Malaga, with its large international airport, is your gateway to Andalusia. Situated on the southern coast of Spain, Malaga is well connected by bus and train to cities such as Seville and Cordoba and to the many popular coastal towns along the Costa del Sol. And the closest of the best cities in Spain to Malaga is Granada.
Malaga may be the gateway to southern Spain, but remember that you don’t need to spend too much time at the door! You don’t even need to go to Malaga as there are direct buses to Granada from Malaga airport.
How to visit Granada as a day trip from Malaga
There are regular buses from Malaga to Granada, leaving every hour or half an hour. The 9 a.m. bus will take you to Granada at 11 a.m. Book your Alhambra tickets in advance – there are often long lines to get in that could seriously limit what you can do in a day trip. Book a visit in the morning and take a taxi directly from the bus station to the Alhambra. For lunch, be sure to go for tapas: Granada is famous for its free tapas culture. Then, spend the afternoon exploring the Muslim quarter of the Albaicín.
Then take your bus back to Malaga in time for dinner.
Are you considering visiting Malaga as a day trip from Granada? There are much better day trips from Granada than Malaga.
Spend the night in Granada
A day is a bit short to make the most of your visit to Granada. I would recommend at least one night stay. Granada is a more interesting city than Malaga and if your vacation is about visiting these two cities, you should definitely split your time in Granada’s favor.
However, if you want to explore other cities in Andalusia, Malaga is a better base, particularly for visiting Cordoba: the two cities are connected by the high-speed AVE train.
Try to be close to Plaza Nueva to have good access to all the sights of Granada. Check the prices of hotels in Granada on TripAdvisor.
Malaga to Granada by bus
The best way to get from Malaga to Granada by public transport is by bus. There are regular buses throughout the day. The trip lasts two hours and costs about 10 euros. Book bus tickets in Spain.
Malaga to Granada by train
There are no direct trains to Granada from Malaga. If you really want to take the train (maybe you have a rail pass), you can take a transfer in Antequera, but there is a long transfer time and the train station is far from the city center so you will not even be able to leave and explore Book train tickets in Spain.
Malaga to Granada on a guided tour
If you want to take a day trip to Granada, a guided tour from Malaga is a good option. This guided tour of Granada from Malaga picks you up in the morning and takes you by air-conditioned bus to Granada, where you will have a guided tour of the Alhambra and its surroundings, followed by free time to explore the city on your own. The time you will save by skipping the line to the Alhambra is worth the price of this tour alone.
If you were planning to go to Granada on the way to Madrid, you may prefer a guided tour between the Costa del Sol and Madrid, which takes you from Torremolinos (20 minutes from Malaga by train) to Madrid in two days, visiting Granada and Toledo on the way. This tour is especially good if you wanted to travel from Granada to Toledo, a journey that is practically impossible by public transport.
Malaga to Granada by car
The 130 km journey from Malaga to Granada takes approximately one hour and 30 minutes, traveling mainly on the A45 and A92 motorways. Compare car rental rates in Spain.
Where to continue?
Heading north from Malaga to Granada, the obvious choices are west to Seville or north to Córdoba and then Madrid.
If you have just arrived on the south coast of Malaga, there is not much further you can go, other than the coast towards Almeria or the Costa del Sol. Of course, you can also go to Morocco.
