Benalmadena’s Cablecar – all you need to prepare an exciting visit paying less

Benalmadena’s Cablecar, locally know as Teleférico Benalmádena, is one of the most exciting activities of the Costa del Sol. It takes you from the center of the town all the way up to Mount Calamorro – the highest mount on the coast, from where you can have incomparable views of the Costa del Sol – and even see a bit of Gibraltar and the African coast on a clear day!

Is it worth going to the cable car in Benalmadena?

Yes, by all means. It has the best views and reviews! 4.6 on google and 4.4 on Trip Advisor as of this writing. It is interesting, unique in the Costa and family friendly – kids will be doing an outdoor activity and not be bored! The upper area of the cable car has three viewpoints, all surrounded by nature and plants typical of the south of Spain; it is also a fantastic place to do hikes – short or long – while admiring the views. A fantastic day out.

There are places to eat on both ends of the cable car, a display of birds of prey (if you time yourself according to their shows – more on this ahead on this post) and, during summer, an open-air planetarium at night!

Cable car prices and how to buy tickets

The price of the cable car is a bit high, but we’ll see here all about tickets – including the ways to get discounts!

As of this writing, prices range from € 0 to € 23,90 for a round trip. But the cable car price is dynamic – it changes from one day to the next. There is a base, reference price, which currently is € 23,90 per person for a round trip; kids up to one meter high and under 3 years old don’t pay, and those older than 65 or between 3 and 7 years old have a reduced price. People with proven disabilities also have reduced prices, and if they need to be accompanied by a helper, this person goes for free.

There are open-day tickets (the most expensive, at € 23,90, but can be used on any day) and tickets that are specific to a given date, chosen during purchase. There are no specific times, though; people go up or down in order of arrival.

Buy in the ticket office: you can simply walk to the ticket booth and buy your tickets on the go. This is the most expensive way, though. The full ticket prices range from € 19,90 to € 23,90 and the reduced prices start at € 14,90 in the office booth.

Buy online: you get quite good discounts buying online, more so if you buy a week ahead, to visit on a weekday. You can get your tickets for the same price either on Get Your Guide or on the Teleférico Benalmádena page. I guess Get Your Guide manages to offer the same price because they buy tickets in bulk, or maybe they have an agreement with the Cablecar company; in any case, the two offered the same price every time I tested.

I also noticed that though buying ahead does make a difference, the discount does not progress on time: buy for a date 7 days ahead or 2 months ahead and you get the same discount. Buying for today or 2 days ahead, though, gives a smaller discount – but something.

You can buy tickets with reduced prices on Get Your Guide when they are age related; if they are related to disabilities, I believe they are sold only on the Benalmadena Cablecar page. One-way tickets – for those that intend to go hiking up or down Mount Calamorro – are also available only on the Benalmadena Cablecar page.

Use a discount card: in several places around the Costa it is possible to get for free small cardboard cards that give discounts to various places and activities – cable car included. Tourist information centers, such as the Castillo El Bil-Bill, and tourist-related activities, such as and the Butterfly Park, among other places, have these. When the place has a gift shop, the discount cards are usually there. The discount cards for the cable car are good to be used when purchasing tickets both online (in the official site) or in the office, and have instructions in both Spanish and English on the back.

✨ Best way – Buy a combo: Both Get You Guide and the Teleferico Benalmadena web page offer the possibility of buying combos to visit 1 or two of the Selwo parks (Selwo Marina in Benalmadena and / or Selwo Aventura in Estepona). The two websites, once again, offer the same prices, but there is one major difference: buying from Get Your Guide, the tickets are valid only for one day, but buying from the Teleferico page, the parks can be visited on any date starting from the purchase date. This is the best option, in my opinion, specially buying one week ahead.

Selwo Aventura is a large zoo in Estepona, while Selwo Marina is a small zoo focused on marine life in Benalmadena (with dolphins and penguins, among other surprises!). They are both very different from the cable car, so I think visiting at least one of them make sense; therefore, buying tickets in a combo is both money and time well spent!

