How to Get to the Granada Alhambra Palace

The Alhambra is located on top of the Sabika hill, in the centre of Granada, a strategic place from where you can see the whole city. If you want to know how to get to the Alhambra quickly to visit this iconic monument, I recommend you to read this little guide I have prepared.

Ah! And don't forget to book your tickets to the Alhambra or your guided tour of the Alhambra in advance to avoid queuing endlessly at the ticket office once you get there. Capacity is limited each day and you could run the risk of missing out if you try to buy them at the last minute.

Granada is a unique city. There are few places with more charm and beauty than Granada to enjoy a special getaway, so I recommend taking a walk through the centre to get to the Alhambra because you'll see some amazing sights along the way.

In case you head on foot to enjoy your tickets to the Alhambra from the centre of Granada you can choose different climbs and it will only take you about 20 minutes!

• From Plaza Nueva along the Cuesta de Gomérez.
• From Paseo de los Tristes along the Cuesta del Rey Chico.
• From Barrio Realejo via the Cuesta del Realejo.

From Plaza Nueva

If you leave the 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 through vegetation and small streams.

From the Barrio Realejo

This 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 Plaza Campo del Príncipe.

If you don't feel like walking or you prefer to save your energy to visit other tourist attractions in Granada, it is also possible to get to the Alhambra by bus. It's fast, comfortable and quite cheap!

Several city bus lines make the journey to the monument so you can get there comfortably and enjoy your tickets to the Alhambra. Some of them are:

• C30 (Alhambra - Centre).
• C32 (Alhambra - Albaicín).
• C35 (Cemetery - Barranco del Abogado - Centro).

The single ticket costs 1,40 euros. You can check the timetables on the official website of the transport company.

If you travel to Granada in your own vehicle 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.

The access to the Alhambra is via the Ronda Sur (A-395). To get to the palatine city, take the Granada ring road (N-323/ A-44), heading 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 where you can leave your car safely and enjoy your tickets to the Alhambra.

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 have 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 route to avoid fines.

A good alternative to private cars to get to the Alhambra are taxis when you cannot drive your own vehicle through restricted streets. Ideal if you have booked a guided tour of the Alhambra and you are short of time.

The taxi service in Granada works quite well and is provided 24 hours a day by companies such as Teleradio Taxi. 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 advise you to always ask the taxi driver how much the fare is going to cost you to see whether or not you should take a taxi to the Alhambra from your starting point.

Another very interesting option to get to the Alhambra is to book the Granada tourist 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 frequency of the tourist train stops is 15 to 20 minutes and immediately takes you to the gate of the palatine 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 see.

It's a fantastic option if you want to save time on your journeys or give your legs a rest after all that walking, especially if you're travelling with children.

Below is a table so you can easily see the different options available. And I also recommend you to read the articles: tickets to the Alhambra and guided tour of the Alhambra so you know all the details before your trip.