to follow, and we got straight in so we could do the trip and reach the 15:50 train back to Malaga without any problem. Thank you, Timea
Thanks for the feedback Timea and I am glad it all worked out well for you using the train ticket system to get to walk the Caminito del Rey.
Hi Clive, I will be staying in Nerja in October and would like to do the CDRey. I was thinking if hiring a car and trying to get my ticket on arrival. Do you think this is feasible?
Hi Liz (Your name is familiar have we met?)
I have been told by the official office for the Caminito del Rey that there are 50 tickets available at the entry point each day (Apart from mondays of course when it is closed). The advice is to get there as early as possible and if you arrive later than 10 am there probably wont be any tickets left… A very early start from Nerja… 🙂
Just in case you dont get a ticket, In Nerja there is also a fantastic walking guide called John keo. You can find info about him on our Wildside Holidays website… https://wildsideholidays.co.uk/john-keo-walking-tours/
Let me know how you get on! 🙂
Clive
Hi Clive, thank you for your help, we got to the machine at the Maria Zambrano station at 8:10am and got the combo tickets today! The walk was great and I’m so happy we got the tickets. We took the train and bus (as inclyded in the combo ticket), and when we arrived others were being turned away as there were already no more tickets left on site to purchase! The queue for us had barely anyone in it but the queue for those buying tickets was long.
Excellent Chere, thanks for thr feedback!
Hello clive, we‘ve visited caminito del rey today thanks to your wonderful guide. Initially, we hesitated to go since tickets were sold out. But thanks to you we went anyways. We arrived at 8:30 on this wednesday when approx 50 people had queued up already. At 9:10 they started selling tickets. We went in with the second group of people without tickets at 9:30. So it was pretty smooth. People behind us where also still allowed in so we‘re pretty sure they sell more than 50 tickets but unfortunately we didn‘t aks how many. The trip was definitely worth the wait. After taking the bus back to el kiosk we saw a man at the tunell around 12:10 that appeared to be selling tickets. But again we forgot to aks him and are not sure if those were valid or with guide or whatever. Thanks again for the tips.
Thanks for the kind comments and glad it worked out for you…. A man selling tickets at Kiosko bar? There are companies that do this but make sure they are not someone trying to scam people. (Like they do in the car queus getting in to Gibraltar charging an “entry fee”)
Hi Clive,
I was one of many that went online to book only to find I was like a month late 🙂
We were hoping to do the Caminito del rey on the 6th October, we will have a rented car because we are planning on exploring onwards after the hike anyway (if we are lucky enough to get tickets). Our schedule only allows us for Saturday or Sunday.
Could you tell me:
-Can we buy combo bus/train tickets at the train station and just drive there and use the ticket for entrance? I know its a waste but its still cheaper than a guided tour which seem to be sold out for our day anyway.
-Otherwise if we try to buy tickets at the gate, I’ve seen that weekends are busier than weekdays, what time do you suggest we get there?
-I’ve heard they have 50 or 100 tickets at the gate but one or two people on this thread said that there were no tickets at all when they arrived? If we arrive early enough and weather is fine are we going to be able to get tickets?
Much appreciated!
I have heard that some people by the tickets at the train station and then drive up but I haven’t had any real feedback about how it works out….. Remember that the tickets are only valid for the same day! Let me know how you get on. 🙂
Hi,
How does the combined ticket from Malaga train station work exactly? If we buy it a few days before we go, would we be able to chose the entry time taking into consideration the train timetable? It would be a wednesday on the 23rd of October and we could buy it 3 days before.
Hi Timea…. As far as I am aware You can only buy tickets on the same day you are going. The ticket machine is open from 6am to 09:15 every day except Monday (when the Caminito del Rey is closed)
There are 100 tickets available each day with 30 allocated for guided tours and 70 for self guided tours. Prices are 23 euros sin guía (without a guide) and 31 euros con guía (with a guide)
We are wanting to go on either the 8th or 9th but both are sold out. What time would you suggest that we arrive to try and wait for tickets? Or if we buy the combined ticket at a train station could we just buy them and drive to the hike and use the tickets there? Thank you
I would think that buying the tickets at the station if they are available is the best option…. But why not get the train as well and enjoy the journey….
