The entrance to the Alhambra is located about a 20 - 30 minute uphill walk from the city center. Since there is a lot of walking to do inside of the Alhambra, we recommend you to take the bus on the way there and walk back down to the city center at the end of the visit.
It’s a nice walk down – especially since it’s all downhill! You will find yourself immersed in nature, with the impressive wall of the Alhambra complex stretching along your side.
Avoid the crowds: Check out our detailed page about the Best Time to Visit the Alhambra.
If you still want to walk up to the Alhambra, then you have mainly two options. Both of them are pretty straightforward:
There are two city bus lines connecting the city with the Alhambra Palace:
These buses run every 5 to 15 minutes everyday from 7am til 11pm and one bus ticket costs 1.40€. The most useful stop for visitors is the one at Plaza de Isabel la Católica. The line C32 also stops at Gran Via 5, very close to the Granada Cathedral.
Granada’s train station, also known as Estación de Andaluces, is located about 1km north of the old town. To get an idea, it is about an 18 min walk to the Granada Cathedral.
There are several local city buses connecting the city center with the train station, such as lines 4, 11, 21 and 33. If you want to get to the Alhambra, you should take one of those buses and get off at the end of Gran Vía (right next to the cathedral).
From there, walk to Plaza Isabel la Católica (2 min walk) to take the bus to the Alhambra (lines C30 or C32). The total trip takes about 40 minutes. For up-to-date information on the local city buses: www.transportesrober.com
Granada’s bus station is located 2.5km north of the old town. For example, it is a 40 min walk to the cathedral. The local city bus lines 21 and 33 connect the city center (bus stop at Gran Vía 14) with the bus station.
If you want to get to the Alhambra, you should take one of those buses and get off at the end of Gran Vía (right next to the cathedral). From there, walk to Plaza Isabel la Católica (2 min walk) to take the bus to the Alhambra (lines C30 or C32). The total trip takes about 40 minutes.
For up-to-date information on the local city buses: www.transportesrober.com
Keep in mind that private cars’ access to Granada’s city center is very restricted. For example, cars aren’t allowed to access the Alhambra from the city center.
If you are staying in downtown Granada, we recommend you to leave the car in the parking and get to the Alhambra by either bus, foot or taxi.
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If you are coming from outside the city, you should be arriving via the A-44 (motorway Bailén - Motril). This motorway passes just west of Granada.
You will need to take the exit to “Ronda Sur (A-395)” which already has a clear sign for the Alhambra. About 5 km (3 miles) later, follow the exit 5A where “Alhambra” is again clearly signalized.
Click here to see the a map of the access route.
The Alhambra Public Parking has space for 500 cars and is under surveillance 24 hours a day. It is divided in four zones. The first one on arrival is for buses and vans.
The last one is the closest to the Alhambra’s entrance (Pabellón de Acceso), where you will also find the ticket office. As such, is the first one to fill up.
The parking price ranges from 2.75€ for 1 h up to a maximum of 18.85€ per day.
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