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.
An alternative to the official website is to book a ticket for the Caminito del Rey at the Viator website here.
Or, if you prefer the Get Your Guide platform then get your entry ticket here.
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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!
Get your Guide for the Caminito del Rey
If the reservation system is full and you don’t want to use the suggestions further down this page, have a look at these links for guided visits to the Caminito del Rey from Get Your Guide. This is an excellent option especially for larger groups. There are lots of trips are organised from many areas along the Costa Del Sol and other main cities.
Hotels can help with your Entry ticket for the Caminito del Rey
Firstly, 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 are specifically 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
Secondly, 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)
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!
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 🙂