Teide, at 3,718 m (12,198 ft) the highest point in Spain, can be visited in three ways: by rental car or by bus through the national park, by cable car to La Rambleta at 3,555 m (11,663 ft), and to the crater with a special permit. The round-trip cable car ticket costs €42 for a non-resident adult (€21 for a child aged 3 to 13), and access to the summit by trail PNT 10 is booked on Tenerife ON: €15 for non-resident visitors between 9 am and 5 pm since 19 January 2026. Here are the hours, the access rules and our own calculations of the temperature gap between the coast and the heights.
The volcano is in the center of the island: to plan the rest of your stay, read our guide to visiting Tenerife and our page on the best time to visit Tenerife. With children, see also our page on Siam Park, the water park in the south of Tenerife.
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Teide: the essentials
- Cable car, hours: 9 am to 5 pm from 25 October to 31 December 2026 (last ascent 4 pm, last descent 4:50 pm); until 6:40 pm in summer — checked on 24 October 2026 on volcanoteide.com
- Cable car, round-trip fare: €42 non-resident adult, €21 non-resident child (ages 3-13); one-way €23.50 / €11.75.
- Summit (PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo): permit mandatory on Tenerife ON; €15 for non-residents between 9 am and 5 pm, free for Tenerife residents and under-14s — checked on 24 October 2026 on tenerifeon.es
- Booking: cable car sold online only, limited places; summit permits open every Monday at 7 am (Canary Islands time) for the following 56 days.
- Time limit: time at the upper station is limited to one hour (two more hours with a crater permit).
- Not allowed on the cable car: children under 3, pregnant women, people with cardiovascular problems; people with reduced mobility are not admitted.
- Getting there: lower station at km 43 of the TF-21, at an altitude of 2,356 m (7,730 ft).
Teide cable car opening hours
| Period | Hours | Last ascent | Last descent |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 January – 27 March 2026 | 9 am – 5 pm | 4 pm | 4:50 pm |
| 28 March – 12 April 2026 | 9 am – 6:40 pm | 5:40 pm | 6:30 pm |
| 13 April – 30 June 2026 | 9 am – 5 pm | 4 pm | 4:50 pm |
| 1 July – 30 September 2026 | 9 am – 6:40 pm | 5:40 pm | 6:30 pm |
| 1 – 13 October 2026 | 9 am – 6 pm | 5 pm | 5:50 pm |
| 14 – 24 October 2026 | 9 am – 5:30 pm | 4:30 pm | 5:20 pm |
| 25 October – 31 December 2026 | 9 am – 5 pm | 4 pm | 4:50 pm |
The cable car stops in bad weather (wind, snow, ice). The operator warns customers by e-mail or text message around 8:30 am on the day. You must be at boarding 20 minutes before the time on your ticket: if you are late, you lose your right to board. The lower station car park is open from 8 am to 6 pm from 25 October to 31 December 2026 (until 7:40 pm in summer).
Cable car tickets: official prices
| Ticket (round trip) | Non-resident adult | Non-resident child (3-13) | Resident adult | Resident child |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cable car only | €42 | €21 | €10.50 | €5.25 |
| With Teide Legend audio guide | €45.50 | €24.50 | €14 | €8.75 |
| With guided route to the Pico Viejo viewpoint (age 5 and over) | €54.50 | €33.50 | €27.25 | €16.75 |
| One way (up or down) | €23.50 | €11.75 | €5.88 | €2.94 |
The ticket includes access to the La Rambleta viewpoint and to the « Science and Legend » exhibition in the visitor center. It does not include the crater permit or the permit to walk up or down the regulated trails. Date change or refund free of charge before 6 pm the day before, according to the operator.
Booking: official site, excursions and resellers
The operator accepts online bookings only. Resellers and agencies also sell the ticket, on its own or with hotel transport. Compare with the official price, check that the ascent time is actually assigned and read the « weather » clause: if the cable car closes, the operator refunds or changes the date, but each reseller applies its own conditions. Reminder: no cable car ticket gives access to the summit.
Climbing to the summit: the PNT 10 permit
The 163 m (535 ft) between La Rambleta, at 3,555 m (11,663 ft), and the summit, at 3,718 m (12,198 ft), are covered on foot by trail PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo, with a named permit issued by the Cabildo de Tenerife through the Tenerife ON platform. Since 19 January 2026, certain time slots are paid:
| Trail | Tenerife residents | Residents of the rest of the Canary Islands | Other visitors |
|---|---|---|---|
| PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo (9 am – 5 pm slots) | Free | €6 | €15 |
| PNT 07 Montaña Blanca – La Rambleta, weekdays | Free | €3 | €6 |
| PNT 07, weekends and public holidays | Free | €5 | €10 |
- Booking only on the Tenerife ON website (not the app, temporarily), with prior registration and account validation.