This cannot be accumulated with other discounts (such as age or discount cards) but is still a great bang for your buck. From what they state on the image above – “you can visit any park from that day and throughout the 2025 season, on different days and without prior reservation” – I understand that you can visit each park included in your combo once, but the visits to each park don’t need to be on the same day – therefore, none of them need to be on the day for which the ticket was bought. Do you see the beauty?

Bonoparque: It is possible to get unlimited access to Benalmadena’s cable car, the two Selwo Parks and several other parks in Spain buying one of the “Bonos” offered at Bonoparque.es. If you live in the area or plan to travel around, take a look at their combos.

For Benalmadena residents: residents of Benalmadena (meaning, those that have Benalmádena’s Padrón) can use the Cablecar for free, once. Well, at least in theory. The following link has all the information about it in Spanish: one can request the ticket from the 14th of each month until the last Wednesday of that month, to use on the last weekend of said month. Well, in theory. I followed this process a previous year, in March, and was given a ticket for October, precisely for Halloween day…

Is it better to buy tickets from Get your Guide or from the Cablecar website?

Given that the prices are the same in both sites, there isn’t much difference when buying from either. You can buy from Get Your Guide if you feel you are used to navigate their system and feel more comfortable buying from them, but, despite of that, it is effectively better to buy directly from the Teleferico website in two situations:

– when buying tickets for someone that has special requirements and could benefit from reduced prices for disability from the Teleferico site (but not from Get Your Guide) and
– when buying a combo (Cable car + 1 or both Selwo parks) because the tickets on Get Your Guide state that they need to be used all on the same day, while the ones from the Teleferico site do not require that.

Benalmadena’s cable car and wheelchairs, bicycles, prams and pets

Wheelchairs: Folding wheelchairs or wheelchairs with a total width of less than 70 cm can enter the cable car cabins. The speed of the cabin can be reduced sufficiently or even stopped so that they can get in easily, and if necessary, a ramp is available for access to the cabins. Up in Mount Calamorro, the paths to the North and South panoramic viewpoints are not accessible with wheelchairs, as they have slopes and steps along the way, so they may not be accessible to visitors with reduced mobility; the Central Viewpoint is very close to the arrival station at the top and is accessible without steps along the route.

Prams and Pushchairs: you can take a pram or pushchair into the cable car cabin as long as it can be folded. Depending on the pram’s dimensions, the Teleférico staff will tell you whether it can be taken up as it is or must be folded. Note that the trails to the North and South scenic lookouts are not accessible with prams or pushchairs as they have steps and slopes along the way.

Bicycles: you can ride on the cable car with your own bike, as long as you can remove the front wheel. You can go on the Teleferico one way and by bike on the other! (By the way, congratulations if you are seriously considering doing it!)

Pets: pets are not allowed into the cable cars, except for assistance and assisted therapy dogs, always with presentation of the corresponding documentation. At the top of Mount Calamorro, they must remain on a leash and be led in such a way that they do not constitute a danger to people, natural fauna and the animals that form part of the Bird Presentation. Animals are not allowed in the birds of prey presentation area or on the walkway over the grandstand area.

Opening hours and days

The cable car operates every day of the week, but not every day of the year. The cable car season goes from mid-February (for reference, in 2025 it started on February 14) until January 06 of the next year. There is a cable car each 15 minutes, approximately, and each car fits up to 4 people.

The opening hours of the Cable Car vary (a lot!) along the year, prioritizing daytime:

• February and March: from 11 am to 6 pm
• April, May and June: from 11 am to 7 pm
• July and August: from 10 am to 11 pm
• September: from 11 am to 7 pm
• October from 11 am to 6 pm
• November, December and until January 6th: from 11 am to 5 pm

These are the general hours displayed on the Cable Car website; it is always advisable to double check in case you plan to go late in the evening. The last cable car goes up 15 minutes before ending time and comes down 15 minutes after the scheduled closing hour.

Notice how it goes until 11 pm during July and August? It is already night at this time in the Costa del Sol; It turns out there is an open-air planetarium going on up on Mount Calamorro during summers!!! We’ll talk all about it on special events. 😉

It is important to know that when the weather conditions are bad – too windy or too much rain – the Cable Car remains closed either for the full day or for a few hours. If it happens, people that have tickets for that day you can use it on any other day during the same season.

