How To Get Around Granada Easily & Cheap

Getting to the City

From The Airport

Granada airport (Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport, GRX) is located around 15 kms west of Granada City Centre. This airport is connected to the city by bus, taxi and private transfer services. The main road that connects the airport to the city is Autovia A-92.

There is a bus service (operated by ALSA Company) to get into the city centre from outside the airport building (800 metres walk). The journey time is around 45 minutes. Ticket price is 3 Euros and you can purchase it from the driver (online or app purchases are also available). These buses are scheduled according to flight arrival times (30 minutes after each flight’s arrival). The company often changes the time table, so check on this website www.alsa.es before you avail the service.

The official taxi fare from airport to city centre is not fixed but usually they charge 30-35 Euros. Insist on metered fare. The journey time is around half an hour.

You can also go for private car transfer or car rental. All major European car rental companies are available at the airport (see the car rental section below for details).

You can choose from a wide range of private transport and transfer services (including airport transfers) and book online from this Viator site.

By Train

Avenida de Andalucía is the main train station located almost centrally. You can get here by trains from Madrid and Barcelona. It takes 4 and half hours from Madrid and there are daily two trains between Madrid and Granada. One-way train ticket costs 27 Euros. Barcelona to Granada is 12 hours journey and the ticket price is 30 Euros.

You can also fly down to Malaga or reach Malaga by high speed AVE train from Madrid. Malaga and Granada are well connected (details under the day trip section).

Public Transport

The main backbone of public transport in Granada is the bus service. Since September 2017 Light Rail Transit system (i.e. metro service) has been introduced. In addition there are city taxis. Trains mostly connect other cities and towns.

Bus

The main bus station in Granada is at Avenida de Juan Pablo II which is located north west of the city centre. From here you will get city buses (that includes red minibuses), suburban buses and regional buses. City buses or Granada’s Urban bus network is operated by the Transporters Rober bus company. There are 27 bus routes in Granada that operate from 6:00am until midnight throughout the week. The two night lines (111 & 121) are basically circular routes operating from midnight until 6:00am.

Alhambra bus in association with Transporters Rober runs the Red Mini Buses for 4 different routes. These routes are C-30 that connects Alhambra with city centre, C-31 between Albaicin and city centre, C-32 connecting Alhambra with Albaicin, and C-34 between Sacromonte and city centre. These four routes operate from 6:45am to 11:00pm throughout the week. You will find time tables at bus stops.

Another bus system within the city and urban area is LAC (Linea de Alta Capacidad); operative since 2014 this is a high capacity rapid transit system. This service complements other city bus lines as well as newly introduced metro system. These buses are 20 metres in length and have four doors (one with a low ramp for people with reduced mobility). They have a capacity of 200 passengers. The service frequency is 3 to 5 minutes.

Metro

The newly introduced rapid transit light rail system connects Albolote and Armilla via Granada. It is more like tramways than metro (though three stations are underground). This air-conditioned vehicle has a capacity of 200 passengers. Total route length is around 16 kilometres connecting 26 stations. Only 17% of the total route runs underground. It connects Granada bus station as well as Granada train station.

It operates from 6:30am to 11:00pm (Monday to Friday), and from 7:30am on Saturdays and Sundays. The running frequency on weekdays is 8 minutes during peak hours and 15 minutes during off-peak hours. On Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays the service interval is 10 minutes during peak-hours and 15 minutes during off-peak.

On Friday, Saturday and the eve of public holidays there is a night service from 11:00pm until 2:00am at an interval of half an hour. Bikes are permitted on the metro during off-peak hours and there are designated areas in the metro trains for wheelchairs and baby strollers. Note that metro is not quite suitable for visiting the major attractions in Granada.

Hop on Hop off

Hop on hop off train (basically a trolley bus) is a great way to explore the attractions in Granada. There are three types of tours. One is Alhambra day time tour that takes 1 hour 20 minutes to complete, another one is night time city centre tour which lasts for an hour and the third one is Tourist Train Panoramic Tour. For the first two trips you can hop on and hop off at the designated stoppages but for the last one you need to board at the starting point and can get down once the tour is over.

To hop on hop off there are trolley buses at an interval of 20-25 minutes. You can purchase single day hop on hop off ticket for 8 Euros, two consecutive day ticket costs 12 Euros and panoramic tour ticket is 6 Euros per person (Note that these are online purchase prices. Counter prices would be higher). For further details visit the Official Website. You get a brochure after boarding the trolley and there are points for all passengers to plug-in the headphone and listen to audio commentary. You can use your own headphone or purchase one on board for 1.50 Euros.

