BUSES, Granada

There are buses that can whisk you inexpensively up and down from the Alhambra. The little minibuses (as shown in the photo) are ideally suited for getting up and down the steep climb and descent of the hill. The fare is a very reasonable 1.2 Euros each way for adults as of May, 2012. The problem is that the buses are nearly always full during the day from spring to fall.

To make your likelihood of easily getting up and down to the Alhambra by bus consider this. From downtown there are basically four bus routes ( Line 30, 31, 34 and 35) that will get you to the Alhambra; two leaving from Gran Via and two from Plaza Nueva. To improve your chances of getting a seat go to Gran Via 1 which is the first stop where the bus loads to go up the hill. The bus will be numbered 30 or 34 and will say "Alhambra." Don't walk up the street just because there appear to be fewer people waiting. When we were there the first bus in the morning up to the Alhambra left just after 7 a.m. Last bus in the evening is around 10 p.m. Check the schedule to make sure.

Another option is to take it from the first stop at Plaza Nueva near the statue. The bus will be numbered bus 31 or 35.

For those wanting to take the walk up from Gran Via or Plaza Nueva it is a bit of a steep climb. It will take you, depending on your fitness level from fifteen to thirty minutes. Why waste the energy when the bus ride is just a mere 1.2 euros.

Granada airport is nice and small. and situated about 12 kms west of the city.

Leave the terminal from the exit to the right and there is an area where you wait for you transport whether it be Bus, Hire car or personal pick up.

There is a bus shelter right there and the airport bus that takes you into town. The bus waits for the flight if it is late!

When traveling alone with the Little Rock Chic, the driver was very helpful, helping us with our luggage and telling us where to get off etc

I have found Spanish public transport is very reasonably priced, reliable and most buses have air conditioning.

Price from airport to city center bust station - 2.50 euros (2007)
Route: Airport, la Caleta, all bustops on the Gran Vía, Fuente de las Batallas (in front of the department store El Corte inglés), Palacio de Congresos
Telephone: 958 27 86 77

From Granada centre7:55, 9:10, 12:55 (no service at the weekend),
14:00 y 18:15
From the airport
9:05, 10:00, 14:00 (no service at the weekend),
15:05 y 19:35

For buses to other destinations - Alsina Graells Sur (Link below in English)
Tel 958 18 50 10
Alsina Graells is the biggest company and goes to most destinations in Andalucía

Granada is very well connected by bus however from my experience the drivers are usually a little dangerous. I never travel by bus from Granada to Cádiz because at least 2 drivers have really scared me. Others report the same experience. It also costs roughly the same as the train and takes roughly the same tame too (the bus is one hour quicker because by train you have to change).

However I usually travel by bus to and from Malaga as the buses are way quicker than the trains (as you have to change at Bobadilla and it is a VERY long wait-hours!!!!).

It is about 3 hours to Cordoba and
Sevilla and about 4.5 hours to
Madrid on Continental buses. Madrid-Granada costs 14,22€ one way.

The best company to take is Alsina Graells if you are travelling from Granada around Andalucia. Please find the number below.

You can get the bus to the Sierra Nevada from the Palacio de Congresos. Look for the Autobus Viajes Bonal (958 34 06 25). To the Alpujarras get an Alsina Grealls bus at the bus station.

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From Seville on to Granada to continue my visit in Spain I used a long distance bus. For both trips I left from the Prado de San Sebastian Bus Station on c/Manuel Vazquez Sagastizabal.

The platforms are outdoors but there are waiting rooms that are indoors too, one at each end of the platform.

I used ALSA. The buses are on time, clean and easy to use. There was a really nice travel video with scuba divers and lots of beautiful under water scenes for most of the trip.

I had reserved my ticket for Granada online in advance. A user friendly site. No problems making my reservations. You can sign up as a user, but it is not necessary to reserve a ticket.

