Transportation: Seville to Granada, and Granada to Madrid

Danny,

We took the ALSA bus on this route but in reverse, Granada to Sevilla.
The ALSA buses are comfortable & they have A/C & most also have WiFi.

You can take a taxi to your hotel from the bus station (located on the outskirts of Granada) for about € 10.

Have you already booked your Alhambra tickets?

Enjoy your trip!

Edit to add...

It may be too late for you, but this may benefit others. We actually took this route; Madrid >> Córdoba >>
Granada >> Sevilla >> Madrid, in order to avoid the long trek from Granada to Madrid, especially now that there's railroad work.

I realize that most people visit Córdoba as a day trip, but we stayed for a few nights and truly enjoyed our visit.:-)

Yeah, your route makes more sense. We're already booked (hotels and some train travel), so we'll figure out a way to make it work. Granada back to Madrid might take us a while but it's OK. I can sleep!

I think we will do the bus from Seville to Granada. I'm glad to know the buses are pretty comfortable. Did you book your bus tickets in advance, or the day of travel?

Yes, the buses are very comfortable. Under normal circumstances (not a holiday period, etc.), I think you should be able to wait till you get to Spain to buy the bus ticket(s). I often bought mine on the day of travel, but buying earlier would be a better plan. For one thing, the fare may be lower. Also, I once arrived at my connection point to find the next bus sold out. At larger stations ALSA has ticket-vending machines that can be switched to English and are easy to use with chip-and-signature credit cards.

Whatever you do, do not arrive at the bus station ten minutes before the scheduled departure time, expecting to buy your ticket then. You might hit a computer outage that takes out all the vending machines, as I did, and then you'll get hung up in the line at the staffed counter and miss the bus. And there's often a policy of halting ticket sales a certain amount of time before the scheduled departure.

For trips of equivalent length, I actually prefer the bus, because I don't have to wrangle my suitcase onto a train.

Did you book your bus tickets in advance, or the day of travel?

Acraven has given you great advice.

Since Córdoba was our first destination, we purchased our tickets at the bus station there for our two journeys (Córdoba to Granada and Granada to Sevilla), a few days before our day of travel.

The bus station in Córdoba is conveniently located right across the street from the train station, so it was easy.

In contrast, the bus station in Granada is located far from the city center, so it's not as convenient.

Make sure you arrive to the bus station at least 20 minutes before departure as people start lining up on the platform.
Once the bus arrives, you have to place your own luggage in the hold (bottom of bus), prior to boarding the bus.
The driver will check your tickets prior to boarding.

You can certainly book your tickets in advance on the ALSA website, for your peace of mind, if you so choose.

Enjoy your trip!

Thanks for the replies! You've been very helpful. We went ahead and booked the bus from Seville to Granada, and now we are just trying to figure out the best way to get from Granada back to Madrid.

Yes, we booked our Alhambra tickets several weeks ago. This is our first trip to each of these destinations, and we are really excited to see all new things.

Danny,

and now we are just trying to figure out the best way to get from Granada back to Madrid.

Do you have time to do an overnight in Córdoba? If so, you may consider taking the ALSA bus from Granada to Córdoba, then taking the train to Madrid from there.

If you just need to get to Madrid, then taking the train is the best option.
Due to the railway construction around Granada, you will travel via bus from Granada to Antequera Santa Ana station, then you'll transfer to a train for the rest of your journey to Madrid.
The bus departs from the train station in Granada.

Safe & happy travels!

When I planned my trip, I chose the train from Granada to Madrid (it was before they started working on the tracks) instead of the bus just because the timing worked out better for me. The travel time was about the same. I later learned that the Granada bus station is a bit far away (I walked from my central hotel to the train station). I took a taxi to my Madrid hotel, but I could easily have taken the cercanias from the train station with my wheelie, if I'd done the research. I don't know where the Madrid bus station is.

The way the train works now (until they finish which may be years away). You board the bus at the Granada train station (on the edge of the historic center of town) which arrives at the Antequera train station a few minutes before the high-speed train leaves for Madrid. The bus is a shuttle service provided by Renfe. It has nothing to do with the ALSA buses.

Regular buses from Granada to Madrid go Estacion Sur, very near the Mendez Alvaro Metro Station. Madrid has a number of different bus stations for inter-city buses, depending on the origin/destination of the bus.

Thanks everyone! We have all our travel arranged now, and I feel better about having heard from each of you.

Now, about those restaurant recommendations...

Danny,

My mom and I enjoyed delicious authentic tapas at, La Antigua Bodeguita, on Plaza San Salvador in Sevilla.
We ate there 3 days in a row! It gets crowded with locals but we always managed to find a place to sit.

In Granada we enjoyed our meal at, El Huerto de Juan Ranas, right across from the San Nicolás Mirador.
We sat on the bar terrace (not the enclosed restaurant), and had the best views of the Alhambra at sunset.
Make sure you arrive early, as it fills up quickly ;-)
In Granada you must eat the delicious ice cream at, Los Italianos, right across from the cathedral.
Also try Casa de Pasteles for great pastries, on Plaza Larga near the San Nicolás mirador, yum!
Can you tell I have a sweet tooth?

Enjoy!

Priscilla,

Thanks for the recommendations! I believe Rick recommends a restaurant with views of the Alhambra, and I wonder if you are speaking of the same one.

And yes, sweets are crucial. Gotta keep up the energy level!

Danny,

You are most welcome!

I believe Rick recommends a restaurant with views of the Alhambra, and I wonder if you are speaking of the same one.

Rick Steves recommends a few restaurants with great views of the Alhambra.

El Huerto de Juan Ranas is one of them, however, do take heed to his advice here:

El Huerto de Juan Ranas Restaurante is a high-priced venue, but at their simple terrace bar you can order off their "casual" menu at half the price.

Enjoy!

Danny, in Seville we loved the tapas at La Taberna Coloniales. Ate there twice. The food was so good in Sevilla - not sure if there is a bad choice. Maybe just some more expensive than others. In Granada, we ate tapas almost every meal. Bodegas Castaneda and Los Diamontes were 2 favorites. And it's true that everywhere we went in Granada, they still bring you a plate of free GOOD tapas when you order a drink (usually one plate for both, not each of you). And if you buy a refill, they bring a second plate. Be aware that many places have tables, as well as the casual bar area, and that the menu may differ - tapas not available at table seating. This did not seem to be the rule absolutely in Seville, although true some places. :)