Taxi

Taxis have a diagonal green stripe on the front door and taxi signage on the roof. If the taxi signage is green it means the taxi is available for hire. Most of the taxis are Toyota Prius but there are other makes and models too. Granada taxis run on two tariffs… one is weekday daytime fare (tariff-1) and the other is for night time, weekends and holidays (tariff-2). Tariff-2 has two different types. One is applicable from 10:00pm 01:00am (Friday from 9:00pm) and the other (tariff-2 special) from 1:00am to 6:00 am.

The base fare for tariff-1 is 1.52 Euros, thereafter 0.82 Euros per kilometre and the waiting charge is 21.16 Euros for an hour (minimum fare payable is 4.04 Euros). Initial fare for tariff-2 starts with 1.92 Euros, thereafter 1.04 Euros per kilometre and the waiting charge is 26.48 Euros per hour (minimum payable is 5.02 Euros). Base fare for tariff 2 special is 2.39 Euros, then 1.29 Euros per additional kilometer, and the waiting charge per hour is 33.09 Euros (minimum payable is 6.30 Euros). You can call the following numbers to book a taxi over phone…

Tele Radio Taxi Granada- +34 95 828 0654
Radio Taxi Genil- +34 95 813 2323

Train

Granada railway station is relatively small compared to Madrid and Barcelona. The station remains open from 6:00am until 10:15pm. Same day ticket can be purchased till 9:25pm. There are baggage trolleys available at the station. There is a café as well. Car rental facility is available and there is also a small taxi rank outside the station.

Tickets and Passes

Tickets and travel passes work little differently in Granada compared to Madrid and Barcelona, for example bus tickets are not allowed on metro and vice versa.

A single ticket costs 1.40 Euros and can be purchased from ticketing machines at the bus stations or from the bus driver. Ticket is valid for one trip and you can take a bus transfer within one hour. A single ticket for night bus is 1.50 Euros.

There is a travel card known as Bonobus or Credibus card. You can purchase this card from the bus drivers, tobacconists and from the newspaper kiosks. A deposit of 2 Euros is required. You can then top up with an amount of 5, 10 or 20 Euros for 5, 11 and 24 trips respectively. A transfer to any other urban bus within one hour is free.

If you are not going to travel frequently by the urban buses during your stay (lesser than 4 trips) single ticket is the best option. Note that you will get your 2 Euros deposit back while returning the card in good condition but the unused balance is not refunded. Same card can be used by multiple users. You can top it up from vending machines as well as from the bus drivers.

Single tickets for trams cost 1.35 Euros. You can purchase these tickets from vending machines installed at all metro stations.

Note that for LAC buses you need to purchase your ticket from ticketing machines at the stop and validate it before you board. There is no option of buying tickets from the driver.

A good option for a tourist is to purchase a Granada card. You get free access to most of the attractions (including Alhambra) along with 9 free trips by urban buses and 1 journey by tourist train. It remains valid for 5 consecutive days. The cost of the card is 40 Euros and can be purchased online from this website.

Getting To Major Attractions

All trips below start from Granada City Center (Angel Ganivet) unless mentioned otherwise. Note that all trip-commencing bus stops mentioned below are around the city centre area within a distance of 200-300 metres.

The fortress of Alhambra on the hill top with a great view of Granada is a great place to visit. Here you should explore Alcazaba, Nasrid Palace and Generalife. This place is located around 1 and half kilometre east of Granada city centre. Walk for 350 metres to reach Plaza Isabel la Catolica, then take a C30 line bus towards Alhambra. Get down at Auditorio Manuel de Falla stop and then walk for 4 minutes to reach the destination. Journey time by bus is only 5 minutes.

The best way to reach Capilla Real or the Royal Chapel of Granada is to walk. The chapel is located only 450 metres south of the city centre.
The oldest human settlement in Granada is Albaicin (since 500 BC). This place is famous for its churches and mosques and located around 2 kilometres north of the city centre. Take a C31 line bus from Plaza Nueva stop and get down at Cuesta del Chapiz and then walk for 700 metres. Journey time by bus is around 6 minutes.
Carthusian Monastery or the Monasteiro de la Cartuja is famous for its baroque style architecture with gold and marble works. You can see some precious paintings as well. This place is located close to Albaicin and towards north of the city centre at a distance of around 2 and half kilometres. Take a line 8 bus from Acera del Darro bus stop towards Julio Moreno Davila and get down at Prof. Vicente Callao stoppage. It’s only 1 minute walk from there.

Catedral de Granada or the Granada Cathedral is built in Gothic style and its small museum houses paintings of various maestros. It is located little over 500 metres towards north and quite walkable.
Sacromonte is known for its Gypsy history and intriguing neighbourhood. The place is located around 2 kilometres north-east of the City Centre. You can combine this trip with Albaicin… destination stoppage is the same Cuesta del Chapiz and from there you need to walk for little over 300 metres.

