How to spend our last day in Andalucia?

We have tickets for the Real Alcázar and Mesquita, so is it necessary to also see the Alhambra?

Necessary ? I'd only go places based on your interests.
I visited all 3 of those on the same trip and none of them looked or felt the same. The culture and feel of Granada is not like Cordoba or Seville. You don't really have time to hang out in Granada, there is more to it than just the Alhambra.

There is enough to see in Cordoba (and it's my favourite city in Andalucia, that I would spend the last morning/lunch there and then drive back to Malaga to return the car and get the train to the airport in Malaga.

We have tickets for the Real Alcázar and Mesquita, so is it necessary to also see the Alhambra?

If it doesn't fit, it doesn't fit, but I would have picked the Alhambra first of those three. Since we visited Cordoba and Seville on a different trip than Malaga, Grenada, and Cadiz, we didn't have to rank or prioritize.

IOW - it's always okay to leave something that you can build a future trip around :)

I agree with everyone that you don't have the time to visit Granada on your last day. Spend the morning in Cordoba, have lunch in Cordoba, then drive to Malaga leisurely. You don't want to be rushing. And you need time to return your car.

Save Granada and the Alhambra for another trip. The Alhambra is amazing. We spent about 3/4 of a day here, and we also returned for the magical night time tour. And there is more to Granada as the other posters said. I would have included Granada over Ronda, Cadiz or Gibraltar any day, but everyone has different likes and interests. Now you have a reason to return to Andalucia!

Regarding Cordoba, the Mezquita is magnificent, but there are other things to see and do in Cordoba to keep you busy. Visit the gardens of the Alcazar, explore the Juderia with its white-washed walls, narrow lanes and patios, and visit Palacio de Viana. And walk across the Roman Bridge at night for awesome views of the illuminated Mezquita.

Thank you all for your great responses!

We purposely left our last day open so we do not have to rush, and adding a quick trip to Granada wouldn’t do it justice, and would only add stress watching the time. So we will take the advice given and enjoy the morning in Cordoba and work our way back to Malaga allowing plenty of time to return the car.

We had already planned on walking across the Roman Bridge, but I like the suggestion of doing that in the evening to see the Mezquita lit up. We also plan on doing The Courtyards Festival, amongst other sites.

Since we are only seeing a small portion of Spain, hopefully we will return to see more of it, and add Granada to the next trip.

Have a lovely dinner in Cordoba at Ermita de la Candelaria. Our meal there was amazing!

mml, thanks for the restaurant recommendation. I looked online and it appears you are in agreement with other reviews.