How to Get to the Granada Alhambra Palace

The Alhambra is located on top of the Sabika hill, in the center of Granada, a strategic place from which 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 do not forget to book in advance your tickets to the Alhambra or your guided tour of the Alhambra to avoid endless queues at the ticket office once up there. Every day the capacity is limited and you could run the risk of not being able to get in if you try to buy them at the last minute.

Granada is a unique city. There are few places with more charm and more beautiful than Granada to enjoy a special getaway, so I recommend taking a walk through the center to get to the Alhambra because along the way you will see amazing corners.

In case you head on foot to enjoy your tickets to the Alhambra from the center 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 by the Cuesta del Rey Chico.
• From Barrio Realejo by 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 Barrio Realejo

This is the shortest path, but also the steepest. It runs through the old Jewish quarter of Granada and to go to the Alhambra you will have to take the Cuesta del Realejo and go up to the Alhambra Palace Hotel from the Campo del Principe square.

If you do not 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 is fast, comfortable and quite economical!

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

• C30 (Alhambra - Centro).
• 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 being aware of the timetables, you should know that you can also get to the Alhambra by car.

These have their access through the Ronda Sur (A-395). To go to the palatine city go to the Granada ring road (N-323/ A-44), direction South (Motril). Once you have skirted the city you will see the direction Alhambra (Ronda Sur) to the parking lot of the monument where you can park your car.

The price is 2.35 euros/hour and it is an open and guarded parking 24 hours a day with more than 500 parking spaces where you can safely leave your car and enjoy your tickets to the Alhambra.

About the use of private cars in Granada

Access to the center of Granada is restricted to residents. Tourists staying in an official accommodation located in the restricted areas take the status of residents during their stay in the city.

Each hotel that has an agreement with the area of Mobility has a single access, so before traveling I recommend that you check with your accommodation which is the itinerary of authorized access to avoid fines.

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

The cab service in Granada works quite well and is provided 24 hours a day by companies such as Teleradio Taxi. There are many cab ranks all over the city and especially in the tourist areas where it will only take you 5 minutes to get a cab. You will recognize 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 cab driver how much the ride will cost you approximately to assess whether or not it is convenient for you to travel by cab to the Alhambra from your place of departure.

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 door 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 kilometers long and lasts 1 hour and 20 minutes.

About the Alhambra Train

The tourist train with free stops seems to me 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, since 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 is a fantastic option if you want to save time on travel or give your legs a rest after so much walking, especially if you are traveling with children.

Below, I leave you a table so you can comfortably 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.