Day Trips

Granada is a good hub for day trips. There are many options and following are few of them. All trips below start from Carretera de Jaen (major bus station) area.

You should visit the excellent ski resorts of Seirra Nevada. Even if you are not a skiing buff you can simply enjoy the snow and the highest mountain range of Spain. The ski season is from November to April. This place is located towards south east of Granada. You will find a regional bus for Sierra Nevada (during ski season) at 8:00am and 10:00am during morning time and you can take the 6:30pm bus from Sierra Nevada to return. You can board a bus at 9:00am during non-ski season from Granada bus station. It goes to Hoya de la Mora stop (terminal). Take the 5:00pm bus from Hoya de la Mora to return. One way journey time is around 50 minutes. Single journey ticket is 5 Euros and the return journey ticket costs 9 Euros. You can purchase tickets at the ALSA bus station ticket counters.
Another great place for a day trip is Seville, the capital of Andalusia region. This place has many attractions to explore. Seville is located towards west of Granada at a distance of little over 240 kilometres. Bus is both economical and a quicker option than train. Take an 8:00am ALSA bus for Seville. One-way journey time is 3 hours. Single ticket costs 23 Euros. You can take the return bus at 5:15pm to get back to Granada. Alternatively you can take a train towards Seville from Avenida de Andalucía station at 8:13am. Journey time is almost 4 hours and ticket costs 31 Euros. You can take the return train at 5:56pm that reaches Granada at 9:48pm (check the train time table).
Port city Malaga is another interesting place to explore with its heritage sites and beautiful beaches. This place is located around 124 kilometres south west of Granada. You can take an ALSA bus. One-way journey time is around 1 hour 45 minutes. Ticket costs around 11 Euros. There are return buses available until 9:30pm. Visit the Alsa Website for schedules and tickets.

Cordoba is another excellent day trip destination; it was once an important Roman city and a major Islamic centre during Medieval period. This place is located around 155 kilometres North West of Granada. It can be best reached by ALSA buses. One-way journey time is nearly 3 hours. The lowest ticket rate starts from 9 Euros (visit their website). On-board purchase will cost you more (around 15 Euros). You can take the 8:30am bus to get to Cordoba. The last return bus from Cordoba leaves at 7:00pm.

Segway Tours

You can take guided Segway tour from Plaza Nueva to explore the areas in and around the city centre. Ensegway is a company that offers guided bike, walk and Segway tours. They have three different types of Segway tours. Their express tour lasts for 30 minutes and costs 17 Euros, standard tour is for 75 minutes and costs 31 Euros and their premium tour duration is 120 minutes costing 45 Euros (rates mentioned are indicative online price). You can book directly from their website.

Following are few other companies offering Segway tours (tour price is around 45 Euros for a 2-hour trip).

Play Granada: http://play.checkfront.com/reserve/?lang=es
Explorer Granada: http://www.explorergranada.com/

Bike Rentals

There are plenty of options to rent a bike in Granada. Renting rate for common bikes varies between 7 to 20 Euros depending on model and number of days. Following are few well-known bike rental companies…

Bimbim Bikes: https://www.bimbimbikes.com/bike-rental/spain/granada/bicicletas-la-estacion
Eco Way: https://granadamap.com/ecoway/
Rent A Bici: http://www.rent-a-bici.com/english

Rent a Bike: http://rentabikegranada.com/en/

Car Rentals

All major European and international car rental companies are present in Granada. Minimum age requirement is 21 years (for under 25 years a “young driver fee” will be charged). You need to have a valid driver license (for non-EU license holder, an IDP is a must) and you must possess a passport along with a credit card. Minimum hire rate starts from 65 Euros per day. Following are few well-known car rental companies…

Sixt: https://www.sixt.global/

Hertz: https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservation/
Europcar: https://www.europcar.com/
Avis: https://www.avis.com/en/locations/es/granada

Scooter/Motorbike Rental

Minimum age for riding a scooter under 50cc is 14, for 80cc and above is 16. A valid license, passport and credit card are required to rent a scooter or motorbike. Helmet is a must for over 125cc motorbikes. The minimum rent starts from 29 Euros per day for a 50cc scooter and 33 Euros for 125cc. Minimum motorcycle hiring rate starts from 60 to 65 Euros. Following are few well-known scooter/motorcycle rental companies…

Cooltra Motos Granada: https://www.cooltra.com/es/alquiler-moto-granada/centro/
Motocity Rent: http://motocityrent.com/

Muving Granada: https://muving.com/