6 of us were looking to buy self guided tickets Tues 15 Oct or Fri 19 Oct but online is sold out.
Should we pay a little more for guided tour or could our resort in Malaga possibly help us secure tickets?
Hi Tom, Ask your hotel to see if they can help, they may have access to tickest as many hotels in the area do. The guided tours are well worth the small extra cost as you learn so much more about the walkway and it’s history/wildlife
Hi, we’be been to Caminito without tickets on 3-07-2019(thu). Arrived there at 10am, there was already about of 40 people in front of us (without tickets). Within 30-40 minutes we were allowed to by the tickets!
Thanks for that update Lena, it’s good to know that getting tickets is still possible if the online system is full and you turn up early at the entrance….
hi
im looking for tickets around the 8th of august. there are only tickets with a guide – can you tell me what that includes and if its in english?
and do you know if there are any other interesting hiking tours in the area?
thanks!
Br
Therese
Hi Clive, just wondering what my chances are of doing the hike if I buy the combined ticket early in the morning to do the hike same day. Keeping in mind the earliest train that gets to El Chorro is 10:46am :/ If I am able to secure a combined ticket in the morning would I be able to do the hike regardless of what time I get there?
Hi Vincent, as far as I am aware the last train back from el Chorro to Malaga is 19:54 (please double check when you buy your tickets) So, that would leave you plenty of time to train from Malaga to El chorro, shuttle bus to the walk start point, do the Caminito del rey back to el Chorro and then return by train to Malaga.
I am interested to see the stuff. But my daughter is not fit enough to walk the whole way. Is there a way to do it partially or get some glimpses from outside or do I have to skip it altogether?
Hi, From the el chorro side there are good views of the walkway and you can walk up to see a closer vier of the suspension bridge…. From the lakeside/el kisoko bar area you can walk down to the start point past and this has lovely views… Unfortunately once you are on the Caminito del Rey you can’t go part way then turn back. The whole area is very beautiful and wll worht a visit. look at the post on Bobastro ruins here on this website for another place to visit whilst you are in the area.
Very helpful information on the website Clive. I’m wondering if any readers or hikers have had recent success buying the combined train + bus + C. del Rey ticket at Malaga train station and what time you purchased it and if it was a weekend day. I was recently in Malaga and had intended to do it then but was side-tracked sight-seeing and getting in beach time. I live in Madrid so it’s quite a distance to travel back there again….but if I hear of success stories buying the combined ticket I’ll risk it.
Hi Helen, yes there has been some positive feedback with regards to buying the combined train and entry ticket but of course, leaving it to the actual day is taking a risk. The people who have commented have bought their tickets a few days or a week or so in advance. Do you know anyone in Malaga that could get the ticket for you? Best of luck and let me know how you get on.
Thank you for the information. We are staying in Malaga and all tickets on the internet are sold out. Had no problem yesterday buying tickets at the railway station. Unfortunately when we got there the caminito was closed due to windy weather, but had a lovely day in the area anyway. We had no choice but to stay in the area really as there wasn’t a train back unti 15.50. In the railway station got a full refund, including, the train fare. Although we didn’t manage to do the caminito we still had a very pleasant day
Thats such a shame the weather forced the Caminito to close for the day but I am glad that you had a good day out! Thankyou so much for the feedback about the train tickets and the refund available… Very good news because refunds from the official websitre are a bit complicated sometimes.
Thanks for the great info!
We are doing a roadtrip in Andalucia the first week of may. Want to do Caminito del rey sunday the 5th, but no tickets left…
Was looking at getting tickets via a touroperator, but would prefer to go without a guide. Do you know any options for this? Don’t mind paying a bit extra for just tickets without a guide, but not like 45 euro pp.
We plan to stay near Alora so around half an hour to Caminito del rey by car. Would we have a good chance if we show up early? And how early would we have to be there you think?
Thanks so much!
Hi, we are hoping to book for late May. We will be riding on a moto – are you able to let me know if there is moto parking at the entrance and do i then need to also book the shuttle bus? Thankyou in advance. Kim
Hi Kim. You shouldn’t have a problem finding somewhere to park your moto. The shuttle bus leave every half hour or so and you can include that when you book online…. That said there are very few places left on the online booking system….
