Granada, Spain 6 Day Itinerary
The Alhambra is the most visited monument in Spain and its Nasrid Palaces ticket sold out three weeks before you are reading this. Book immediately, before you plan anything else about this trip. The official site is tickets.alhambra-patronato.es, operated by the Patronato de la Alhambra; third-party resellers charge service fees for the same slots. The Nasrid Palaces section has timed entry in 30-minute windows and that slot is fixed: arrive late and you are turned away with no refund. Bring your passport, which is scanned at every checkpoint, and check that the name on your booking matches it exactly.
That out of the way: Granada is also one of the best-value cities in Spain for anyone who drinks. Order a beer or a glass of wine in most bars in the city and a free tapa comes with it, a tradition that has survived here long after the rest of Andalusia dropped it. This is not a tourist gimmick. It is how locals eat dinner, moving between three or four bars over two hours.
Day 1: Arrival and the Alhambra
Federico Garcia Lorca Granada-Jaen Airport (GRX) receives flights from Madrid, Barcelona, and several European cities. A taxi to the city centre costs around 25 to 30 euros and takes 20 minutes. There is also a bus (Alsa line) for about 3 euros if timing works around your flight.
Book the Alhambra for this afternoon with a Nasrid Palaces slot at 2pm or later, which gives you the morning to settle in and the grounds to yourself as the morning visitors leave. The combined day ticket is 21 euros and covers the Alcazaba (the original fortress), the Nasrid Palaces (Comares, the famous throne room and the Court of the Lions), the Partal gardens, and the Generalife palace gardens next door.
The Nasrid Palaces are the reason the Alhambra exists in the popular imagination. The plasterwork in the Court of the Lions, with 124 marble columns and geometric ceiling stalactites (muqarnas), was built in the 14th century by the Nasrid sultan Muhammad V. It is as detailed at close range as it appears in photographs, which is not always the case with famous buildings. The Alcazaba towers predate the palaces by several centuries and the views of the city from the ramparts are worth 30 minutes.
Dinner near Plaza de la Trinidad: Bodega Castaneda, open since 1927, serves jamón, manchego, and wine from casks at the counter. It is not particularly cheap but it is the kind of place that justifies Granada’s food reputation with zero pretension.
Day 2: Albayzin and Sacromonte
The Albayzin is the old Moorish quarter on the hill facing the Alhambra, a UNESCO-listed neighbourhood of whitewashed houses, cisterns, and former mosques converted to churches after the Reconquista. Walk up from Plaza Nueva through the Cuesta del Chapiz or the Caldereria Nueva (also called Tea Street for its concentration of Moroccan teteras and shops). The streets are steep and narrow enough that the neighbourhood feels genuinely medieval without being a theme park.
The Mirador de San Nicolas is the viewpoint everyone uses for the straight-on photograph of the Alhambra at sunset. It is heavily visited, frequently the site of musicians and vendors, and entirely worth seeing for about 20 minutes. The Mirador de San Miguel Alto, 10 minutes further up the hill, has the same or better view and maybe a quarter of the crowd.
Below the Albayzin and separated from it by a ravine, Sacromonte is the neighbourhood where Romani families settled in caves dug into the hillside from the 15th century onward. Zambra flamenco, the form of the art that developed here, is performed in those caves. The most authentic shows are at small venues like La Alborea and Cueva de la Rocio, seating 50 to 60 people, rather than the larger commercial tablaos. Shows typically start at 8pm or 9pm, last about an hour, cost around 20 to 26 euros, and include one drink. Book ahead.
The Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte provides context on the history of the neighbourhood and the Gitano (Romani) community that shaped it, and is worth an hour before the evening show.
Day 3: Generalife Gardens, Capilla Real, and Cathedral
If you want a second visit to the Alhambra grounds, the Generalife gardens are accessible with the same ticket and significantly quieter than the palaces. The gardens were the summer estate of the Nasrid sultans and the water channels, fountains, and formal planting have been maintained and restored since the 14th century. Morning visits, when the light comes over the Sierra Nevada to the east, are the best for photographs.
