Caminito del Rey: The Complete Guide (Tickets, Access Points & Parking)
Everything you need to walk the Caminito del Rey — how to book, guided vs unguided tickets, the north and south access points, where to park, the shuttle bus, and how to get there from Malaga.
The Caminito del Rey is a boardwalk bolted to the wall of a gorge about an hour north of Malaga, and it was the best few hours of my two weeks in Spain. It's also the single most logistically confusing thing I did there — the walk is one-way, the entrance and exit are in different places, and a surprising number of people turn up at the wrong end.
This guide covers everything I wish I'd known before booking.
What it actually is
A walkway pinned to the side of the Gaitanes Gorge, originally built at the start of the twentieth century so workers could move between two hydroelectric plants. The story goes that it picked up its name — "the King's little path" — after Alfonso XIII walked it at the opening of the nearby dam in the 1920s.
It then spent decades falling apart. By the end of the last century large sections of the original concrete walkway had collapsed entirely, leaving people to cross on exposed steel beams, and after several deaths it was closed off completely. The restored version opened in 2015: a new timber boardwalk built above the ruins of the old one, which you can still see crumbling away beneath your feet in places.
The result is a walk that feels genuinely dramatic while being completely safe. There's a handrail the whole way, a mandatory helmet, and a glass-floored viewing platform near the end if you want to test your nerve.
The single most important thing: it is one-way
You enter at the north access point and exit at the south access point. You cannot walk back. This one fact drives every other decision below.
The full route is roughly 7 to 8 km including the forest paths at either end, of which the spectacular boardwalk section is about 3 km. Allow around 3 hours from entrance to exit, and more if you stop for photos — which you will.
The walk itself is not physically hard. There's no real climbing and the path is level or gently descending for most of its length. If you can walk for three hours you can do this. The only genuine barrier is a head for heights.
Booking tickets
Book at least two weeks ahead. Longer in spring and autumn, which are peak months for this walk because the summer heat in the gorge is punishing.
Buy from the official site — search for the official Caminito del Rey booking page rather than clicking the first ad, because there are a lot of resellers charging a markup for the same slot. You'll pick a timed entry slot at the north gate and you need to be there for it.
Two ticket types:
- Unguided. Cheaper, and you walk at your own pace. These sell out first, so if you're booking late they'll likely be gone.
- Guided. A little more expensive and you move as a group. We ended up doing this one because the unguided slots had gone, and I'd genuinely recommend it either way — the guide's history of the original walkway and the hydroelectric scheme made the ruins beneath the boardwalk mean something. Without it you're just looking at broken concrete.
Bring ID matching your booking. Helmets are handed out at the entrance and wearing one is compulsory.
Who can't go: there's a minimum age (young children aren't permitted), and it isn't suitable if you have serious mobility issues or vertigo. Check the current restrictions on the official site when you book.
Getting there and the parking problem
This is the part that catches people out. Because the walk is one-way, if you drive, your car ends up at the wrong end of the gorge.
Option 1: Drive (what we did)
The drive from Malaga takes about an hour. The last few kilometres of the approach road are narrow and winding — fine, but not a road to rush.
Here's the sequence that works:
- Park at the south end, near El Chorro, which is where you'll finish.
- Take the shuttle bus to the north access point. You need a separate bus ticket for this — it isn't included with your entry ticket, and it's the thing most people don't realise until they're standing there. It's inexpensive, but buy it when you arrive.
- Walk the gorge, north to south.
- Finish at the south access point, where your car is waiting.
You can do it in reverse — park north, walk, then bus back — but parking south and bussing first is less stressful, because the bus runs to a timetable and you don't want to be racing it after three hours of walking.
Leave a decent buffer between your bus and your entry slot. Missing your timed entry means missing the walk.
Option 2: Bus from Malaga
There are direct buses from Malaga, which sidesteps the whole car-at-the-wrong-end problem. It's the simpler choice if the Caminito is the only thing you're doing that day. It's less flexible if you want to combine it with anything else.
Option 3: Train
Trains run to El Chorro station, which sits near the southern end. Combine with the shuttle to get to the north gate.
What to bring
- Proper shoes. Trainers are fine; sandals are not, and they may turn you away in flip flops.
- Water. There's nowhere to buy anything between the two gates and the gorge holds heat.
- Sun protection. Much of the route is exposed.
- A wrist strap or zipped pocket for your phone. You're taking photographs over a long drop with a lot of people behind you. Things get dropped.
- A light layer. The gorge can be windy even on a warm day.
No large backpacks, and nothing you can't carry hands-free.
When to go
Spring and autumn are ideal — March to May and September to October. Comfortable temperatures and the light in the gorge is at its best.
Summer is hot. The gorge traps heat and there's little shade on the boardwalk. If you're going in July or August, take the earliest slot of the day.
Winter works but the walk closes in high winds or heavy rain, so build in a fallback plan.
Combining it with Ronda
This is the best day trip in Andalusia and it's what we did: Caminito del Rey in the morning, then drive on to Ronda for the afternoon. Ronda is around an hour and a half away and only needs two to three hours, so the two fit together neatly into one very good day with a car.
If you'd rather flip it, Ronda in the morning and an afternoon Caminito slot works equally well — just note that afternoon slots in summer are the hot ones.
Details on the second half of that day: Ronda in half a day.
Is it worth it?
Yes, and it was my favourite thing in Spain. There is nothing else quite like it in Europe — most dramatic walks earn their views with a long climb, and this one hands them to you at eye level on a flat boardwalk. It's the rare sight that's both genuinely thrilling and genuinely accessible.
Book it early, park at the south end, buy the bus ticket, and don't miss your slot.
Related reading
- Best places in Spain — where this ranks against everything else I saw
- 5 day Andalusia road trip from Malaga
- 2 week Spain itinerary