Going up Teide takes two separate bookings: the cable car ticket, sold by the company that runs it, and the permit for the last stretch to the summit, issued by the island government (the Cabildo). Both sell out in summer, at Easter and on Spanish bank holidays, and one being sold out doesn't mean the other is. Here is what you can do in each case.
What you can book now
| If you want… | Option | From |
|---|---|---|
| Cable car already included | Teide trip with cable car and transfer, 4.3★ (6,121) Book | €92 |
| The summit on foot with a guide | Guided hike to the summit of Teide, 4.9★ (94) Book | €189 |
| Teide by night | Sunset and stargazing in the National Park, 4.7★ (3,691) Book | €35 |
| Teide and the north | Teide, Icod, Garachico and Masca tour, 4.6★ (3,066) Book | €58 |
1. The cable car: check again and change your time
Tickets are sold at volcanoteide.com and cost about €42 return per adult. The ride takes under 8 minutes from the base station (2,356 m) to La Rambleta (3,555 m).
- Try other days. If your date is full, go up on another day of your stay: Teide doesn't need a fixed date.
- Try the afternoon. Morning slots sell out first; from late October to March the last ascent is at 16:00.
- Don't count on the ticket office. It only sells if there is spare capacity, and in high season there rarely is.
- If you're driving, arrive early: the cable car car park has about 220 spaces.
2. A tour with the cable car included
If single tickets are gone, tours that include the cable car are the most direct way up. The Teide trip with cable car and transfer (7 hours, from €92) includes the ticket, a guide and pickup in the north and south, so it also solves the parking problem. It has free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Watch two things: it doesn't include the summit permit, and some park tours, such as the Masca and Garachico one, don't go up by cable car. If you want to ride it, look for "cable car ticket included" on the listing.
3. The summit permit: when places are released
The last 160 m, from La Rambleta to the 3,715 m summit along the Telesforo Bravo trail, need a permit. Since August 2025 it is booked on Tenerife ON (tenerifeon.es), the Cabildo's platform, and no longer on the National Parks reservation website. It costs €15 for visitors from outside the Canary Islands.
- Places open every Monday at 7:00 (Canary Islands time) for the next 56 days. If you want a specific date, log on that Monday at that time.
- Check again in the days before. Anyone who cancels at least 3 days ahead gets their money back, so single places come free.
- One booking every 15 days per person, and neither the day nor the time can be changed.
- If you can't go, cancel: not using a booking can stop you making another for three months.
Without a permit you still get the views: from La Rambleta two short trails lead to the La Fortaleza and Pico Viejo viewpoints, which don't need one.
4. The Altavista refuge or a guided climb
If you can't get a permit, there are two legal ways to the summit:
- A night at the Altavista refuge (3,260 m). It reopened on 20 July 2026 after years closed. A night costs €71, and the booking, at
refugioaltavista.com, includes the permits for the Montaña Blanca and Telesforo Bravo trails, with summit access from 6:00 to 9:00 the next morning, before the cable car opens. It has 49 places and you reach it on foot along the Montaña Blanca trail: only for confident mountain walkers. - A guided climb. Volcano Teide says its own guided summit activities include the crater permit. The guided hike to the summit€189 · 4.9 we list (from €189, groups of 8) doesn't include the cable car ticket: before booking, confirm with the operator who arranges the permit.
5. Teide without going up
If nothing works out, the park is still worth the trip:
- The Roques de García circuit (3.6 km, about 2 hours), with Teide behind.
- The viewpoints along the TF-21 road, such as Minas de San José.
- The stars: sunset stargazing tours with a telescope use viewpoints in the park and need neither the cable car nor a permit.
Mistakes to avoid
- Assuming the cable car ticket includes the summit. It doesn't: without a permit you stop at La Rambleta.
- Booking the permit without matching it to the cable car. The permit is only valid for its slot, even if the cable car isn't running that day.
- Going up in sandals. The cable car requires closed shoes, and it is cold at the top all year.
- Booking a tour without checking it rides the cable car. Some park tours only stop at viewpoints.
In one sentence
If the cable car is sold out, book a tour that includes it, and if it's the permit you're missing, log on to Tenerife ON at 7:00 on Monday or sleep at Altavista; everything else is in climbing Mount Teide.
