I'm arriving in Malaga on a cruise ship (October 27th at noon).
Does anyone know if there will be taxis right outside the arriving ships? Or, is there some special local transport that I should be looking for.
My goal is to get to Granada to see the Alhambra but I want to first understand if there is any special logistics to get out of the cruise port area. Once I understand the process, then I'll try to buy my tickets to the bus and Alhambra.
Thanks,
Tom
Is this just a day stop in Malaga?
If so, I recommend you take a tour organised by the ship.
Granada is quite a long way, and with a 12 noon docking, your time is severely limited.
A DIY trip would be risky - if you are on a cruise trip, you are guaranteed to get back before sailing.
There is normally a little land train shuttle between the cruise terminal and town centre/taxi rank..
The bus station is some way from there.
To answer your question, the cruise terminal is a 16 minutes +/- ride (3+ miles) from the bus terminal. As suggested, take a ship’s tour to the Alhambra if it offers one. Getting to Granada by bus will be about 3 hours each way.
The closest bus stop is by the lighthouse, just under a mile from the cruise port terminal and it doesn’t go the the bus station. Although the cruise port is near downtown, where the ships dock in the port area is much further away.
The ship should be able to arrange for a taxi if that’s what you decide.
Thanks for your thoughts.
Here is some more background. Originally, The ship was to arrive in port at 8:00am and depart at 6pm. Back in January, I noticed that there was a 'transportation only' shore excursion to Granada offered ($85 pp) which I purchased. The 'fine print' for the shore excursion suggested that, for those interested in touring Alhambra on their own, that we would have to buy Alhambra tickets ourselves and suggested that a "timed entry" be purchased between 11:30am and 12:30pm. I purchased Alhambra tickets for noon entry (€ 22pp). I even reserved a 3-hour private tour guide for €150 to make the most efficient use of our time. Perfect! My wife and I were all set!
Unfortunately, the cruise ship company recently changed the itinerary and now the ship arrives at noon and departs at 10pm. The shore excursion was refunded but transportation to Granada is no longer offered. Our tickets to Alhambra cannot be refunded (sunk cost).
I checked the possibility of a private driver but a trip there and a trip back turned out to be a total of €400 (plus tip). I checked the bus option each way but I wasn't comfortable with the timing of the return. So, I thought taking a bus there and a private driver back might work. Yes. I can still purchase Alhambra tickets for the date I need.
With the ship arriving at noon, I was hoping to catch the 1pm bus direct to Granada arriving at 2:45pm. I figured that, if I bought tickets for entry at 4:00pm we could take a 3 hour tour and head back to the ship with a private driver at 7pm arriving at 8:45pm (enough time to make it back by the 10pm departure).
The next bus leaves Malaga at 2pm, arriving at 3:45pm. That timing is just too tight for me. We'd be sprinting through the palace.
Getting to the bus station from the cruise ship for a 1pm departure is the most important piece (hence, my question). If that is too tight, I'm left with a private driver both ways which is way too much for me. Even using a driver for only for the return trip is pushing my cost/ benefit tolerance for what would be a rush visit to Alhambra with seeing no other sights in Granada. I'm starting to think I need to 'wave the white flag' for Alhambra and take a "You Tube video" tour.
Thanks for your comments.
Tom
There are car rental companies (e.g., Enterprise) at the train station. Driving to the Alhambra would take between 1.5-2 hours. Don’t forget to factor in the amount of time it will take to get off the ship after pulling in as it will reduce the overall time you have to play with.
If you did rent a vehicle ensure you follow the highway signs to reach the Alhambra. Last time I was there (2014) the Garmin tried taking me through the city and you don’t want to do that. In Google maps it may be beneficial to bookmark “Alhambra Visitors Car Park.”
From the car park it’s a short walk to the ticket office, if you need to pick them up, then an uphill walk to the Alhambra complex.
I thought of renting a car. But I was trying to avoid that because that too adds some complexity when dealing with a short timeframe. Pickup/ drop-off time, maybe a wrong turn etc. That just adds to the stress.
This is the info I see on taxis at the Malaga Cruise Port.
https://malagacruiseport.com/transportation/
Maria Zambrano train station(indicated on the map) is right next door to the bus station. This info from their website:
To the María Zambrano Train Station:
Taxi: A taxi connects the cruise terminals with the María Zambrano train station in about 15–20 minutes, depending on the terminal.
On foot: From the Terminal El Palmeral, the distance is about 2 km (around 25 minutes on foot).
From Terminals A or B (Muelle de Levante), the distance is around 4 km, so a taxi is recommended.
If you arrive by noon and immediately leave the ship I would think you would make the bus departure time of 1300.
Susan,
Thank you. Very helpful. I didn't think of that source.
Thanks,
Tom