My husband and I are hoping to walk the Caminito on Thursday – as it’s January and a weekday there doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem to get tickets online. BUT. We have a 17 month old daughter….We know we are not allowed to take her on the Caminito, so we were thinking that I will do the walk in the morning and my husband will do it in the afternoon. If I bought a ticket for 10am and my husband got one for 2pm, do you think that will be enough time for me to do the walk and get back to the start point to collect my daughter in time for my husband to make his start time?? We are both fit and healthy and not too slow!
Hi Lisa…. You will have plenty of time to do the walk and get back to look after your daughter whilst your husband has his turn… I am sure she will enjoy hanging out by the lakes, bread for feeding ducks and fish obligatory! 🙂
We were there the 10th October in 2018, WITHOUT Ticket… We have arrived at 10.30 in the Morning, and at 10.45 already were we in. It was successful! 🙂
Hi, We are on a family vacation from the 13th To the 19th October in Marbella. We tried to get tickets for fantastic camino del ray but there is unfortunately sold out. Can we ve lucky to get tickets if we drive up to the entrance.
Always worth a try Michael but get there as early as you can… People are commenting that they are in the queue by 08:30 in the morning. Best of luck and let me know how you get on. Thanks!
Arrived at 8:45 today and there were about 30 people in line. We got a ticket and so did everyone else that arrived until 9:30. Not sure about later because we started walking.
Thanks for the feedback Ron and very happy that you managed to get in and do the walk!
Hi Clive,
we will be in Malaga from 20 to 28 Octobre. Which date would you recommend us to visit el Caminito? There are 5 of us.
Are there not any holidays or school holidays in these days?
Thank you
Hi Pavla, it is not really about choosing a date but getting any date that is available… be quick as tickets sell online very fast. There may be a guided tour option if there are no self guided entries available..
Hi clive, would you think our chances would be better on Saturday’or on Sunday to turn up at the gate? Cheers, Bianca
Hi Bianca… I think either day will be busier than the weekdays…. Best of luck! Get there as early as you can, like 08:00 and definately before 9am.
We bought the tickets today at the entrance (about 9am). The price was 10 €. The queue was not long, about 30 people before us. We were allowed to start our journey with the second group at 9:30.
It took us about 2 hours to walk the whole path but we spent at least 30min to admire climbing people and we took a lot of pics ☺
Definitely worth waiting – el caminito is amazing!!
Thats great news Magda and thanks for the feedback it really helps other people! 🙂
Hi, thanks for a good advice. There were no available tickets on web site, but we booked a package at La Garganta (room + entrance ticket).
You are welcome and happy to hear that you got in for the walk. Hope that you had a great day!
Hi Clive I am planning on staying in Seville and booked a 1pm ticket for 14 September, the train home to Seville arrives at like 530 pm so I’m worried I won’t be able to finish the hike, and get the bus to the train station before 530. Any thoughts on this?
Also what is the toilet situation? How many / where are the toilets located and what’s the distance / time between them? I’m imagining it’s a 3-4 hour journey from start > finish with only one toilet at the start?
Any information would be great thank you
Hi Taylor… If your entrance is 1pm then you should quite easily be back at the train station well before 5:30pm. I presume you arrive by train as well in the morning so you will have to get a shuttle bus to the start point area… 11:30 or latest 12 to get to the start point for 12:30 (Half an hour before your entry time.)
Re toilets, there are none along the walkway. Just at the beginning of the walk so go before you start! 🙂 The walkway is around 2 to 3 hours or quicker depending on your walking speed.
Have a great day!
We’re hoping to visit 2nd week of October (any day Tue to Fri) but no individual tickets are left. We’d need to travel by train from Malaga which arrives about 11:00 I think, is that too late to risk the queue for allocation on the day do you think? Looks like we could get in a group tour though, just hoped to go alone as groups tend to be slower….
I would book the guided tour for the dates that you want…. Many people have commented that the tours are very good, informative and worth the small extra cost.
Today we got in without prebooked ticket thanks to this guide. Arrived at north entrance gate at 8.40 and there were about 20 men in the queue before us. When gate opened, queue without tickets had ca 100 men. We were let in with the first group and saw that the end of the queue was discarded. Guy from staff told them smth. and people went back.
Glad to hear that you got in Ok and this site helped!