- A new week of slots opens every Monday at 7 am (Canary Islands time), with 56 bookable days.
- Bookings can be neither changed nor refunded, except if the trail is closed or the cable car stops. No refund if access is refused for lack of the mandatory equipment.
- Upcoming change: a Cabildo resolution of 14 October 2026 reorganizes the PNT 10 slots into 90-minute blocks and changes quotas and conditions for activities from 6 December 2026 (checked on 24 October 2026 on tenerifeon.es). Reread the trail page before booking.
Hiking up: rules and mandatory equipment
The trails leading on foot to La Rambleta (PNT 07 Montaña Blanca, PNT 09, PNT 23, PNT 28) have required a permit on Tenerife ON since 30 November 2024, with equipment checks. The Cabildo requires: mountain footwear, long trousers and a warm jacket, gloves and a hat (especially in winter), and water. Failure to comply is punishable by a €600 fine, to which rescue costs of €2,000 to €12,000 may be added. Trails close in case of an official weather alert, and the park management may close them in case of ice, snow or wind, even for people who already hold a permit. Altitude can also cause illness: read our guide to altitude sickness.
Weather: the data others do not give
Between the south coast and the surroundings of Teide, the climate is completely different. We compared, month by month, the average highs of the AEMET station at Adeje, on the coast at 130 m (427 ft), and of the Izaña observatory, at 2,371 m (7,779 ft), a few kilometers from the cable car, whose lower station is at 2,356 m (7,730 ft). The two series do not cover the same period (1991-2020 for Adeje, 1981-2010 for Izaña): the gap is an order of magnitude.
| Month | Coast max (Adeje) | Izaña max (2,371 m / 7,779 ft) | Gap | Izaña min | Izaña rainy days | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22.1 °C (72 °F) | 7.5 °C (46 °F) | 14.6 °C (26.3 °F) | 1.1 °C (34 °F) | 5 | 6:32 pm |
| February | 22.0 °C (72 °F) | 8.0 °C (46 °F) | 14.0 °C (25.2 °F) | 1.3 °C (34 °F) | 4 | 6:57 pm |
| March | 23.0 °C (73 °F) | 10.2 °C (50 °F) | 12.8 °C (23.0 °F) | 2.7 °C (37 °F) | 4 | 7:14 pm |
| April | 23.5 °C (74 °F) | 11.8 °C (53 °F) | 11.7 °C (21.1 °F) | 3.5 °C (38 °F) | 3 | 8:31 pm |
| May | 24.5 °C (76 °F) | 14.5 °C (58 °F) | 10.0 °C (18.0 °F) | 5.8 °C (42 °F) | 1 | 8:49 pm |
| June | 25.8 °C (78 °F) | 18.9 °C (66 °F) | 6.9 °C (12.4 °F) | 9.9 °C (50 °F) | 0 | 9:04 pm |
| July | 27.4 °C (81 °F) | 23.0 °C (73 °F) | 4.4 °C (7.9 °F) | 14.0 °C (57 °F) | 0 | 9:05 pm |
| August | 28.5 °C (83 °F) | 22.6 °C (73 °F) | 5.9 °C (10.6 °F) | 13.8 °C (57 °F) | 1 | 8:45 pm |
| September | 28.3 °C (83 °F) | 18.6 °C (65 °F) | 9.7 °C (17.5 °F) | 10.4 °C (51 °F) | 2 | 8:11 pm |
| October | 27.3 °C (81 °F) | 14.3 °C (58 °F) | 13.0 °C (23.4 °F) | 6.9 °C (44 °F) | 4 | 7:37 pm |
| November | 25.2 °C (77 °F) | 11.1 °C (52 °F) | 14.1 °C (25.4 °F) | 4.5 °C (40 °F) | 4 | 6:13 pm |
| December | 23.5 °C (74 °F) | 8.8 °C (48 °F) | 14.7 °C (26.5 °F) | 2.4 °C (36 °F) | 6 | 6:12 pm |
Result: the gap exceeds 4.4 °C (7.9 °F) all year round and reaches 14.7 °C (26.5 °F) in December. In winter, the average low at Izaña falls to 1 °C (34 °F): on days when you swim at 22 °C (72 °F) on the coast, it can freeze near the lower station, and it is colder still 1,200 m (3,937 ft) higher up at La Rambleta. Hence the operator’s advice: warm clothing, sunglasses, protection against sunstroke and water.
