Longest Cable Cars in the World: Top 10

The longest cable cars on Earth stretch for up to 12.5 km, from the Andes above Mérida in Venezuela to city lines in Mexico and island hops in Vietnam.

This Finepedia guide, written in October 2026, ranks the ten longest passenger cable cars that are running today. Some are mountain rides that climb thousands of metres, some cross the sea or a rainforest, and some carry commuters over crowded city districts. Several hold Guinness World Records. For more on record-breaking structures with big views, see the Finepedia guides Highest Bridges in the World: Top 10 and Tallest TV and Observation Towers: Top 10.

How We Chose These

To find the longest cable cars, we measured each one from its first station to its last along a single route, counting every section of a multi-stage line as part of the same ride. We left out whole urban networks, lines that are closed, and newer lines whose length we could not confirm in two sources. Lengths were checked against operators, Guinness World Records, Wikipedia and a 2026 survey by City Viking, as of October 2026. Three of the ten are in Vietnam.

The 10 Longest Cable Cars at a Glance

1. Mérida's Cable Car Is the Longest and Highest

The cable car of Mérida, in the Venezuelan Andes, runs for 12.5 km in four linked stages, from the city, 1,577 m above sea level, to a summit station 4,765 m high on Pico Espejo. That makes it both the longest and the highest passenger cable car in the world. It first opened in 1960, shut in 2008 for rebuilding, and returned in 2016 under the name Mukumbarí.

Key Facts

• Length: 12.5 km, in four sections
• Base station: 1,577 m
• Top station: 4,765 m (Pico Espejo)
• Reopened: 2016, as Mukumbarí

Did You Know?

The ride climbs more than 3,000 m, so the air at the top holds far less oxygen than in the city below. Visitors are advised to go up slowly, stopping at the middle stations, to avoid altitude sickness.

2. Cablebús Line 2 Carries Commuters Across Mexico City

Cablebús Line 2 crosses 10.55 km of hillside neighbourhoods in Iztapalapa, on the east side of Mexico City, linking Constitución de 1917 with Santa Marta through seven stations. Opened in August 2021, it was designed for daily commuting, not sightseeing, and Guinness lists it as the longest cable car route anywhere that serves as public transport.

Key Facts

• Length: about 10.55 km
• Stations: seven
• Opened: August 2021
• Borough: Iztapalapa, Mexico City

Why It Matters

Iztapalapa has more people than any other borough of Mexico City, and its steep hillside streets are hard for buses to serve. The cable car sharply shortened many daily journeys, and riders glide over rooftops painted with murals.

3. Cablebús Line 1 Climbs to Cuautepec

The first Cablebús line in Mexico City began service in July 2021, shortly ahead of Line 2. It covers about 9.2 km from the busy Indios Verdes transport hub to the hillside districts of Cuautepec, on the city's northern edge below the Sierra de Guadalupe. Like Line 2, it is part of the public transport network, with low fares for daily riders.

Key Facts

• Length: about 9.2 km
• Stations: six
• Opened: July 2021
• Starts at: Indios Verdes, northern Mexico City

Did You Know?

Mexico City has followed cities such as Medellín in Colombia and La Paz in Bolivia, where cable cars became an everyday way to reach poor hillside districts that roads and trains serve badly.

4. Bursa Uludağ Gondola Is Turkey's Longest Ride

The Bursa Uludağ Gondola climbs from the city of Bursa to the hotel and ski area of Mount Uludağ, one of Turkey's best-known winter resorts. It replaced an older cable car that had served the mountain since 1963, extending the line to 8.8 km when it reopened at the end of 2013. At the time, it was described as the longest gondola line in the world.

Key Facts

• Length: 8.8 km
• Cabins: 174, each with eight seats
• Support towers: 45
• Journey time: about 22 minutes

Why It Matters

Before the new line, visitors had to finish the trip to the hotels by taxi or bus. The upgrade raised capacity to about 1,500 passengers an hour, more than ten times that of the old line, and made the mountain much easier to reach.

5. Hòn Thơm Cable Car Crosses the Sea

Off the southern tip of Phú Quốc island in Vietnam, the Hòn Thơm Cable Car carries passengers about 7.9 km over the turquoise sea and small islands of the An Thới archipelago to Hòn Thơm, or Pineapple Island. In 2018 it set a Guinness record as the longest three-rope cable car with no stop along the way, at 7,899.9 m.

Key Facts

• Length: 7,899.9 m
• Location: Phú Quốc, Vietnam
• Record: longest three-rope line without a stop
• Opened: 2018

Did You Know?