Hi! And thank you! Our experince 27.12.2019. We got the tickets on the entrance. We hired a car evening before for 60€/day in malaga center and drove from malaga at 7:30. We got there at 8:30, parked for free close to restaurant “El kiosko” and walked for 20mins to the entrance. There were about 25 people without tickets infront of us. When they openned at 9:30, We bought tickets and went for the tour 🙂 So.. dont give up and be there even sooner than us 🙂 Thank you!
We came there today before 9 am, (+30 minutes walking through tunel and forest). There were already around 50 people both with tickets and without. Unfortunately stewarts were quite strict this time and didn’t allow to buy tickets on place, saying that everything is full for whole day. Maybe because it’s friday and lot of big tourist groups were comming by buses.
Nevertheless the road and the views were amazing. Maybe we’ll try our luck next time.
Ohh thats a shame Andrew, but, thanks for the feedback… It seems that turning up even as early as 8 am is becoming a bit of a lottery!
My girlfriend and I went to the Calimito Del Rey last Tuesday, feeling hopeful we could still get in after reading all the above.
We parked our car at 8 am by the kiosk, walked through the long tunnel (1.5 km, fyi) and followed the track towards the entrance.
By the time we got there it was 8.15, already 20 people were before us, all without tickets. The entrance opened at 9.00 and there were about a hundred people now waiting, some of them had tickets for the 10am slot.
The stewards didn’t really check who had tickets or not, the first 30 people or so were allowed in, and so did we!
I guess, because the stewards didn’t really seem to care a lot about the time slot, that ticket sales via the website are very limited.
Nevertheless, come very early! The ride there is beautiful, seeing the sunrise over the mountains is a great way to start the day. The park is still quiet and animals are just waking up as well (we saw foxes and ibexes only a couple of meters from us). And most importantly: you won’t have to queue forever not knowing whether you can get in.
The walk itself is certainly worth it. It’s not a difficult or long walk, but oh my it’s spectacular!
Thank you Clive for making this site! We propably wouldn’t have tried without your advice!
Glad to hear that you got in and had a great day Cedric… Did you pay to get in? How much did they charge you?
Only the standard entrance fee, 10 euros
Hi! I tried to book 2 tickets on te website but it was already sold out. We wanted to go on the 31st of May, but I saw it was a public holiday. Do you think it is possible to go anyway on that day (without tickets)? Or would the 1st of June be a better option?
We tried to get in today. There was a really long line and the only people that got in without a ticket arrived at the selling point before 7:30. There were only 50 tickets that were sold out by 9:30.
WOW! 7:30 am and the first entry is 9:30am…. They were very keen to get in…. Maybe they have changed the amount of gate sales… It was 10 percent meaning there were 100 entries available at the gate every day… Getting information out of the people running the Caminito del Rey is like pulling teeth out…. Sigh! Thanks for the feedback, it really helps me to keep things up to date here… 🙂
Can prove that it’s only 50 tickets are available for buying at the entrance and they are usually sold in the morning, so you need to be early there, otherwise you can only enjoy the view from hiking trail close to Caminito del Rey as we did 2 days ago.
Thanks for that feedback… Good information!
Hi! on the site it’s sold out. do you advise me to try to introduce myself directly at the ticket office on the morning?
is there any chance of being able to enter?
what time is it better to go?
You can añways try to get a ticket at the gate but it is not a sure thing.. Timing and luck! Let us know how you get on…
Hi Elaine, Rebecca ! How was your “trial” ? Did you get inside? (Would like to try tuesday 2nd of may)
Hope to have feedback of brave people soon ! 😀
Thank you !
Hi Clive. I want two tickets for any day between 21st and 27th May 2018. Web site says all sold out. Is there a good day and time to try from that range?
Weekdays but not Monday as it is closed on a Monday…
Im going to try for a ticket on Tuesday 17th April, wish me luck.
Also can you tell me, is it possible to park a camping car at the north entrance, my Husband does not want to walk, but i do, so he will stay at the camping car with our dog, whilst i try for a ticket.
Best of luck! 17th is a weekday so you should be able to get in with a bit of a wait… Obviously weekends and holidays are a lot busier…. Around the lake/kings chair/Kiosko bar/hotel Posada del Conde area you should be able to find a place to park…15 minutes walk to the start point from the kiosko bar….. If you go a few hundred metres past the Posada del Conde it may be a bit easier to find a parking place…. Then after the walk you can get the shuttle bus back from El Chorro (every 30 minutes) to the camper van…
Hi Elaine, how did you get on today?
