The Caminito del Rey costs €12.50 per person independently (general entry and shuttle), €72 on a group tour from Málaga with transport, ticket and official guide, and €156-396 per person privately. The route is the same in every case: 7.7 linear kilometres through the Gaitanes gorge, closed on Mondays and off-limits to children under 8. What changes is how you get there, who guides you and, above all, who secures the ticket. What the walk is like and what to bring is in how to visit the Caminito del Rey; here we only compare ways of doing it.
Quick answer by who's travelling
- Couple with a car: go independently, with the ticket with official guide€30 · 4.6 or the €10 general ticket if you find one on the official site.
- Couple without a car, or first time: the group tour from Málaga€72 · 4.9, €72. It has over 19,000 reviews averaging 4.9.
- Family of 4: group tour (€288 in total) or private with a guide (€856, €214 each). Private picks you up from your accommodation and the guide goes at your pace, which helps with children aged 8-12.
- Party of 6: private with a guide, €156 each. Still double the group price, but no coach timetable and no other travellers on the trail with you.
- Tight budget: independently by train or car, €12.50 each for ticket and shuttle.
Price table per person
| How you go | What's included | 2 people | 4 people | 6 people |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Independent, general ticket | Ticket + shuttle (no guide, no transport) | €12.50 | €12.50 | €12.50 |
| Independent, official guided visit | Ticket with official guide (groups up to 30) + shuttle | €20.50 | €20.50 | €20.50 |
| Ticket with official guide (booked on our site) Book | Ticket, guide and helmet; no transport | €30 | €30 | €30 |
| Group tour from Málaga Book | Coach, ticket and official guide | €72 | €72 | €72 |
| Private: private transport Book | Pickup, tickets, shared group guide | €305 (€610) | €240 (€960) | €180 (€1,080) |
| Private: private guide Book | Transfer, tickets and a guide just for you | €396 (€792) | €214 (€856) | €156 (€936) |
General entry (€10), official guided visit (€18) and shuttle (€2.50): prices from the official Caminito del Rey website, checked on 1 November 2026. The rest are "from" prices on our tour pages on that date. Going independently, add the car (parking €2 a day) or the train.
From how many people does private pay off?
Against the €72 group tour, never. The per-person surcharge for the cheapest private option is €233 for a couple (€305 with private transport), €142 for 4 and €84 for 6.
The interesting bit is within the private options:
- For 2 people, the private-transport-only version (€305) is cheaper than the private-guide one (€396).
- From 4, it flips: with a private guide you pay €214 each, against €240 with private transport and a shared guide. For 6, €156 against €180.
If you're paying for private as 4 or more, take the private-guide version: it's cheaper and more exclusive.
And from Seville or Granada?
| From | Group | Private, 2 | Private, 4 | Private, 6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seville | — | €310 | €220 | €200 |
| Granada | €135 with lunch | €340 | €210 | €150 |
In both cases transport is private and the trail guide is shared. From Granada, for 6 people, private is just €15 more than the group tour.
Pros and cons
Independent
- For: the cheapest option, on your own schedule.
- Against: you have to get the ticket (it sells out weeks ahead in spring and autumn), plan the return with the shuttle because the route is linear, and get there by car or on a train with few departures.
Group tour
- For: ticket included (the big advantage when the official site is sold out), official guide, coach from central Málaga and insurance for under-65s.
- Against: fixed departure point, the coach timetable and language groups shared with other travellers.
Private
- For: pickup from your hotel or flat, your own timing, tickets included and, with the private-guide version, nobody else on the trail with you.
- Against: price for a couple, and the private-transport-only version has a shared guide on the trail.
Common mistakes
- Planning the trip and looking for tickets afterwards. Ticket (or tour) first, everything else second.
- Forgetting the shuttle. Without it you can't get back to your starting point.
- Booking private transport as a group of 4. The private-guide version is cheaper.
- Bringing children under 8. They can't enter, on a group or private tour.
- Going on a Monday. It's closed; strong wind or heavy rain can also close it.
If the official website has no places left, see what to do if Caminito del Rey tickets are sold out. For other destinations, private or group day trips from Málaga.
