从海岸去格拉纳达：阿尔罕布拉宫和城中一日

Granada is about an hour from the coast, close enough for a day trip with dinner back home. Two things need planning: a timed ticket for the Alhambra, and good shoes for the steep old streets. This guide covers getting there, booking, the best free viewpoint and where to eat.

Getting up the A-44

Take the A-44 from Motril. It is motorway for most of the way, so the drive is easy. Almuñécar is about 79 km and 46 minutes from Granada, and Motril closer to an hour. The slow part is finding parking near the centre, so leave early on weekends.

Buses also run to Granada. They are much slower, but you do not need to park. Timetables change with the season, so check the return times with the bus company before you go.

Booking the Alhambra properly

Buy Alhambra tickets only from the official website, tickets.alhambra-patronato.es. Other sellers charge more, and only the official site guarantees your entry time. The full visit, called Alhambra General, costs €22.27.

The most popular part is the Nasrid Palaces, with the Court of the Lions. Entry is at a fixed time, and they are strict about it. If you collect a ticket that includes the palaces at a ticket office, do it at least an hour before your time. Arrive early, see the gardens while you wait, and do not plan lunch just before your slot.

Book as soon as you know your dates. Palace tickets sell out first, often weeks or months ahead in spring and summer. In quiet months you may find one a few days before, but do not count on it if you have a flight to catch. Evening visits to the palaces need a separate ticket and sell out even faster in summer.

The Albaicín and the sunset walk

The Albaicín is the old quarter on the hill opposite the Alhambra, with white houses, steep cobbled lanes and small squares. Start at Plaza Nueva. Give it a morning and do not follow the map too closely, because the best corners are the ones you find by chance. Wear shoes with grip: the cobbles are slippery.

For sunset, go to the Mirador de San Nicolás, a free viewpoint open at all hours. From there you see the Alhambra across the valley with the Sierra Nevada behind it. Arrive 30 to 40 minutes before sunset to get a place at the rail. Weekends are very busy. For the same view with fewer people, try the Mirador de San Cristóbal.

Free tapas, and the caves of Sacromonte

In many Granada bars, a small plate of food, a tapa, comes free with each drink. You order a beer or a glass of wine and the food arrives without appearing on the bill. Hot drinks and cocktails usually do not count. Local bars keep the tradition best; near the main squares it is less common, so walk a couple of streets away.

In the Albaicín, Bar Aixa is a lively favourite. For the best free tapas, go to the Realejo, the old Jewish quarter below the Alhambra, where nearly every bar serves them. Then go up to Sacromonte, the hill of cave houses next to the Albaicín, for flamenco in the caves. Book the shows ahead, especially in high season.

People from the coast come up for the palace, a flamenco night and a tapas evening. Our ski-and-sea day trip shows how much fits into one day, and our guide to the Alpujarras covers the mountains nearby.

Shopping, hospitals and the airport

The centre has the usual shops, but the best things are in the small craft workshops in the old quarters. Ask how a piece is made before you buy.

In an emergency, call 112. Granada's main hospital is the Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves. On the coast, the hospital is Hospital Santa Ana in Motril, which is being extended, with a new building due in 2027.

Granada's airport is small, and most people from northern Europe fly into Málaga (see our airports guide). From Granada airport, the bus to the city takes 20 to 45 minutes and a taxi costs about €30 to €35. The direct bus from Málaga to Granada takes about two hours and costs about €13 one way.