Parking
Caminito del Rey parking and the shuttle bus: the one-way problem solved
This is the page that saves the day. The Caminito runs one direction only and finishes seven kilometres from where it starts, and how you handle that decides whether you end the afternoon relaxed or standing at a bus stop in El Chorro doing arithmetic.
Quick answer
There are car parks at both ends and a shuttle bus between them. The standard plan is park north, walk south, shuttle back. The better plan is park south at El Chorro, shuttle north, and walk back to your own car — no bus at the end of the day and no timetable to worry about when you are tired.
The logistics, at a glance
- Car park, northern access
- Paidand it fills at weekends in spring
- Car park, El Chorro
- Paidbeside the station, and usually easier
- The shuttle bus
- Between the two endsa couple of euros, on a timetable
- Shuttle journey time
- 15–20 minutesaround the outside of the gorge
- Waiting for it
- Up to 40 minutesthe part nobody budgets
- Distance by road
- Several kilometresbetween the two access points
- Walking between them
- Not sensibleand there is no path
- Listings including the shuttle
- Three, plus every day tourfrom $43
- The better plan
- Park south, shuttle northfinish at your own car
- Cancellation
- Free on all eighteenbooked through GetYourGuide
The problem, stated plainly
Seven kilometres, one direction, and a car behind you
Your car is seven kilometres away on the wrong side of a mountain.
The Caminito del Rey is a one-way route through a gorge. You enter at the northern access near Ardales and you emerge at El Chorro in the south. Those two points are several kilometres apart by road, going around the outside of the mountain, and there is no path between them other than the walkway you have just used — which is one-directional and which you cannot re-enter.
So if you parked at the north, your car is now seven kilometres away on the wrong side of a gorge, and the only way back to it is a shuttle bus that runs every so often.
This is not a secret and it is not a scandal. It is simply the single most common thing people fail to plan for, because every photograph of the Caminito shows a walkway and none of them shows a bus timetable.
Four ways to solve it
In order of how little you have to think
All four work. They differ in how much of the day you spend thinking about buses.
- Take a day tour — from $64
The coach drops you at the north and collects you at the south. There is no problem to solve and no timetable to read. Thirteen listings here do this.
- Buy entry with the shuttle included — $43
You drive, you park at the north, and the bus back is part of the ticket. 9,107 people have rated this listing and it is the most underrated booking in the niche.
- Park at El Chorro and shuttle north first
The clever one. Leave the car at the southern end, take the shuttle up to the access, walk south, and finish beside your own car. You deal with the bus at the start of the day when you are fresh, not at the end when you are not.
- Park north and buy the shuttle at the gorge
Works, and it is the cheapest. Read the timetable before you set off, because a forty-minute wait at El Chorro at the end of four hours of walking is a long forty minutes.
Practical notes on the car parks
Three things worth knowing
Both paid, both cheap, and the northern one fills first.
Both are paid and neither is expensive. A few euros for the day at either end.
The northern car park fills at weekends in spring and autumn, which is another reason to take an early slot. The southern one beside El Chorro station is generally easier.
Do not leave anything visible in the car. Ordinary advice, and the car parks are remote enough that it is worth repeating.
If you came by train you are already at the southern end, which makes the shuttle-north-first plan the obvious one.
Getting there→Common questions
Caminito del Rey parking and the shuttle, answered
How do I get back to my car after the Caminito del Rey?
By shuttle bus from El Chorro to the northern access. It runs on a timetable, takes fifteen to twenty minutes, and costs a couple of euros. Some tickets include it.
Is there parking at the Caminito del Rey?
Yes, paid car parks at both ends. The northern one fills at weekends in spring; the southern one beside El Chorro station is usually easier.
Can I walk back to the start?
No. The walkway is one-directional and you cannot re-enter it, and there is no path around the outside.
Which end should I park at?
The southern end, El Chorro, if you have the choice. Shuttle up to the northern access, walk south, and finish beside your own car.
How often does the shuttle bus run?
To a timetable rather than continuously. Check it before you set off, and budget up to forty minutes of waiting at the southern end.
Do any tickets include the shuttle?
Yes. Three entry listings on this page include it, and every day tour handles the return entirely.
Go deeper
More on walking the Caminito del Rey
Caminito del Rey tickets
Eighteen listings priced per person, from $32 to $191, and what each includes.
From MalagaThe Caminito del Rey from Malaga
Sixty kilometres, thirteen day tours, and why the coach is worth it.
The walkThe Caminito del Rey walk itself
Kilometre by kilometre, north to south, and what each part is like.
VerdictThe best Caminito del Rey tour
Eighteen listings ranked for one decision, with a straight answer.
Last minuteLast-minute tickets
What to do when the official site is sold out, and what will not work.
North or southNorth or south access?
The route runs one way, and only one of these is a start.