We’re looking to go tomorrow (18th) without a ticket? Thanks
Warning – we followed this advice arrived today 10/4/18 and walked down to the starting point – no tickets for sale. We saw at least 100 people walking back before us. We were persistent but was advised no tickets on site today – all sold out We tried to book accommodation later on in the week as per advice on this site and advised no tickets this week. It is a long drive but a beautiful area if you get a ticket or not. Do not get your hopes up that tickets will be available on site. Best advice is book online in advance of your holiday!
Hi Marnie, thanks for the update… As the title says in this article “Hopefully”… To be honest you are the first person that has commented that there weren’t any entry tickets at the gate… (Many hundreds of emails and comments say the opposite) Maybe today there was a big group visit or some other occasion that ate up all the tickets at the gate… Of course, you are totally right, the only way to be sure is to keep checking the official website and book your ticket, use a tour company or other local business that provides entry tickets….
Thank you for sharing the information about ticket availability. The only option for us was to attempt to walk in and get tickets the Saturday of Easter weekend. We parked our car at 8:45 and walked the 2.7km to the ticket area. It was a beautiful walk. There was quite a line when we arrived at 9:15, but once they opened, it moved quickly. We were able to purchase 3 unguided tickets and immediately hit the trail. It was breath taking and amazing. If you get there early you can purchase tickets. I highly recommend going!
Thanks for that update Jeanne!
Hi Clive, thanks for your response. My ticket says that it’s for 10.30 and meeting point is 10.15 at el chorro. I am very confused now?
Maybe the ticket includes transport from El Chorro to the start point?
Hi guys,
I have 2 tickets for Sunday 1st April (Easter) at 10.30am.
Bought with an agency and we need to be at El Chorro at 10.15. Only train from Malaga gets there at 10.45 though. Anyone is on the same slot and has a car or whats to share a cab?
Clive any other ideas in alternative on how to get around this?
Thanks a lot.
Lucio
Hi Lucio… First… You need to be at El Chorro a lot earlier than 10:15 if you have a ticket for 10:30…. More like arrive el Chorro 9 am…. If you are travelling from Malaga then your entry is far too early if you dont have a hire car… Solution? Hire car 🙂
Hello,
That’s fantastic news! I was so sad, trying to book and not finding even one free place. We (me& my hubby) want to do it on Saturday, 19th of May or Sunday, 20th. If we go there at 9 a.m in the morning (one hour before they open) would it be enough so we can get tickets for the first entry at 10 a.m. Is it better to go on Saturday or Sunday?
Thanks in advance!
Tzveti&Alex- Italy
Hi, Of course weekends are always busier than weekdays so there is a chance you may not get in but it is worth a try. Get there for 9am, first entry time is 9:30am… Best of luck and have a great day!
Hello,
I only have one date to visit the Camino, on the 29th March 2018. I only need 1 ticket and I have a car. It is Easter Week, but not a weekend. Do you think I can take the risk?
Thank you,
Francisca Calado, Portugal
Sure, go for it… Just get there as early as you can… Many people get their tickets at the gate… As you say it is Easter so there is a pòssibility that you won’t get in…
I’ve been there on 28th of November, Did not find a single machine for tickets, However a PDF file that they sent is enough, Either printed or stored on smartphone (i’ve been using smartphone)
Hello!
Thanks for the hint.
We arrived at 09:27 (ca 50 people were in queue) and entered around 09:50 on Tuesday so it took less than half hour to get inside and buy tickets for three persons 🙂
That was amazing course and 100% worth visiting.
Regards,
Maarek
We (2 of us) went last week (mid week) and fine without having tickets. We got there as early as we possibly, taking the first (9am) bus from El Chorro where we were staying. There was a queue for all the ‘non-ticket’ people already in place by the time we arrived of approx 50-100 people and so there was a bit of a wait but we got to the front and let through by about 10.30am. In actual fact not that many people actually joined the queue after us before we got to the front (say approx 30) but that obviously might not be the case every day.
Thanks for the feedback Dave…
Subhrodip – did you get in?
