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How to get from Barcelona to Granada

Posted by (Pittsburgh, PA) on

Hello all. Longtime listener, first-time caller here.

I recently booked my first trip to Spain (and Europe, as a matter of fact) for late October.

I'm flying into Barcelona on Thursday, spending three nights, then trying to head down to Andalusia to tour the region for my remaining six nights before flying out of Seville.

Problem is, I'm having difficulties figuring out the best way to get from Barcelona to Andalusia. Since I'm flying out of Seville, I'd rather not head straight from Barcelona to Seville, as I will be there for my last couple of days.

My instinct is telling me to find a way from Barcelona to Granada, since it is "on the way" i.e. slightly closer to Barcelona than Seville. However, there doesn't seem to be a lot of trains between the two, and bus routes are exceedingly long.

Is it best to simply fly? That seems like a potential headache and rather vanilla when traveling in a foreign country, but I am not sure how else to do it. I would much rather take a train down that lovely Spanish coast.

Once I figure out how to get down there, it's just planning out the best Andalusian sights for my remaining six nights :)

Any help would be appreciated! Gracias!

Posted by
15788 posts

There are no fast trains in/out of Granada. 2-3 years ago Renfe started on a 6-month project to upgrade the tracks for those fast trains. In the meantime, there's almost no train service into Granada. Most trains go as far as Antequera and Renfe runs a shuttle bus between there and the Granada train station. Train or bus from Granada to other Andalucian towns and Madrid take 2-5 hours, depending on distance (no big difference between train and bus, though in some towns, the train station is more accessible).

So flying is usually the recommended way from Barcelona because it's significantly less time than any other alternative.

Posted by
162 posts

Thanks for your help! That is unfortunate about the lack of trains to Granada. I was looking forward to riding along the coast.

However, I laughed at "2-3 years ago Renfe started on a 6-month project to upgrade the tracks for those fast trains." I feel like that's such a common theme when I look into using public transportation for travel :)

Posted by
28 posts

We are heading to Barcelona in a month, and will be flying to Granada from BCN via Vueling Air. We booked the flights months ago for about $70 each one way. Should be quicker than taking a train. It's about an hour and a half flight.

Posted by
162 posts

Yes, I have seen flights from Barcelona to Seville that run often and are quite cheap.

It's not a bad option, just would have preferred a train ride along the coast :)

Ah well, can't have it all, I guess.

Posted by
7160 posts

From someone who always drives, even I have to say fly if there are no trains. That would be a lot of driving for the little time you have.

Posted by
162 posts

I agree. Plus, you really can't the scenery as much if you are a driver rather than a passenger. Especially being a foreign country, on a potentially busy highway, constant attention to the road is paramount.

Posted by
15788 posts

The fast roads for the most part don't go along the coast anyway, they are farther inland - and the "coastal" route would only be for about half the journey, to Valencia, then the route turns inland. You might have some nice views from the plane if you take a daytime flight.

Posted by
162 posts

Yes, I suppose that is true.

Thank you all for your help! You've all been of wonderful assistance. I'm sure I'll be back with more specific questions once it gets closer to my departure in October :)

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