There was no need to stop at the ticket window. The driver accepted the printout without questions. Seats numbers are reserved. You choose your seat when you make the reservation.

To Granada I paid Euro 21.32

You will find the Blue Gonzalez Airport Buses just outside the small and easily manageable Garanada Airport. These buses run frequently, synchoronized with flight arrivals, cost 3 euros flat, take 40 minutes to one hour to reach to city center, and have enough bellies to accomodate your luggage. Bus tickets can be purchased from the driver.

As far as public transport is concerned, there is no other option available, and this is the only bus that runs through all the major streets of Granada. We took the bus during our backpacking trip and found it reliable and convenient. The only flipside is that one has to take another bus connection should their destination not come enroute.

Following are the stops that the Airport Bus do (in the reverse order from the airport):

1. Paseo del Violón (next to Bar Ventorillo) - near Conference Centre (Palacio Congresos)
2. Acera del Darro (in front of Hotel Dauro)
3. Gran Vía (1st bus stop nearest Plaza Isabel la Católica)
4. Triunfo (bus stop in front of the gardens)
5. Avenida Consitución (last bus stop opposite train station)
6. Bus stop in front of the bus station
7. Avenida Andalucia (corner of Calle Periodista Eugenio Selles)

A question in the Travel Forum has prompted me to write this tip. Someone asked about making their own way to Granada from a cruise ship rather than taking an expensive, pre-booked tour.

Yes, this is possible but if you want to do this I would advise you to get yourself organise well in advance of your departure from home as you obviously are limited by your cruise schedule.

First you need to get to the main bus station - I don't know about getting there from the port but I'd say a taxi would be your best option. There are regular buses all through the day, at intervals of about an hour . The journey takes about 1h45 mins . You can book your ticket online here

Timetables, cost, etc are all on this site.

You will also need to book your ticket for the Alhambra as entries are restricted and timed. This is the bit you really need to do asap as the Alhambra is a major, major tourist attraction and the destination of thousands of tourists from all around Andalucia on any one day

Get a map of the city bus routes from the Tourist Info Office - several in town. On your first bus ride, buy a multi-ride card. There are several choices depending on the number of rides you might want to take and discount off the already cheap fare. There is a 2 Euro charge for the card which is refunded when you turn in the card on your last bus ride.

3 different lines go up to the Alhambra stopping at the ticket booth and also up at the Justice Gate. Don't try to drive around any of the old town area - no parking, very narrow and twisty, and some traffic restrictions that will put a big post up thru the middle of the street - without a special pass, you don't pass. Park it and take the bus.

Tickets for the airport bus cost 3 Euro one way and are purchased from the driver. It's easy to find the bus on arrival at Granada airport. Departures from outside the terminal building are timed to coincide with flight arrivals.

Stops in the city include (in this order): the Bus Station, Jardines del Triunfo, Cathedral (this is the stop you need if you are staying in the Albaicin area), Acera del Darro (outside Hotel Dauro) and Paseo del Violon.

Buses to the airport currently generally leave from the terminus in Paseo del Violon at 45 minutes after the hour (8.30 a.m. is an exception). The timetable is posted on the wall of the tourist office in Pl S. Ana. According to the timetable, journeys take 40 minutes from the terminus to the airport, but the English translation says 45 minutes (my journey took 50). Ifyou pick up a map of Granada at the tourist office the airport bus stops are clearly marked.

Getting to granada from malaga airport is with the ALSA bus from malaga busstation.I recommend to buy your return ticket because sometimes the bus is full and you have to wait 1 more hour and miss the flight what nearly happend to me.

The Alsina Graells bus to Madrid is one of the best value routes I've found. It has one stop at a cafe in a small town in the middle of nowhere. I can recommend the coffee and croissant!
The bus to Malaga (which is maybe worth a day trip for the friendly atmosphere, old town and Roman ruins and beach) is also one of the best deals. I used to go to Malaga for the airport but of course Granada has a fully functioning commercial airport now!