Am thinking of going next week but there are no tickets available on line.
Latest comment on this subject just before yours “Even though the website showed SOLD OUT we took a chance and went on 11October without tickets. NOT a problem.!
There was about 30 or 40 people waiting to buy at the entrance and clearly the staff were well prepared for this. Waited no more than 20 minutes and we were in.
Absolutely fantastic day out.”
Of course there is a possibility that there are no tickets…. Get there as early as you can, the first entry is 09:30
Am going to try – thanks!
Please let us all know how you get on….
Hi Clive
Super helpful post. We are a group of 4 friends planning to do the del rey from Malaga tomorrow or day after. Ticket options r all sold out but we gonna tk a chance and turn up at 930am. Fingers crossed:)
Let me know how you get on!!!!! Thanks
Hi staying in Malaga 20 to 23 march 2018 when will the tickets go on sale,catching the train from Malaga to EL churro thank you
I would suppose sometime around November december. Normally three months in advance is as far as the tickets are available…
Hi all,
I have bought 3 tickets so my friend and I can do the trip same time, so I’m selling 1 for the 12th November, 9:30 as we need only 2.
Price is £10. Email for it to elacska at gmail dot com.
Price is now 18 Euros.
Wishing everyone great time up there 🙂
Hi there , when would tickets for August 2018 become available ?
Regards NS
I would expect that tickets for summer 2018 for the Caminito del Rey will be opened up sometime in late spring 2018… Normally it is about a month before the start of each quarter… Hope that helps.
Excellent advice. As Sarah on 5 August, really disappointed not to be able to book tickets as they seem to be sold out for weeks in advance. By chance I found your page and we risked the 2 hour drive arriving just after 10:00. Lots of people queuing with their timed slots but 4 of us were able to walk straight to the kiosk, bought tickets and the staff just fitted us straight into the first group leaving. So glad I found your page.
Hi Clive
Me and three friends are planning to go to El Caminito Del Rey in October 17th. The general tickets are sold out online up until 2:30PM which is a bit late since we’re also trying to do a Via Ferrata climb that same day. I was wondering what are the chances of us being able to get tickets if we show up when they open?
Also, I did see a guided tour available, is it worth it? Are we able to just buy it and walk it without the tour guide?
Also, how often do they close Caminito because of external circumstances like wind/weather?
Thanks for this information.
Hi. You can try just turning up, as you can see in the comments here quite a few people have gotin without a problem….. The idea of a guided tour is to be guided so they wont let you wander off on your own on a guided tour 🙂 The Caminito closes for high winds and when it is very rainy… (this causes rockfalls…) If it is a calm day with blue skies the path will be open..
Hi there,
I had basically given up on seeing the Caminito del Rey but thanks to your advice I took a chance and took the 10:00 train to El Chorro and hopped on the bus to the north entrance. I got a ticket straight away and was able to enjoy a beautiful day out there. Thanks a million!
Hi Clive, thank you so much for this info! I was really disappointed when I couldn’t get tickets, but from reading your page we (3 of us) decided to take a chance and turned up yesterday at 9.30am and walked straight in. I’m so glad we did as it was fantastic, albeit very hot at the end, which a cooling swim in the reservoir at the north end (opp the bus drop off point) sorted out.
Hi Sarah, thanks for the kind comment and I am glad that you got to walk the Caminito del Rey!
Hi,
when i want tot buy tickets on the official website for caminito del rey, they show me 2 options one says entrada general and the other one says visita guiada. we wanted to go on the 15th of august but the tickets for entrada general are all sold out. but now there are tickets available for the visita guiada. but what does that mean? is it an organized tour? with a tourguide and how long does that take and is it also worth it?
thanks!
Hi, “Visita Guiada” means “Guided Visit” to answer your question… If there are no spaces available for the date you want then the guided visit is an alternative…… You could also try just turning up as I mentioned in this article 🙂 If you don’t want a guided tour
Hello,
today we visited Caminito del Rey and we have not booked tickets online before. We went there around 10 am and only 2 persons. It was absolutely no problem to get tickets and we were directly going on the trail. Thank you for tips.
Excellent mews and thank you for the feedback pesno….. 🙂
Do you buy the day tickets at the actual entrance? That means a 45 minute walk from the car park. Is that so? I can;t find out any clear information on this.
