Teide summit permit: how to book it, what it costs and the 2026 time slots

The cable car takes you to about 3,550 metres, but the last stretch to the top of Spain’s highest mountain is closed to anyone without a Teide permit. It is free to apply, takes a few minutes online, and is the single thing most likely to ruin a summit day if you forget it.

The rules changed on 14 October 2026, when the Cabildo de Tenerife (the island government) signed a new resolution with shorter slots and a different split of places. This guide explains how to book under the current rules, what you pay, what you must carry on the day and what happens if the weather or the cable car lets you down. If you would rather leave the paperwork to someone else, our Teide tours page compares trips that include the permit.

What the Teide permit covers and what it does not

The permit is a booking for one trail: PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo, which runs from La Rambleta, beside the upper cable car station, to the crater at 3,718 metres. According to the Tenerife ON trail page, it is about 660 metres long, starts at roughly 3,550 metres and has slopes of up to 60 %. Short, but steep, and the thin air makes it feel much longer than it is.

Three things catch people out:

• A cable car ticket is not a permit. The cable car is a private business; the trail is managed by the national park. The Tenerife ON FAQ says plainly that a cable car ticket “does not include access to regulated trails”.
• The permit only covers La Rambleta to the crater. If you walk up from the road instead of riding, the Montaña Blanca trail (PNT 07) needs its own booking, and so do PNT 09, PNT 23 and PNT 28 on the volcano.
• You may not walk round the crater rim or go into the crater. The resolution treats it as a reserve zone.

How to book the Teide summit permit on Tenerife ON

Bookings are made only on Tenerife ON, the Cabildo’s outdoor platform, on the web or in its app. There is no paper form and no desk at the cable car.

1. Create a free Tenerife ON account and activate it from the email they send you.
2. Open the PNT 10 Telesforo Bravo trail page and scroll to “Haz tu reserva” (make your booking).
3. Choose the number of adults and under-16s, pick a day and a time slot, and fill in the details of every person in the group: name and ID or passport number.
4. Pay by card if your slot has a fee, then save the permit on your phone or print it.

A new week opens every Monday at 07:00 Canary time (the same as UK time), so dates are always available up to 56 days ahead. A Cabildo press note from January 2026 mentioned 28 days, but both the trail page and the FAQ now say 56, and that is what the booking calendar shows.

The current limits are strict. One request can include up to nine people, each person can only book one slot per day, and the system will not give the same person another place in the seven days before or after a booking. When we checked on 26 October 2026, the citizen calendar showed no places for two adults on any of the following six days, so leaving it to the last week is a gamble.

Teide permit fees in 2026

The fee is set in the resolution of 14 October 2026 and only applies to slots between 09:00 and 17:00, the hours when the cable car runs.

Who	PNT 10 summit trail	PNT 07 Montaña Blanca (weekdays / weekends and holidays)
Residents of Tenerife	Free	Free / free
Residents of the other Canary Islands	6 euros	3 / 5 euros
Everyone else, including UK visitors	15 euros	6 / 10 euros
Children under 14	Free	Not stated

The fee box on the booking page says under-16s are free, while the resolution says under-14s. If you are travelling with a 14 or 15-year-old, check the amount the booking form charges before you pay. The resolution sets no fee for slots outside those hours.

The new time slots from October 2026

The biggest change in the new resolution is time. Each booking now gives you 90 minutes on the trail instead of two hours, and the resolution says you must not stay on the trail once your 90 minutes are over. This is the official split of places for members of the public each day:

Slot	Places for the public	Who else gets places
06:00 to 07:30	None	49 for Altavista refuge guests
07:30 to 09:00	7	Bivouac guests, federated mountaineers, accredited guides
09:00 to 10:30	20	30 for accredited guides
10:30 to 12:00	40	10 for accredited guides
12:00 to 13:30	40	10 for accredited guides
13:30 to 15:00	40	10 for accredited guides
15:00 to 17:00	40	10 for accredited guides
17:00 to 22:00	40	10 for accredited guides

No permits are issued between 22:00 and 06:00. Weekend places for federated mountaineers go to members of the Canary Islands federation and weekday places to members of other Spanish federations, who must show a card valid for the current year.

Plan your slot around the cable car if you are riding. From 25 October to 31 December 2026, Volcano Teide lists opening hours of 09:00 to 17:00, with the last ride up at 16:00 and the last ride down at 16:50. A 09:00 slot is tight if you arrive on the first cabin; a mid-morning slot leaves room for queues and wind delays. Slots that end after 16:50 mean walking down, which needs a PNT 07 booking as well.

Cancellations, refunds and the rules on the day

Once your booking is confirmed you cannot change the day, the time or the names. To change anything you cancel and book again, and the freed place does not reappear in the calendar straight away.

The fee is refunded only in three cases, and you have to ask by email to info.tenerifeon@gesplan.es:

• you cancel three days or more before your slot;
• the trail is closed, for example for bad weather or fire risk;
• the cable car does not operate, in which case you attach the email Volcano Teide sends about it.

If you cannot go, cancel anyway. The booking conditions warn that not using a permit can block you from new bookings for three months.

On the day, park control staff check bookings at the start of the trail. Each person must show the permit (on paper or on a phone) with the passport or ID used to book. If the details do not match, access is refused. Children under three are not allowed on the trail, and under-16s must be with an adult. Dogs are not allowed, except guide dogs. Smoking and vaping are banned in the whole national park.

Mandatory kit, ice and snow

Control staff can turn you back, with no refund, if you are not carrying the minimum kit, even with a valid booking. The Tenerife ON list includes:

• mountain boots or trekking shoes with good grip;
• long trousers, worn or in your bag, and a fleece or warm jacket, even in summer;
• a hat and gloves in winter;
• water and some food;
• a charged phone, a torch or headlamp, and a thermal blanket.

Snow and ice change everything. While the trail is icy after a closure, the resolution only allows experienced mountaineers and groups of four to six with a park-accredited guide. You must sign a declaration when booking that everyone is over 18, experienced, insured and carrying crampons. An ice axe is also required when the snow covers the path. For most holidaymakers, a winter visit after a snowfall means a booking with an accredited guide or no summit at all.

Getting there: cable car, on foot or with a guide

Most people ride the cable car to La Rambleta and walk only the last section. A return ticket for adults who do not live in the Canary Islands starts at 42 euros on the Volcano Teide website, and the cable car closes in strong wind, so always book the trail and the ride for the same day with a little slack.

Walking all the way up is possible on the Montaña Blanca route, but it is a long, high-altitude hike that needs both the PNT 07 and PNT 10 permits, good acclimatisation and an early start. If the summit itself is less important than the views, most sunset and stargazing trips stay at viewpoints by the road and need no trail permit: see our stargazing tours page.

The simplest option is a guided summit hike where the operator handles the permit. Volcano Teide sells one with the cable car and permit included from 178 euros, but it cannot be cancelled once confirmed, so only book it when your dates are fixed. To compare it with other summit trips, pickup areas and languages, go to our Teide tours comparison.