Walk down into the city centre for the Capilla Real, the Royal Chapel adjacent to the Cathedral, where Fernando and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs who completed the Reconquista and funded Columbus, are buried in marble tombs. The sacristy museum holds their personal effects, including Isabella’s crown, sceptre, and a remarkable collection of Flemish and Spanish paintings she owned. Entry is 5 euros.
The Granada Cathedral next door was begun in 1518 on the site of the city’s main mosque and is one of the first Renaissance cathedrals in Spain, though construction continued for 180 years. Entry is 5 euros. The interior scale is impressive; the exterior, now surrounded by pedestrian streets, is hard to see as a whole.
Spend the evening in the tapas bars around Calle Navas, the most famous tapas street in Granada. Los Diamantes is the local institution for fried fish and seafood: the rations of fresh anchovies, squid, and prawns that come free with a glass of manzanilla are disproportionately good. Expect to wait for a table.
Day 4: Day Trip to Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada range begins immediately south-east of Granada: the highest peak, Mulhacen at 3,479 metres, is the tallest mountain on the Iberian Peninsula. The ski resort (Europe’s most southerly) runs lifts in winter, but in summer (June to September) the high roads open to hikers and the Borreguiles plateau area at 2,500 metres is accessible by cable car from the resort base.
The bus from Granada’s main bus station to Pradollano (the ski base) runs daily in summer and takes about 45 minutes. From there, trails lead up toward Veleta (3,394 metres) and the ridge paths. A modest day hike from Borreguiles to Laguna de la Caldera and back takes three to four hours and gives you views across to Africa on a clear day. Altitude sickness is uncommon at these heights but possible for visitors arriving quickly from sea level; take water and do not rush.
Return to Granada and have dinner in the Realejo neighbourhood, the former Jewish quarter south of the Cathedral. This is where locals eat without tourist margins: Casa Torcuato on Calle Pagés is routinely cited for its raciones and house wine.
Day 5: Science Park, Markets, and Flamenco Preparation
The Parque de las Ciencias (Science Park) on the southern edge of the city is an interactive science museum that is both genuinely good and considerably less crowded than the old-town sites. Entry is 7 euros for the permanent collection. The observation tower gives a panoramic view of the Sierra Nevada to the south-east and the plain of Granada to the north. Worth two to three hours.
The Mercado de San Agustin, just north of the Cathedral, is the main covered food market. It runs most mornings and is where local restaurants buy their produce. The stalls at the back selling cured meats, cheese, and olives are useful for assembling a picnic for the Sierra Nevada day, though by now that day has passed and you are browsing for pleasure.
If you want live flamenco again, this is the evening for it. The Alhambra Theatre runs shows with a larger production budget than the cave venues and a different energy: more polished, better amplification, less intimate. Worth seeing if the format appeals. Alternatively, the Tablao Flamenco Grana Art near the Cathedral is mid-range in both cost and authenticity.
Day 6: Morning Walk and Departure
The Paseo de los Tristes, the riverside promenade that runs below the Alhambra, is best early in the morning when it is empty and the fortress wall glows above the river. Walk it before breakfast.
The airport bus runs from the city centre. Allow 50 minutes from the centre to the departure gate. GRX is a small airport and security is straightforward, but morning flights from small Spanish airports sometimes have equipment delays worth accounting for.
Practical Notes
The free tapas tradition is one of the most genuine pleasures in Granada and costs nothing beyond the price of your drink (typically 2 to 3 euros for a beer or glass of house wine). The tapas improve as the evening progresses and you move between bars. The neighbourhood around Calle Navas and Plaza del Carmen is the most reliable for it; the Albayzin bars participate in the tradition but with more variation in quality.
The Alhambra warning bears repeating: book the Nasrid Palaces slot first, months in advance if possible. In June, July, and August, morning slots are gone six to eight weeks out. Evening night-visit tickets (separate product, separate booking, different experience) are another option in summer and are sometimes easier to obtain, but the palaces in artificial light are less spectacular than in daylight.
August in Granada is hot: daytime temperatures regularly exceed 35 degrees Celsius. The city is at 738 metres altitude, which moderates the heat somewhat, and evenings are cooler. Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to October) are the most comfortable times to visit.