Mount Teide cable car, summit permit, Teide tours and stargazing

The sensible way to go up Mount Teide is to buy the cable car on the official website, ride up first thing and then walk round Roques de García. The summit is worth it if you get a permit, which you book eight weeks ahead. A tour only makes sense without a car: the tour with the cable car costs more than twice the ticket on its own.

Teide is 3,715 m high according to Spain's National Geographic Institute (Instituto Geográfico Nacional); the 3,718 m on many signs is an old measurement.

Our pick

1

Cable car with transport from your hotel

Ticket and transfer in about 7 hours, at the cable car website's price.

Tenerife

GetYourGuide7 hours

Tenerife: Mount Teide Tour with Cable Car Ticket & Transfer

4.3 (6,095 reviews)

from €92Check availability

2

Teide without the cable car, plus villages

A stop at Las Cañadas, then Masca, Icod and Garachico: for seeing the island, not for going up.

Tenerife

GetYourGuide9 hours

Tenerife: Teide National Park, Masca, Icod & Garachico Tour

4.6 (3,035 reviews)

from €58Check availability

3

Small group with sunset

Masca, the national park and sunset in about 6 hours, by minibus.

Tenerife

GetYourGuide6 hours

Tenerife: Masca, Teide National Park & Sunset – Small group

4.8 (266 reviews)

from €60Check availability

4

Sunset and stars

Sunset over the sea of clouds and telescopes, with pick-up; the cheapest night-time option.

Tenerife

GetYourGuide3 - 5 hours

Tenerife: Sunset and Stargazing at Teide National Park

4.7 (3,665 reviews)

from €35Check availability

How the Teide cable car works

The base station is at km 43 of the TF-21, at 2,356 m; La Rambleta, the top station, is at 3,555 m, about eight minutes away by cable car. The park limits your stay at the top to one hour, two with a summit permit. Without a permit there are two trails open to all, to the La Fortaleza viewpoint (about 45 minutes) and the Pico Viejo viewpoint (about 55): in one hour you only have time for one. There's no café at the top.

Mount Teide cable car tickets: prices and where to buy

Tickets are sold online only, with a time slot, on the website of Teleférico del Pico de Teide S.A. (Volcano Teide). There is no ticket office.

The summit permit and transport are not included. With a one-way ticket, walking down needs its own Tenerife ON permit; a ride down can be bought at the top with a QR code for about €23. Arrive 20 minutes early or you lose your boarding slot. Changes and cancellations are free until 18:00 the day before: https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/volcano_teide/teide_cable_car/teide_cable_car

The 7-hour tour with the cable car and pick-up costs €92 everywhere; with a car, the ticket on its own is less than half that.

Opening times. First car at 09:00. Last ride up at 16:00 for most of the year, at 17:40 from July to September and for a couple of weeks between late March and mid-April, and at 17:00 or 16:30 in October; the last ride down is about 50 minutes later. The dates change every year: check them on the website.

Teide summit permit, step by step

The Telesforo Bravo trail (PNT 10), 660 m long and about 55 minutes' climb from La Rambleta, needs a personal permit from Tenerife ON, the island council's booking platform, separate from your cable car ticket. Volcano Teide doesn't issue it; it only includes it in its guided ascents.

One booking per person every 15 days, with no changes. The fee is refunded if you cancel three days or more ahead, if the trail closes or if the cable car isn't running (keep the closure email). Not turning up can mean three months without being able to book; going up without a permit, a fine of up to €600.

The sunrise (06:00–09:00) and sunset (18:00–22:00) slots carry no fee but must be booked, and 80% of the sunrise slots are for people staying at the Refugio de Altavista (3,260 m), which has now reopened: €71 a night, from age 14, bring your own sleeping bag, no meals, booked only at refugioaltavista.com, with the permits to climb and to reach the summit at dawn included.