The three-rope design uses two fixed track ropes to carry each cabin and a third rope to pull it. This keeps the cabins steady in strong sea winds and lets them travel long distances between towers.

6. Tochal Telecabin Rises Above Tehran

The Tochal Telecabin starts in the Velenjak valley on the northern edge of Tehran, at about 1,900 m, and rises over 7.5 km to a top station at about 3,740 m, just under the crest of Mount Tochal in the Alborz range. Work began in 1974, and it has carried the public since 1978. The upper stations serve the Tochal ski slopes.

Key Facts

• Length: about 7.5 km
• Lower station: about 1,900 m
• Top station: about 3,740 m
• Open since: 1978

Why It Matters

The gondola lets the people of Tehran, a city of millions, reach mountain air and snow within minutes of their homes. On clear days, riders can see across the vast city to the plains beyond.

7. Skyrail Floats Over the Rainforest

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway in Queensland, Australia, runs 7.5 km from Smithfield, near Cairns, over the Barron Gorge National Park to the mountain village of Kuranda. Its six-seat cabins skim just above the forest canopy of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area. No gondola anywhere was longer when the line was finished in 1995.

Key Facts

• Length: about 7.5 km
• Route: Smithfield to Kuranda, Queensland
• Stops on the way: Red Peak and Barron Falls
• Completed: 1995

Did You Know?

To protect the forest, the towers were put in place by helicopter rather than by building roads. Many visitors ride the cableway one way and return on the historic Kuranda Scenic Railway.

8. Tianmen Mountain Cableway Climbs to Heaven's Gate

The Tianmen Mountain Cableway in Zhangjiajie, China, starts right in the city centre and climbs 7,455 m to the top of Tianmen Mountain, rising about 1,279 m. Supplied by Poma of France and opened to riders in 2005, it has 98 cabins and is often billed as the longest high-mountain passenger cableway on Earth.

Key Facts

• Length: 7,455 m
• Height gain: about 1,279 m
• Cabins: 98
• Opened: 2005

Why It Matters

At the top, visitors find cliff walkways, glass floors and the natural arch of Tianmen Cave. The steepest part of the ride, at about 37 degrees, gives a thrilling view of the road with 99 bends that also winds up the mountain.

9. Fansipan Legend Reaches the Roof of Indochina

The Fansipan Legend Cable Car near Sa Pa, in northern Vietnam, carries riders 6.3 km from the Mường Hoa valley to just below the summit of Fansipan, which at about 3,147 m is the tallest peak in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. Opened in February 2016, it holds two Guinness World Records.

Key Facts

• Length: about 6.3 km
• Height difference: about 1,410 m
• Opened: February 2016
• Mountain: Fansipan, the highest in Indochina

Did You Know?

Before the cable car, climbing Fansipan took two or three days of hard trekking. The ride now takes around 15 minutes, followed by a short climb of stairs, or a funicular, to the summit.

10. Bà Nà Hills Cable Car Rides Up to a Hill Station

The cable car to Bà Nà Hills, about 40 km from Da Nang in central Vietnam, climbs to a hill resort at about 1,500 m. When its main line opened on 29 March 2013, it set a Guinness record as the longest single-track cable car with no intermediate stop, measuring 5,801 m. The resort is also known for the Golden Bridge, a walkway that appears to be held up by a pair of huge sculpted hands.

Key Facts

• Length: 5,801 m
• Opened: 29 March 2013
• Resort height: about 1,500 m
• Nearest city: Da Nang, Vietnam

Why It Matters

French settlers first built a cool hill station at Bà Nà in the early 20th century to escape the summer heat of the coast. The cable car turned it into one of Vietnam's busiest tourist resorts.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which passenger cable car was the longest ever built?

The Norsjö aerial tramway in northern Sweden, at about 13.2 to 13.6 km, is the longest passenger cable car ever built. It was once part of a 96 km ore ropeway and opened to tourists in 1989, but it is now out of service, so it is not in our ranking.

What is the largest urban cable car network?

Mi Teleférico, in La Paz and El Alto in Bolivia, is the largest city cable car network in the world, with ten lines. It is a whole network rather than a single route, so we left it out. Armenia's Wings of Tatev, at 5,752 m, just misses the top ten.

Conclusion

These record-length cable cars, from the Mérida ride to Pico Espejo and the commuter lines of Mexico City to the sea crossing at Hòn Thơm, show how far a cable can carry people. Some save hours of travel, while others are attractions in their own right. For more on lofty engineering and views, read the Finepedia guides Highest Bridges in the World: Top 10 and Tallest TV and Observation Towers: Top 10.