In this article, you will find tips for your trip to Granada regarding places to see, where to stay and a few personal favourites!
Granada is one of the most beautiful Andalusian cities I have ever been to.
The medieval architecture and indescribable atmosphere are only some of the few things that bring me back again and again. The city still holds a massive Arab culture influence, which you can see all over the city once shopping, having lunch or simply roaming through the streets of Granada.
How to get to Granada
Alhambra Palace in Granada
My favourite place in Granada - must visit!
Granada City
Where to stay in Granada
Granada Video
Sierra Nevada
How to get to Granada?
The closest international airport is Malaga Airport. There is an airport in Granada but only domestic flights go there. It is very easy to get from Malaga Airport to Granada as it offers a direct bus to Granada Bus Station from the Malaga Airport. You can also take a train from Malaga Centre to Granada City, but then you need to take a bus from the Malaga Airport to Malaga Centre and then train to Granada, so the most convenient way is to get the direct bus to Granada from Malaga Airport. Timetable, costs and more info you can find HERE.
The road from Malaga Airport to Granada mostly is a highway, so I definitely recommend to hire a car (as car hire in Malaga Airport is quite cheap) and go there yourself as the ride itself is very pleasant and you will also have a car to easily explore the surrounding area of Granada.
Note: The biggest shopping centre in Granada "Nevada" is a bit outside the city centre, so if you are planning to visit it, the car might be useful, although, of course, public transport goes to the shopping centre too. https://www.nevada.shopping/en
Alhambra Palace in Granada
Alhambra Palace is probably the most significant sight of Granada. It is a complex of a fortress and a palace that has survived many powers over many centuries. It is definitely one of the “must-sees” in Andalusia! An impressive part of the property is covered with beautiful gardens. You can easily spend there a whole day.
The most significant parts of the palace you should include in your visit are:
Palacio Carlos V - Charles V Palace
La Alcazaba
Medina
The Nasrid Palaces
Generalife
The palace offers different types of tours for your travel itinerary. All options and how to book tickets visit this page: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/
Another significant sight is the Cathedral of Granada, which is located in the centre of Granda City so it will be hard to miss it.
My favourite place in Granada
My favourite spot in Granada is Plaza San Nicolas. It is a square located in the Albaicin area and offers an incredible view of the Alhambra Palace. Always quite busy with local street singers playing guitar and singing flamenco which adds magic to the place. Walk up to the square is through the old town of Granada so the best way is by walking but you can get a taxi up there too.
During one of my visits to Granada, I booked a table in a restaurant just below the square called "El Balcon de San Nicolas" and it was absolutely wonderful. It. is definitely another way how to enjoy the beautiful view of Alhambra Palace from there. The restaurant itself was lovely, great menu to choose from, as it offered vegetarian options too. (It can be quite hard to find vegetarian options in the South of Spain).
Granada City
Roaming through medieval-style streets of the old town of Granada you will find many unique arts, cloth, accessories and home decor shops. The style is very Arabic and bohemian. The one shopping street like that I can highlight is "Caldereria Nueva".
The great thing about Granada is that bars there give you a free tapa with your drink. (Tapa is a small dish with one of the Spanish typical foods. It is like a small starter.) So stopping for a drink while exploring the city might be a good idea.
The food is quite cheap in Granada, compared to other big Andalusian cities. Once I had an amazing dinner at "El Aljibe de San Miguel" for only 10 Euros. It was a big dish full of different fish – cod, calamari, sardines, octopus, bass and even shark!
Where to stay in Granda?
Granada has loads of Airbnb, hostels and hotels to offer. Over time I have stayed in different hotels and hostels and I always have had only a good experience. During my latest visit, I stayed in hotel 'Saray' and I do recommend it but more about it, you can read in my Hotel Review section: https://www.alikitravelblog.com/post/saray-hotel-4-granada-spain .
As long as you chose your accommodation somewhere near the city centre you can easily get everywhere by walking. All the main sights are quite close to each other.
Granda is an ideal destination for 2 to 3 days. You can easily lose the whole day around the Alhambra Palace and its gardens.
A small glimpse of Granada you can see in my video:
Sierra Nevada
When talking about Granada I have to mention the Sierra Nevada. It is a ski resort located just less than an hour drive away from Granada, so Granada is a great location in the winter season if you want to add a skiing weekend to your trip!
More about the resort you can see in this video:
More about the resort, tickets etc. find here: https://sierranevada.es/en/invierno/