Walking up from the bottom. Montaña Blanca – La Rambleta (PNT 07): 8.3 km, 1,309 m of ascent and about six hours. The first 4.6 km are open to all; from the checkpoint you need a permit, with a fee of €6 on weekdays and €10 at weekends and on public holidays for non-Canarians, also for walking down. In ice or snow they require crampons, an ice axe and a signed declaration. With no paperwork to sort out: Volcano Teide's guided ascent with cable car and permit, €178 (the same on Tiqets), booked at least a week ahead.

Teide tour or on your own

With a car, going independently wins. The bus gives you about five hours up top, enough for the cable car and Roques de García; if you miss the bus back, there isn't another.

Getting to Teide by bus or car

By bus. The 342 leaves Costa Adeje bus station at 09:25 and Los Cristianos at 09:40, and comes back down from the cable car at 15:40 (€8.05 from Costa Adeje). The 348 leaves Puerto de la Cruz at 09:30 and La Orotava at 09:45, and comes back down at 16:05 (€6.20). No Ten+ discount; get on at the first stop to be sure of a seat.

By car. The TF-21 from La Orotava or Vilaflor, the TF-24 from La Laguna, the TF-38 from Chío; from Costa Adeje, about 52 km and just under an hour. The base station car park has 220 spaces, closed at night, and the company asks you to arrive after 13:00. Roads: https://cic.tenerife.es/e-Traffic3/Control?act=detMapInci

Altitude, cold and snow: what changes at the top

At Izaña, at 2,369 m, January averages 7.5 °C by day and 1 °C at night, and it snows two or three days a month from December to March; in July the high is around 23 °C. At 3,555 m it's colder and windier: always bring a fleece and a windproof. The sea of clouds sits between 700 and 1,500 m, so it's usually sunny at the top even when the north is grey.

If the cable car closes for wind, ice or a fault, they let you know at about 08:30 and you choose another time, another date or a refund; they also refund you if a stoppage delays boarding by 90 minutes or more. Status and webcams: https://www.volcanoteide.com/en/how-s-the-weather-on-mt-teide-today

Sunset and stargazing on Teide

The park is a Starlight Tourist Destination, and the Tenerife summits a Starlight Reserve. From the simplest to the most complete:

• Teide Observatory by day: €21, free from 8 to 16; an hour and a half, with your own car and ID; sold by Volcano Teide.
• Telescopes at the cable car base station: one hour, from €35 with your own car or €77 with transfer.
• Cable car at sunset: €72, about two hours, no telescopes.
• Teide By Night: €89, about 9 hours with dinner and telescopes; daily pick-up in the south, in the north only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays.
• Sunset & Stars: €159, sunset at 3,555 m, picnic-style dinner and telescopes.

All except Teide By Night exclude children under 8. You can look at the sky from a viewpoint without a permit, but camping or sleeping in your car in the park is banned. Avoid the full moon.

Tenerife

GetYourGuide7 hours

Tenerife: Mount Teide Tour with Cable Car Ticket & Transfer

4.3 (6,095 reviews)

from €92Check availability

Tenerife

GetYourGuide9 hours

Tenerife: Teide National Park, Masca, Icod & Garachico Tour

4.6 (3,035 reviews)

from €58Check availability

Tenerife

GetYourGuide8 hours

Tenerife: Teide National Park Full-Day Tour with Pick-up

4.5 (1,922 reviews)

from €59Check availability

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GetYourGuide7 hours

From Playa de las Américas: Full-Day Teide Jeep Safari

4.6 (1,177 reviews)

from €68Check availability

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GetYourGuide8 hours

From Puerto de la Cruz: Teide and Masca VIP Tour

4.7 (759 reviews)

from €86Check availability

Tenerife

GetYourGuide6.5 hours

Tenerife: Masca, Mount Teide and Los Gigantes Cliffs Tour

5.0 (451 reviews)

from €60.39Check availability

See all options on GetYourGuide →Prices checked on 2 October 2026

Carry on with things to do in Tenerife, Anaga and Masca, Tenerife operators, stargazing in the Canary Islands, Canary Islands volcanoes and the Canary Islands in December.

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