How to Get to the Granada Alhambra Palace
If you are planning a visit to the Alhambra you will need to know how to get to the Nasrid fortress. I'll tell you all the ways to get to the monument below.
The beauty of Granada | Marco Montero
The Alhambra is located at the top of the Sabika hill in the centre of Granada, a strategic location from which you can see the whole city and which can be reached by climbing several slopes. If you want to know how to get to the Alhambra quickly to visit this iconic monument, I recommend you to read this small guide I have prepared.
Oh, and don't forget to book your Alhambra tickets or your guided tour of the Al hambra in advance so you don't have to queue endlessly at the ticket office once you get there. Every day the capacity is limited and you could run the risk of running out of tickets if you try to get them at the last minute.
1. Walk and enjoy the scenery
Granada is a unique city. There are few places with more charm and beauty than Granada to enjoy a special getaway, so I recommend you to take a walk through the centre to get to the Alhambra because on the way you will see amazing places.
If you are walking to the Alhambra from the centre of Granada you can choose between different ascents: from Plaza Nueva along the Cuesta de Gomérez, from the Paseo de los Tristes along the Cuesta del Rey Chico or from the Barrio Realejo along the Cuesta del Realejo. It will only take you about 20 minutes!
From the Plaza Nueva
If you leave from Plaza Nueva, you only have to take the Cuesta de Gomérez. When you reach the Puerta de las Granadas, turn left and continue until you reach the Puerta de la Justicia, which serves as the entrance to the Alhambra in Granada.
From the Paseo de los Tristes
At the end of the Paseo de los Tristes, past the bridge and turning right, you will see the Cuesta del Rey Chico, a path that leads to the entrance to the Alhambra amidst vegetation and small streams.
From the Barrio Realejo
It is the shortest path but also the steepest. It runs through the old Jewish quarter of Granada and to get to the Alhambra you will have to take the Cuesta del Realejo and walk up to the Alhambra Palace Hotel from the Campo del Príncipe square.
2. By bus, the cheapest way
If you don't feel like walking or you prefer to save your energy for visiting other tourist attractions in Granada, it is also possible to reach the Alhambra by bus - it's fast, comfortable and quite cheap!
Several city bus lines make the journey to the Alhambra. Some of them are the C30 (Alhambra - Centro), the C32 (Alhambra - Albaicín) and the C35 (Cementerio - Barranco del Abogado - Centro). The single ticket costs 1,40 euros. You can check the timetables on the official website of the transport company.
3. By car, for more comfort
If you travel to Granada in your own car because you enjoy driving and you like to move freely from one place to another without worrying about timetables, you should know that you can also get to the Alhambra by car.
These can be reached by car via the Ronda Sur (A-395). To get to the palatine city, take the Granada ring road (N-323/ A-44) towards the south (Motril). Once you have skirted the city you will see the direction Alhambra (Ronda Sur) to the monument's car park where you can park your car.
The price is 2.35 euros/hour and the car park is open and guarded 24 hours a day and has more than 500 spaces.
About the use of private cars in Granada
Access to the centre of Granada is restricted to residents. Tourists staying in official accommodation located in the restricted areas take on the status of residents during their stay in the city.
Each hotel that has an agreement with the area of Mobility has a unique access, so before travelling I recommend that you check with your accommodation which is the authorised access itinerary to avoid fines.
4. By taxi, always available
A good alternative to private cars to get to the Alhambra are taxis when you cannot drive your own vehicle through restricted streets.
The taxi service in Granada works quite well and is provided 24 hours a day by companies such as Teleradio Taxi and Radiotaxi Genil. There are many taxi ranks all over the city and especially in the tourist areas where it will only take you 5 minutes to get a taxi. You will recognise them because they are white with a green stripe on the door.
The prices for this type of service are reasonable but before you get in I always advise you to ask the taxi driver how much the fare is going to cost you to assess whether or not you should take a taxi to the Alhambra from your starting point.
5. Tourist train, the most complete transport
Another very interesting option to get to the Alhambra is to take the Granada City Tour tourist train (also known as the Alhambra Train) as it has the Nasrid fortress as part of its route through the city and therefore has a stop near the monument where you can get off to visit it.
The tourist train passes through the stops every 15 to 20 minutes and takes you straight to the door of the palace city. Once there, you only have to get off at the Alhambra/ Puerta de las Granadas stop. Only the daytime (green) route of the tourist train passes through the Alhambra and the complete route is 10 kilometres long and lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes.
About the Alhambra Train
The tourist train with free stops seems to me to be the most complete transport for a tourist visiting Granada for the first time. On the one hand, thanks to the Hop-on Hop-off system, you can use the vehicle as public transport to move between different parts of the city, as you can get on and off at any stop along the route.
On the other hand, the tourist train is an excellent way to get to know the main tourist attractions of Granada in a short time while you travel comfortably seated and listen to the audio guide's commentary about the places you are seeing.
It's a great option if you want to save time on travel or give your legs a rest after all that walking, especially if you're travelling with children.