Hi Garry, yes, you have to walk down to the checkpoint which is about 30 minutes… You may or may not get a ticket at the gate… It seems that a lot of luck is involved and of courese get there as early as you can
Hi,
Wanting to visit on Tuesday 1st August but tickets are sold out on the website. We are hoping to go earlier on in the day as we are flying home that evening. There are four of us, do you think it is likely we will get tickets without a very long wait time?
Get there as early as you can and don’t be too disapointed if you can’t get in…. It is holiday season after all… However it is a weekday so that helps a bit. It is still a fantastic area to visit even if you don’t get tickets…
How can I buy tickets for October? It’s not available on the website. Is it published later? I hope it’s not closed..😁
Hi Susanne, No the Caminito del Rey is not closed 🙂 The ticket website is allowing up to and including the 30th of September 2017…. I would guess that in August they will open up the tickets for the last quarter of the year (october to december) Just keep checking the site…. You could follow the official site on facebook if you use it… I see that they said coming soon the tickest for october…. https://www.facebook.com/caminitodelreyoficial/photos/a.1126333524089839.1073741828.1124383280951530/1484255841630937/?type=3&theater
Hi,
Thanks for the tips!
We couldn’t get tickets for Friday 26th May so as you recommended we turned up at about 10:15 at the North Entrance Gate. We were able to buy tickets (two) and go on the Caminito right away!
So glad we could make it
Thats great news that my little website about the Caminito del Rey helped you! Thanks for the feedback! 🙂
Hi.
We would like to visit on Thursday 20 th April. Only one ticket is available at 9:30. – we need 3 tickets.
Should I pay the one and maybe buy the rest 2 tickets at the gate?
Thanks in advance!
That would be a big risk Mia…. Maybe there are no tickets available at the gate on the day you want….
Hi, we are only in Malaga for 2 nights – 21st and 22nd May and since the hike is closed on the Monday, we are limited to only the Sunday.
On the website – this is already booked out unfortunately.
We only need x2 tickets.
Do you think its worthwhile to show up on the Sunday morning? We don’t really want to travel unless we have a high likelihood of getting in.
Hi Felicity… I would say not, it is a Sunday and it is Easter week……. Still, you never know if you got there early enough… I would suggest exploring more of Malaga. So many excellent museums and the castle and the port to explore….
If you have a car then you could set off early, it is a nice drive up the lakes and the scenery is stunning… Fantastic food in the Hotel Posada del Conde right on the Dam by the Kings chair area
Hello Clive,
Any chance we get in tomorrow by buying at the gate?
10x,
Lucian
On a Sunday I would doubt it…. There are 10 of you? Maybe during the week but as you can imagine weekends are always busier in any tourist attraction.
Five of us are going to be there from 11 till 20 April . What days would you recommend? My daughter is seven and an half- tall and fit- do you think that I can try to take her with us?
Hi, First you need to check to see if there is a space available for the 5 of you for one of the dates you are in the area…. Or try your hotel to see if they can help out or maybe a guided visit… I know tickets for spring and summer are going fast…. Re the age, its up to you… 7.5 is almost 8 (8 is tyhe age limit)
If you are going to just turn up at the gate then as early as possible and better on a weekday but there is no guarentee that you will get in.
Great, thanks Clive. I’ll look into it. 🙂
I’m planning on visiting on Sunday 9th April. Tickets are sold out! Is it worth taking the risk…?
The transport from Malaga only arrives at 10.50ish at El Chorro… I don’t mind waiting, but it would be a waste if I went all the way and then wasn’t able to do the hike…!
Hi, it is difficult to say as it is a Sunday and obviously weekends are busier than workdays…. Still, the train ride is nice and you can explore the area a little bit if there are no tickets available at the gate… I would still go anyway…
Hello, any idea what is there to do in the area if the caminito is closed due to wind? Another hike eventually? We also come by train. Thanks!
Well, you can still get the bus to the lakeside/kingschair area and then walk down to the entrance of the Caminito del Rey… The area around the reservoirs is very nice and there are plenty of places to have a beer and lunch…
hi Drizzy ! i have the same issue. travelling on the 6th of May to Caminito, and tickets are all sold out. did you manage to buy tickets at gate ?