Caminito del Rey: Which Entrance, North or South (and the Shuttle Bus)

Without a car, a guided tour from Málaga takes the whole puzzle off your hands: the Caminito del Rey Guided Tour & Welcome Pack from Málaga by Áloratur/Caminito Travel includes the coach from central Málaga, the entry ticket and an official guide, from $67 a person in current promotion (usually $80) (checked October 2026). Its calendar is below.

Why it has to be the north

The official visiting rules say walkers enter directly through the North Access, and that going in anywhere else along the route is strictly forbidden, the railway tracks above all. The route itself runs one way and gently downhill, north to south, from Ardales to Álora. So the south end at El Chorro is only ever an exit. If you arrive there first, by train or because you parked there, you take the shuttle bus up to the north end before you start.

Getting from the road to the north control booth

The shuttle’s northern stop is beside El Kiosko restaurant, by the reservoirs. The control booth, where staff check tickets and hand out helmets, is a walk from there, and there are two ways in:

Be at the access point at least 30 minutes before your entry time. That is the official rule, and the walk to the booth comes on top of it, so leave the bus or the car with a good hour in hand. The official site also asks drivers to be parked at least an hour before their slot.

Where to park, or get off the train

The Visitor Reception Centre sits on the Ardales side, at the Puerto de las Atalayas, 57.7 km from Málaga. Its parking can be booked online with your ticket or paid on arrival while spaces last. It does not sell entry tickets: those are sold online, or at the ticket office at the north access while any are left.

Coming from Málaga by car, the official directions give 59.1 km and a little over 50 minutes via the A-357 and the MA-5403.

How the shuttle bus works

The bus is not run by the Caminito del Rey itself. Autocares Rivero operates it on the MA-5403, about 10 km between three stops:

• El Chorro, at the station: the stop is on the train platform, about 300 metres from where you hand back your helmet at the end.
• Visitor Reception Centre car park. Going north to south, the bus stops here only when a passenger asks.
• Sillón del Rey, by El Kiosko: the northern end of the line, for the walk to the tunnels.

The ride from El Chorro to El Kiosko takes 15 to 20 minutes, and buses leave about every half hour. In the operator’s summer timetable (early April to the end of October) the first bus leaves El Chorro at 07:40 and the last at 19:30; from El Kiosko, buses run from 08:15 to 19:00. In the winter timetable (early November to the end of March) the last bus leaves El Kiosko at 18:30 and El Chorro at 19:00. Check the times on the day: the official site’s own pages do not all agree.

What it costs: €2.50 a person for a day pass, good for as many rides as you need in both directions on the day of your visit. A single ride is €1.60. You can buy the day pass online together with your entry ticket. On board, you pay the driver in cash: cards are not accepted. With a Consorcio de Transporte Metropolitano card a ride costs €0.52.

From April to October, on very hot days when the walk closes through the middle of the day, the shuttle runs a special timetable (ask Autocares Rivero). On a day the walk is closed for bad weather, the service keeps running for up to 3 hours after the closure. If the walk closes for weather on your day, official tickets can be exchanged for another date, subject to availability, in your personal area on caminitodelrey.info (“Canjear entradas por cierre”); they cannot otherwise be changed or refunded.

Coming from Málaga by train

Renfe’s regional trains stop at El Chorro - Caminito del Rey station every day. On weekdays there are five trains from Málaga to El Chorro and six back, counting the two C2 commuter trains that run on beyond Álora. That is enough to work with, but not enough to be careless: match your train to the shuttle times and your entry slot, and remember the walk from El Kiosko to the booth. The journey ends where the Caminito does, so on the way home you step off the walk and onto the platform.

If you would rather not juggle train, bus and slot yourself, the Caminito del Rey: Tickets, Guided Tour, Shuttle & Water by LA GARGANTA ACTIVA starts at the La Garganta hotel in El Chorro, about 130 metres from the station, and includes the shuttle from the south end to the north entrance, the ticket and a guide.

At the south end

The walk finishes in El Chorro. The official route table gives 2.1 km for the exit path down to the station, but that figure predates the new 110-metre suspension bridge at the southern end, which opened on 10 June 2026 and saves almost a kilometre of downhill walking. The old path down stays open for anyone who prefers it. You return your helmet, and the shuttle stop is about 300 metres further, on the station platform.

Which way to book

Book the version of the day that fits how you are travelling:

Prices, ratings and review counts are GetYourGuide’s, checked October 2026; operators use seasonal pricing, so treat them as the shape of the market, not a quote.

For the rest of the planning, see how to get to the Caminito del Rey from Málaga, the tickets and prices guide, what the walk is like and the interactive Caminito del Rey map. For the story of the path itself, read why the Caminito del Rey was built.

Quick answers

Where do you enter the Caminito del Rey? At the north access, near Ardales, by the reservoirs. From the El Kiosko shuttle stop it is 1.5 km through the pedestrian tunnel or 2.7 km by the Gaitanejo path to the control booth.

Can you start the Caminito del Rey from El Chorro? No. The route is one way, north to south, and entry anywhere but the north access is forbidden. From El Chorro you take the shuttle bus north first.

How early should you arrive? At least 30 minutes before your entry time at the access point, which is the official rule. Add the 20 to 50 minute walk from the road, and drivers should be parked an hour ahead.

How difficult is the walk? The route runs gently downhill from north to south, so it asks for stamina rather than climbing skill: 7.7 km in all. The official site advises against it for people with vertigo or with heart, breathing or mobility problems, and children under 8 are not admitted.

How long does it take? Three to four hours from the access paths to the exit, on the official figures.

Sources

Written 30 October 2026, updated 31 October 2026. The one-way rule, access paths, timings, parking, ticket sales, the weather-closure ticket exchange and train advice are from the Caminito del Rey’s official site (caminitodelrey.info: access and route, FAQ, parking and shuttle, how to get there, visiting rules). Shuttle stops, fares and timetables are from the operator, Autocares Rivero; train numbers from Renfe; the new suspension bridge from the Diputación de Málaga and La Opinión de Málaga. Tour inclusions and meeting points are from each tour’s GetYourGuide listing, read in October 2026.