Time to go up!

Ok, I wasn’t afraid to climb up. For some reason, I, that cannot handle roller coasters, wasn’t concerned about going up 600 meters suspended only by a cable. That changed the moment I climbed in; even before sitting, the very soft movement of the cable car was enough to make me panic at what was to come. Kiddo, on the other hand, was completely cool and chatty as always (but he like roller coasters).

For the first minute, I didn’t even look out. I took Hubby’s hand and squeezed it; Kiddo took his time but eventually understood that it was in everybody’s best interest if he didn’t tease me – my complexion turning very pale / slightly green must have helped. One good tip I learned there and then that I’m sure will be of help: face the mountain, not the beach, if you think you’ll feel sick. While facing the sea, you can clearly perceive the height between the car and the floor, but facing the mountain, it feels almost on the same level.

Even if you like roller coasters, it is difficult to take good pictures from the cable car because of the glass reflections; moreover, calima attacks everybody in the Costa del Sol, so the cable car glasses are not completely transparent – they’re slightly sandblasted. That being said, here are the best pictures I got after I started looking towards the mountain:

We can see Tivoli from above (I managed to take a few pictures on our way back, but they all have strong reflections). The park is in a sad state, an empty shell in the middle of Benalmadena, where even cars were left abandoned all these years. There is a pond that is very dark green. I hope the plans of remodelling and reopening do come through!

The rest of the way up is quite interesting, as the mountain reveals itself in more details and before you know it…

Viewpoints

There are 3 viewpoints, named Central, North and South. The Central one is shown below, right by the arrival area (the sidewalk on the previous picture is the same as in the next picture). There are benches along the sidewalk, where people get their first “wow” moments gazing at the coast.

The South viewpoint is a red-topped hut that is visible from the Central viewpoint. Going there is fairly easy, despite of the uneven and rocky soil, thanks to the guardrails. I made a video with a 360 degrees view while going there:

From this viewpoint, you have the best views of Benalmadena!

Above, we see Puerto Marina and the start (or end) of Torremolinos’ Carihuela, as well as Solymar, a bit of Arroyo (where the Polideportivo and its large soccer field are) and a bit of the A7 and Santangelo. Below, Gamonal area, the train station (but you gotta know where it is to find it), Avenida de la Constitución (same as before), Tivoli and its Friday-market parking lot, Miramar and the traditional part of Arroyo de la Miel.

Above, Benalbeach, a bit of Parque la Paloma, Avenida de las Palmeras, a bit of Torrequebrada, Tivoli and Montealto; Below, Torrequebrada and Torremuele (much greener, right?)

The North viewpoint is the only one that is a bit hard to reach. it is completely optional – you can enjoy quite a lot without climbing there – and it sits right on the top of Mount Calamorro.

For me, while the South viewpoint was interesting to view of a place that is very familiar, the North viewpoint was interesting for the exact opposite reason: it showed what lies beyond the mountains.

Everybody praises the Costa del Sol’s beaches, but I’m equally fascinated by the mountains. The pictures do not do justice; from here you can see mountains all the way to the horizon; it feels like waves of land. Just precious.

Trails on Monte Calamorro

Brave readers, there are plenty of trails for you. You can take the cable car only one way or even bypass it at all and walk / climb this and other mountains from all sides. Please send me pictures. 🙂 The picture above shows some of such trails, and here is a link to see them better.

Falconry show

Every day the cable car is working, there is a falconry show on Mount Calamorro. To see it, you need to time your arrival to a bit before the show starts. As of this writing, show times are at 1 pm, 2:30 pm and 5 pm, but it is advisable to check here the current times, as this may vary along the year.

This presentation is paid separately. Kids from 3 to 11 years old pay 4,00 €; from 12 on, 7,00 €. The payment is done directly there, at the entrance of the show area, and they only accept cash. I’ve seen this show on other occasions – they usually do it in Ferias in Benalmadena and Fuengirola – but not on the Calamorro itself; based on those shows, I think it is worth paying if you are not going to be here for one of the Ferias. The birds of prey are quite precise; we go watch the show for the kids, but in my experience, the kids get distracted easily and the adults end up finding the show much more impressive.

