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Has anyone taken a one day bus tour from Seville to Granada - please advise

We will be spending 5 days in Seville and we want to see the Granada and the Alhabra Palace. Does anyone have any recent experience and can recommend a one day bus tour from Seville to Granada.

We normally do these excursions on our own as we will to Cordoba and other cities, however, it seems that there are
advantages to doing it as a bus Day Trip from Seville with pick up/return to our hotel and which also Include Skip-the-Line Entrance to Alhambra Palace.

We will be doing this around mid May. Here are some other questions:

  1. Is there a better day of the week -possibly a less crowded day or is it all about the same?
  2. There seem to be a variety of tour companies - price is around $130 US per person is this about what to expect price wise?
  3. Are we better waiting to get to Seville and book something there rather than book in advance from the US ?

Thanks for any comments or suggestions.

Posted by
7175 posts

The Alhambra is sold out every day in advance so the crowd is pretty much constant, but controlled and not excessive. $130 US seems to be what I found as well. Looking at a 12 hour tour that sounds like the one you refer to (with skip the line). The drive Sevilla - Granada is probably about 3 hours each way so half your time will be spent on the bus.
I would doubt you have many options remaining as we are talking just weeks away and tickets for the Alhambra usually sell out months in advance. A quick glance at the official ticketmaster site reveals just that - ex for 24 May only. Have you considered spending one less night in Sevilla and overnighting in Granada?
Regardless it appears you will need a commercial tour agency to secure entry at such short notice.

Posted by
23177 posts

On relative short notice, about a month, our hotel arranged for Alhambra tickets. It is my understanding that block of tickets are reserved for hotel guests. Of course, if you are not staying in Granada my comments are of little help. Personally I would do an overnight in Granada than spend a half day on a bus. There is much more to Granada than just the Alhambra.

Posted by
4535 posts

It's a bit of a long daytrip, but seeing the Alhambra is worth it. And at such late date, maybe your best bet to actually get tickets.

Opinions vary on Granada itself. I for one am not that impressed with the city and don't think you will miss much. I'd rather spend my time in Sevilla and Cordoba. But that is just one opinion.

Posted by
169 posts

Thanks for your responses. Surprisingly there is lots of availability for these 1 day tours - at least for now - for Mid may.
Considering the admission cost for Alhambra is about 20 € the cost of the tour becomes a bit more reasonable.
In essence we would be paying for the convenience of being picked up and /dropped off at our hotel and being able to do it all in a day. From all I've read, it's a scenic drive along the way, so we might actually do it. This way it allows us to spend most of our time in Seville in addition to the other cities we will have seen prior. I think if we don't do it we would probably wish we had - so that's likely what we will do. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Posted by
2767 posts

I'd do it. The Alhambra sells out in advance, but a lot of these tickets are bought by tour groups like the one you're considering. So going through them (or a hotel, if staying in Granada) would be the only way to get tickets for mid-May. The Alhambra is absolutely worth it, no question. I love Granada and always advocate staying a couple nights, but time is limited!

I'd book it from here, just to be sure. I'm sure there are offices in Sevilla that would set this up, but it's easier to read reviews and research quality from home.

Posted by
7175 posts

As Mira says "The Alhambra is absolutely worth it, no question".
I went to Expo 1992 in Sevilla and regretted later that I did not get to either Cordoba or Granada.
Fortunately I remedied that many years later.

Posted by
162 posts

I would highly recommend the trip. I did one to Ronda and it was worth the money. Driving in Spain is expensive, parking is expensive, toll roads are expensive, gas is expensive, it is SO worth it to be picked up, have the tickets in hand, drive you there and bring you back. It may be a few more dollars, or so you think. I don't think it really matters what day you go. It isn't too crowded in May yet. Price sounds about right, I'll look when I am in Seville tomorrow, if I see anything different I will let you know.

Posted by
169 posts

Hi. Thanks for your recommendation. We have decided to go with the 1 day tour for all the reasons mentioned. That was our original inclination, and everyone seemed to confirm our thoughts. We were able to book the tour from home before we leave - print out the tickets, etc. Just as an aside, I actually called the hotel and asked if there were any local tour companies they would recommend - and it was the same one we found online. For whatever reasons we were also able to get a reduced rate on the day we were travelling. You can actually display or check any single day and there are some differences in price. All in all, with the convenience of hotel pick up and return, the cost of tickets if we had to buy them ourselves - this was a problem free and cost effective way of doing it with only having one day availble to see Granada. As for how the tour works out, I will report back afterwards.

Posted by
169 posts

Thanks to all those who provided advice. We did this trip yesterday. It is definitely worth it. I'm happy to report we got everything as advertised. Free pickup/drop off at our hotel. We arrived and got back on time. Guided tour. Tickets included. No waiting on line. It is a long day, but we slept on the bus in parts and there are the beautiful countryside views if you don't. If you only have one day and want to see the amazing Alhambra palace this is the way to do it.