The sky is very clear in summer (more than 350 hours of sunshine a month from May to August at Izaña); precipitation, sometimes as snow, is concentrated from November to March. The cable car also offers a sunset ascent outside normal hours, as part of activities sold by the operator.
What to see in the national park
- La Rambleta, 3,555 m (11,663 ft): the upper cable car station, a viewpoint and the starting point of the high-altitude trails (PNT 10 to the summit, PNT 11 to the La Fortaleza viewpoint, PNT 12 to the Pico Viejo viewpoint), subject to opening by Tenerife ON.
- The lower station, 2,356 m (7,730 ft): visitor center, « Science and Legend » exhibition on the summit’s last major eruption, about 1,000 years ago according to the operator, shop and restaurant.
- The park roads: the cable car is served by the TF-21. The operator describes four access roads: TF-24 from La Laguna, TF-21 from La Orotava, TF-38 from Los Gigantes via Chío, TF-21 from Vilaflor for the southern resorts.
- The national park: inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2007, the Tenerife tourist board points out.
Getting to Teide
By car, park at the lower station car park during its opening hours. The operator recommends public transport or an excursion to limit crowding of the park’s car parks: the « How to get to the cable car » page of volcanoteide.com links to the days, prices and times of public buses. No journey time from the seaside resorts is officially published: work it out with your own route.
Common mistakes
- Thinking the cable car ticket lets you go to the summit: you need the PNT 10 permit.
- Going up in sandals or high heels: the operator does not allow them on board, for safety reasons.
- Taking a one-way ticket and counting on walking down without a permit: access with an up-only ticket is refused without a descent permit.
- Arriving right on time: boarding is 20 minutes before the booked session.
- Underestimating the cold: see the gap table above.
- Booking the summit too late: slots open 56 days in advance.
What to see nearby
On the south coast, Tenerife offers beaches and seaside resorts; to compare the islands, read Tenerife or Lanzarote and Tenerife or Fuerteventura. The volcanoes of Lanzarote offer an interesting contrast.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Teide cable car cost?
€42 round trip for a non-resident adult and €21 for a child aged 3 to 13, according to the official website. The one-way ticket costs €23.50 (€11.75 for a child).
Do you need a permit to climb to the summit of Teide?
Yes. Trail PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo requires a named permit on Tenerife ON. Since 19 January 2026, it costs €15 for non-resident visitors between 9 am and 5 pm.
What are the Teide cable car hours?
From 9 am to 5 pm from 25 October to 31 December 2026, with the last ascent at 4 pm. In summer and at Easter, it runs until 6:40 pm.
Is it cold at the top of Teide?
Yes. At the Izaña observatory, at 2,371 m (7,779 ft), the average January high is 7.5 °C (46 °F) compared with 22.1 °C (72 °F) at Adeje on the coast (AEMET). La Rambleta is another 1,200 m (3,937 ft) higher.
Can you go up Teide with a baby?
Not by cable car for children under 3: the operator forbids it, as it does for pregnant women and people with cardiovascular problems.
How long can you stay at the top?
One hour at the upper station, extendable by up to two hours for holders of a crater access permit.
Our sources
- Teleférico del Pico del Teide (volcanoteide.com): « Teide cable car ticket booking », « Teide cable car prices and hours » and « How to get to the cable car » pages, consulted on 24 October 2026
- Tenerife ON (Cabildo de Tenerife): news items « Tenerife ON incorporará tarifas públicas… » (16 January 2026) and « Nuevas condiciones de reserva… » (16 October 2026), consulted on 24 October 2026
- Turismo de Tenerife (webtenerife.com): document « Nueva regulación de acceso a pie al Teide » (mandatory equipment, penalties, controlled trails)
- AEMET: Adeje station (C419X), 1991-2020 normals (OpenData); Izaña observatory, 1981-2010 averages; relayed by the weather boxes of the Wikipedia articles « Adeje » and « Teide National Park »
- Summit coordinates: Wikipedia, « Teide » article
- Sunset and temperature gaps: Destination de Voyage calculations (NOAA; difference between AEMET normals)
- Our methodology
Updated November 2026. Prices, hours and access rules may change: check the official website before you go.