Granada city breaks

2012 Prices euros/person sharing.

• Hotel option - €520
• Pension option - €401
• Discount for groups (4+).
• Extra nights in Granada - Hotel/pension - 75/55 euros pp/night.
• Extra nights in The Alpujarra - Hotel/pension - 45/35 euros pp/night

• 5 nights B&B. A 2-night stay in Granada City and 3 nights in The Alpujarra.
• Choice of accommodation.
• Breakfasts
• Any start date subject to availability.
• Personal meeting in Granada on arrival.
• Private transfer Granada  - Alpujarra.
• Private transfer Alpujarra - Granada.
• Walk routes, notes and maps for Granada city and Alpujarra.
• Emergency telephone support.

Not included

• We can plan public transport to help you arrive in Granada from Malaga or other points in Spain.
• Meals except breakfast. We give recommendations.

Practical information on how to visit Granada City is provided to enable you to quickly get your bearings. Detailed descriptions and maps of 3 city walks take you through the mediaeval, historic and modern parts of the city centre where café and street life can be sampled.

It is important to pre-book tickets for the Alhambra Palace visit and we will provide detailed help about how to go about this rather complicated visit.

Information about booking the Alhambra.

Whichever accommodation choice you make you will visit both of the villages since they are only a few minutes walk apart and the same walks are used from both.

Our information includes all you need to know about where to eat etc; the villages are culturally interesting and offer a variety of long and short walks. There is an ample choice of restaurants, especially Capileira, which is the livelier of the two. 

Detailed maps and instructions are given for each of the walking days. Suggested walks vary in altitude and distance giving walks for all seasons. The terrain is mountainous, but the routes, based on the old mule trails, is always reasonably graded to make the hiking achievable for the averagely fit person.

In both Granada and the Alpujarra, we offer a choice of accommodation, Hotel or Pension to suit your pocket. Both choices are good value for money, in convenient locations, and are tried and tested. The main reasons for choosing Hotel over Pension would be for the more ample buffet breakfasts, staff that speak English, and more ample rooms. The pictures in the gallery show the hotels.

Depending which choice you make in the Alpujarra then you will either stay in the village of Bubion (pension) or Capileira (hotel***), both are equally good choices from a walkers point of view.

The Granada city accommodation is central and within 15 minutes walk of the Alhambra and the modern city.

Travel information. There are currently no direct flights to Granada from UK regional airports, but internal flights link Granada to all the major cities of Spain and the rail /bus network is also very efficient. See our article about buses from Málaga to Granada and the Alpujarra.

More information about how to arrive in Andalucia

Day 1.

You will be met in Granada and driven to the Alpujarra. The exact location is either Bubión (pension) or Capileira (hotel) depending on the accommodation you choose. The villages are 15 minutes walk apart, in the spectacular Barranco Poqueira. We will settle you in, answer queries and pass on information.

Day 2 and 3.

You will have 2 full days to walk, rest and play. Our information includes all you need to know about where to eat etc. The villages are culturally interesting and offer a variety of long and short walks. There is an ample choice of restaurants, especially Capileira, which is the livelier of the two. The same walks are possible from either. Detailed maps and instructions are given for each of the walking days in The Alpujarra. Suggested walks vary in altitude and distance giving walks for all seasons.

Day 4.

At an agreed time on we will transfer you to your accommodation in Granada.

On days 4, 5 and 6 you will be able to follow our city walks or explore in your own way.

You may have time to follow one of our city walks.

Day 5.

This is probably the best day to plan to visit the Alhambra. If you want to go on an un-guided visit this can only be done on this official website although  there are others if you want to book a guided visit. It is much the best to pre-book entrance tickets for the Alhambra as soon as your dates are fixed. The visit a visit takes half a day.

Day 6.

Departure day. itinerary ends after breakfast.

The Alhambra:

If visiting Granada, the main reason is probably to visit the Alhambra. If this is the case, don't plan to do anything more than this on that day.

Pre-purchased tickets are collected from Automatic machines using the same credit card that made the purchase. This is worth thinking about at the time you make the online purchase.

The Alhambra site is divided into three parts with three separate turnstiles; the ticket is valid either for morning (up to 2pm) or afternoon (after 2pm) and is repeatedly checked by officials. Inside this period, the portion of ticket valid for entry to the Palacio Nazari section has a specific time when entry must be made. This time slot is allocated at purchase time. A leisurely visit to the palace takes about 2 hours, or for ever, if you have a deep interest. Entry to the Generalife section (summer palace and water gardens) and the Alcazaba (fortress) can be made at any time during the am or pm validity of the ticket. To avoid crowds, early morning or late afternoon is best but the problem cannot be entirely solved.

We recommend an AM ticket with 12.00 palace entry as the ideal. This gives you from 8 am to 12.00 to visit the other parts of the site and at least 2 hours in the palacio.

Advance booking is essential to avoid a wasted visit. Tickets may be purchased on the day by queuing but are limited to a fixed number for any AM or PM and they always sell-out. Hotels in Granada have special arrangements and are a last resort.

Tickets are book-able 4 months ahead. The only official ticket agency is on the web:  the merged service provided by www.servicaixa.com.  and www.ticketmaster.es. When purchasing on-line, search for "alhambra"  choose "general visit to the Alhambra and Generalife." (Visita General Diurna).

The purchase is confusing: You have to choose AM (to 14.00) or PM, (after 14.00) and subsequently an actual time slot for entry into the Palacio Nazari. This makes more sense once you have realised that there are 3 areas to the visit with 3 different turnstiles. In order to see everything, you have to pass all turnstiles during the AM period. Only one of these areas (the Palacio Nazari) has a specific entry time. Ie the whole visit may be AM and the palacio entry time could be any time between 08.00 and 13.00.

When choosing this time slot bear in mind that it takes at least 2 hours to visit the Palacio Nazari and whilst you will not be ejected from the palace having overrun your AM time slot, it is possible to run short of time if you purchase a late PM visit. Some time slots only allow 1 hour before closing time.

When purchasing it can also happen that no tickets are available for that day. If you ignore that warning and continue with the purchase, selecting Visit to the Alhambra Gardens and the Generalife) you will get tickets that, with luck, you will be able to upgrade to full tickets on the day of the visit at the machine where tickets are collected.

Another visit type offered is Nocturna (Generalife or Palacios) and people have enjoyed these nighttime visits either as an alternative or in addition, having bought both types and visited twice.

The "Circular Azul" visit provides a nighttime illuminated visit to the Palacio Nazari and access to the rest of the site during the following morning. A way of getting more time to see everything in a relaxed way,

Pre-purchased tickets are collected on the site from Automatic machines using the same credit card that made the purchase. Make sure you bring it on holiday with you.