HOW TO GET AROUND Granada, Spain

Granada’s city center is small and easy to navigate on foot. The narrow winding streets of the Albaicín beg to be explored on foot. If you don’t want to hike up the steep streets, you can always take advantage of the city buses or take a taxi.

The only landmark that is a little bit out of the way is the Alhambra itself. But there is no need to worry, since city buses conveniently connect it to the city center. For more information, check out our page How to get to the Alhambra.

To give you an idea, here are some walking distances between the city’s most important attractions:

• The walk from the Granada Cathedral to the entrance of the Alhambra is about 20 to 25 minutes. Note that it is an uphill walk and there is a lot more walking to do inside of the Alhambra. For that reason, it is recommended to use the city bus C30 or C32.
• From the cathedral, it is less than a 5 min walk to the Albaicín neighborhood and the Carrera del Darro street along the river.
• From Carrera del Darro, it is a 10 - 15 min uphill walk to the San Nicolas lookout, crossing through the narrow charming streets of the Albaicín neighborhood.

Granada is a safe city to walk around both day and night. As anywhere else in the world however, common sense should be used. You should always be aware of your surroundings and never leave your belongings unattended. Also, as in any other popular city, be aware of pickpockets in the most touristy/crowded areas.

In Granada there are gypsy women (especially along the walk to the Alhambra from the city) that hold some herbs in their hands (e.g. rosemary) and approach those passing by offering. The herbs are offered “as a present.” However, if you interact with them or take the herbs, they will harass you and ask for money. It’s best to politely decline and continue on your way.

The company Transportes Rober runs 28 bus lines throughout Granada. The most interesting ones for visitors are the following:

• Line C30 links the Alhambra with the city center. Click here to see its itinerary and stops on the map.
• Line C31 makes a 20-min loop through the Albaicín neighborhood, connecting it also with the city center. Click here to see its itinerary and stops on the map.
• Line C32 links the Alhambra with the Albaicín neighborhood. Click here to see its itinerary and stops on the map.
• Line C34 makes a loop through the Albaicín and Sacromonte neighborhoods, connecting them also with the city center. Click here to see its itinerary and stops on the map.

The bus line Granada-Aeropuerto is run by ALSA and it conveniently links the airport with downtown. For more information, check out our page How to get from the airport to Granada.

Also, be aware that during peak traffic hours, buses are slower.

BUS TICKET PRICES

One bus ticket costs 1.40 €, but if you are planning to use the city buses a lot, then the options below might be interesting for you:

• Credibus Pass 5 €: 0.87 €/trip
• Credibus Pass 10 €: 0.85 €/trip
• Credibus Pass 20 €: 0.83 €/trip
• Monthly pass (unlimited trips): 41€

When you first get a Credibus Pass, you will have to pay a 2€ deposit which is reimbursed when the pass is returned.

Taxis in Granada are a convenient and affordable way to travel. To give you an idea, the ride from the airport to the city center takes 30 minutes and costs around 30€.

Once in Granada, you will soon realize that the city center is easily explored on foot and there will probably not be more than a couple of occasions when you will need any means of transport. If that is the case, taking a taxi can be much easier than having to figure out the public transport options. It can also be a pretty good deal if you are traveling with more people (splitting the taxi cost instead of several bus tickets).

Taxis in Granada can be easily identified because they are white with a diagonal green line in the side.

• Pide Taxi Granada: +34 958 28 00 00
• Radio Taxi Genil: +34 958 13 23 23

Uber is operating in Granada. However, there are not that many drivers which can mean long waiting times. You will usually save a little bit compared to taking a taxi, but it might not be worth the wait.

Granada is not very large and, in general, is fairly easy to navigate with a car. The Albaicín, however, is the exception. The neighborhood is a maze of narrow winding streets stretching across a step hillside and, on top of that, as a UNESCO World Heritage site, access by private car is widely forbidden. It is also very difficult to park in the area. The rest of the city has many more parking garages and hotels with parking. Expect to pay around 20€ per day for parking.

   Don't miss: Get the best deals on rental cars in Spain

If you are not planning to get out of the city, however, you will probably not need/want a car during your stay in Granada. Using taxis and/or public transport will end up being a cheaper option, since you will save money on parking and gas. Our recommendation would be not to rent a car on arrival and only do it when you are leaving the city.

PARKING IN GRANADA

Although parking prices vary, generally speaking you can expect to pay around 20 € per day for parking downtown. Here is a list of the largest parkings in Granada’s city centre:

To find the best deals on rental cars, we recommend Discover Cars, which searches through the web for the best prices.

Most of Granada is flat however, some of the main sites are located on hills (Alhambra and Albayzin neighborhood). Unless you fancy a bike ride, having a bike with you might be more of a hassle than a help. If you do want to go for a ride, then it might be nice to just do it for part of the day. That way you can explore everywhere that is flat and still have time to check out some of the sites that are located on steep terrain.

There are several bike rental companies in Granada’s center. You can expect to pay 15 € for a day. Usually there are discounts for renting over several days.

Inaugurated in 2017, Granada’s light rail (tram) is locally known as Metro de Granada. It is made up by just one line that crosses the city from north to south, also connecting it to some municipalities in the outskirts.

Granada’s metro stops at both the bus and train station but, other than that, it will probably not be of much use to visitors. To get an idea, the closest stop to the cathedral is Recogidas and is over a 15 min walk away.

For more information: www.metropolitanogranada.es.

METRO TICKET PRICES

To buy a metro ticket, you will be charged 0.30 € for the card (reusable). Then, you will have the following options:

• If you just one to buy one single trip, the price is 1.35 €.
• If you are going to use the metro multiple times, it might be worth it to use as a “monedero” (wallet). With this option, you will charge your metro card with an amount between 5 and 20 €. Each trip will then cost 0.82 €.
• There is also a One Day Tourist Card which will allow you to take as many trips as you want in 24 h for 4.50 €.