Special events

During summer, there is a open-air planetarium on Mount Calamorro! You can climb there by cable car and an astronomer will explain the skies above. The location is perfect, because it is way above city lights; go on a clear night and you can see meteors and stars like never before.

Check dates and prices here. Notice though, that they do not sell the tickets with the access to the planetarium all year long, so make sure you are getting it listed on the ticket before paying. The presentation itself happens around 9 or 10 pm, when the sun is setting or has just set in these parts during summer.

Where to eat during a visit to the cable car

There are a few kiosks selling food near the arrival area. They offer, as you would expect, mostly snacks.

The one above was closed when I went there, but there were two others selling ice cream that were open.

How long does the journey take?

There is a cable car each 15 minutes and the journey takes 15 to 20 minutes each way. Adding some time to enjoy the view, and maybe some snacks, and a bit of time waiting for the car, I think this activity should last about 1h to 2h.

Tips to go to Benalmadena’s Cablecar

In my opinion, the best way to buy tickets is buying a combo at least a week ahead of your trip, for a weekday, so that you pay less in two attractions, have open-day tickets and can choose to go to the cable car when the sky is clearest. For the parks, a bit of cloud can actually be welcome, but for the cable car, a super blue, beautiful sky makes a big difference.

If you do not intend to visit the Selwo parks, I believe the best is to buy the tickets online on the same week you intend to visit, so you can check the weather forecast and increase your chances to go there on the sunniest / less cloudy day possible. You can also buy an open-day ticket, which allows you to choose any date for visiting, but this one costs full price (€ 23,90, versus the € 26,90 for the combo).

I’d also recommend that you don’t leave the Cable Car visit for the last day of your trip, as if it turns out to be too windy or too rainy on that day, you won’t have the opportunity to use that ticket on another day.

Time yourself to watch the falconry show! If you plan to watch the show at 1 pm, be on the lower side of the cable car at noon, so that even if the line is long and you need to get onto the next cable car, you won’t miss the show. On the other hand, if the line is short, you can enjoy the views – and even some snacks – before the show starts. As you would expect, lines tend to be longer during the summer and shorter the rest of the year.

Important: take cash with you. The birds of prey show is paid in cash, in loco, as are the planetarium and the restaurants on the upper part.

Wear sport shoes and clothes. You’ll want to see the Costa del Sol from different viewpoints, and the trails to get to them is rocky and uneven. You’ll not fall off the mountain thanks to the guardrails (phew!) but proper shoes are essential to prevent slips or an ankle twist.

If you fear you may get sick during the climb, face the mountain side while inside the cable car. It worked for me; I managed to climb down without changing color!

Getting there

Above: the entrance of the lower station of Benalmadena’s Cablecar

Benalmadena’s Cablecar is very central. If you are going by train, you’ll be glad to know that the cable car is very close to the Benalmadena-Arroyo de la Miel Train Station, right in front of the Tivoli Park (which is closed, but we hope will open again in a couple of years).

If you are going by bus, the best line is the M-103; you should leave at the bus stop called Teleférico Benalmádena. You can also get to the cable car using bus lines M-107, M-112, M-116, M-121, M-125 or M-126 – all which stop by the train station, in the bus stop called Arroyo de la Miel. If you are on the Hop-on Hop off bus, it is on the stop number 8.

Going by car, you can park on Tivoli’s parking lot (open air, for free) every day except on Fridays, because that’s when and where the street market takes place; you can also park under plaza Pueblosol (covered, paid; about 1 euro per hour). This parking lot has two entrances: one on Calle Pepa Guerra Valdenebro and another on the Avenida de la Estación (right by the Train Staion).

Above and below: the upper station of the cable car, more than 700 meters above sea level!

Conclusion

Now you are all set to go above and beyond! Wear your grippiest tennis shoes, a hat, splash some sunscreen and go see the mountains, the plants, the sea, the birds and / or the stars. I think you’ll like it!