Teide Tenerife: Cable Car Tickets, Summit Permit and How to Visit
A cable car to 3,555 m, a permit to 3,718 m and a wind that decides
- Ticket
- Cable car €42 return
- Summit
- Permit €15
- Hours
- 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
The summit permit is not part of the cable car ticket, and since 2026 it is not free either. Teide takes two separate reservations, one for the ride to 3,555 m and one for the last 163 m to the crater rim at 3,718 m, and most of the confusion on the mountain comes from believing that one ticket covers both.
Cable car, permit or both
The cable car alone gets you to La Rambleta, the upper station, and that is a complete outing. From the platform the view runs across the crater floor and out over the island, and the stay there lasts about an hour for visitors without a permit. It is a good hour, but it is not the summit, and anyone who arrives expecting the crater rim will be disappointed.
The permit is the second ticket, for the trail that leads from the upper station to the top. It is personal, it is shown with ID, and it does not include the ride up. The verdict depends on what you want. If the aim is the view, buy the cable car. If the aim is to say you stood on the highest point in Spain, add the permit and book it weeks ahead.
Cable car tickets do not include the summit permit; the permit does not include the cable car.
Official ticket
- Cable car
- €42 return
- Child 3–13
- €21
- Summit permit
- €15
- First car
- 9:00
Through a partner
- options with a guide or audio guide
- usually costs more than the official ticket
When to come and how to get to the cable car
The first car leaves at 9:00, and an early arrival means a quieter platform. Hours change with the season: in the winter timetable of 2026 the last ascent is at 4:00 pm, which rules out a late start, and the hours for 2027 have not been published. A morning slot for the permit also leaves the most room to come back down.
Without a car, bus 348 runs from Puerto de la Cruz through La Orotava and El Portillo to the cable car and the Parador, and bus 342 serves El Portillo from Costa Adeje. Their timetables are on titsa.com. Drivers park in the car parks around the cable car, and the road up is part of the day's entertainment.
What you see, in order
The cabin starts at 2,356 m and the ride takes about eight minutes, long enough to leave the coast and its weather well behind. Step out at La Rambleta, and the first thing you notice is the air, thinner and colder than on the coast. Give yourself a moment before walking anywhere.
Pico Viejo, the neighbouring volcano, fills the view to one side, and the crater of Teide itself rises above the platform. The ticket for the way down is bought at the top, with a QR code, and only while the cable car is running. Rides around sunset exist as well, outside the normal hours and limited to 90 people.
Permit, slot and wind
The permit trail is the Telesforo Bravo, and it works in four slots: four slots: 9–11, 11–1, 1–3 and 3–5. Within your slot you have up to two hours from the upper station to the summit. Reservations are made on Tenerife ON, which is web only, and every member of the group must be registered. Sales open on Mondays at 7:00 Canary time for dates up to 28 days away.
Wind decides the rest. The cable car can stop without warning, and a permit is not refunded unless the trail is closed for weather or the cable car is not running. A person without the paper or without ID is turned back at the trail, as the fine of up to €600 makes clear. Those who prefer walking can climb from Montaña Blanca instead, which is cheaper but takes fitness and a good share of the day.
When the cable car is not running
A closed cable car does not end the day, as long as the day was planned with two options. The road through the national park is a destination in itself, and the formations beside it fill an afternoon.
- Walk among the Roques de García, near the Parador, where the Roque Cinchado is the best-known shape.
- Join the guided visit at the Izaña observatory at km 37 on the TF-24, which costs from €21, runs every day for about an hour and a half and can be cancelled in winter by weather.
- Take bus 348 or 342 back to the coast, since both reach the cable car.
- Ask for the permit money back only if the trail was closed or the cable car out of service, since those are the only refunded cases.
Where to next
Nomadinho scores out of 100, the same ones behind “Where to go”.
If you like Tenerife
Three places with the closest scores, from any country.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Can you reach the summit without a permit?
No. Without a permit you can reach the upper station and the area around it, which takes about an hour. The trail to the top needs a permit in your name, and arriving without one risks a fine of up to €600.
Does the permit cover the cable car?
No. The permit and the cable car ticket are separate, and each is booked on its own. The permit does not include the ride up, and the cable car ticket does not include the trail to the summit.
What if the cable car stops because of wind?
It can stop without notice, and departures can run late. The permit is refunded only if the trail is closed for weather or the cable car is not running, so choose the date with a spare day nearby.
Ready for Tenerife?
Front row for the next trip
Leave your email and we'll let you know when a new destination or story goes up.