Transportation from Barcelona to Granada - My Head is Spinning!

The train schedules are not up for sale yet, All you can do is check everyday. RENFE does not consistently stick to a time frame when they make the trains available for purchase. I have used Vueling 2 times with success.

You aren't the only poster frustrated by the Renfe situation. It appears the company is just extremely late in getting schedules posted. Perhaps they plan some schedule tweaks in mid-October? Based on the schedule for Monday, time on the train will be about 6 to 7 hours. ViaMichelin gives a projected driving time of 9 hours (which is likely optimistic) with no stops at all, so I certainly wouldn't want to drive.

I believe if you're able to keep an eye on Renfe.com and snag a promo-fare ticket when sales open up, that will be cheaper than using a Tarjeta Dorada discount. However, you're right that buying early enough to get the promo fare means you won't be sure about your airport-clearance time, so it's a bit risky. That there are so few AVEs on that route makes the situation a bit more of a concern. As of now, Renfe.com is showing all the Monday, Sept. 23, trains full except the 6:50 AM departure which is currently priced at 118 euros. At this point it doesn't look safe to me to plan to buy a Monday ticket after arrival.

I don't think you can use a Tarjeta Dorada to get a discount or refund on a previously-purchased ticket. That would be very unusual.

We flew from Barcelona to Granada and had no problems at all. It was fast, inexpensive, and they have a quick shuttle from the airport to town.

I believe the airline was Vueling and it was just fine. We did not have any extra charges for baggage as we just had small carryons, and the shuttle was free or very cheap. The plane ran on time.

For a regional flight in Spain, Vueling is fine, it's Iberia that you have to look out for :)

We flew from Barcelona to Granada September, 2018. To get to the airport in Barcelona we took the bus that is dedicated to the airport with just a few stops.

We used Veuling, and booking early it was crazy inexpensive. From the Granada airport we took another public bus to the main square and walked to our hotel. The entire trip took most of the morning. Much less expensive and less time consuming than driving a car one way.

I don’t remember an extra fee for checked baggage and would recommend Vueling again. The flight was almost empty.

Also driving and parking in Granada isn’t easy and isn’t inexpensive. We did pick up car in Granada for the rest of our trip with drop off in Madrid.

One thing I wouldn’t recommend is seeing Alhambra on the same day as a travel day. We did this and it made for a very long day. Lesson learned.

Have a great trip. We enjoyed our time in Spain.

We just took the bus in June. I think the train came into service after that. Seems like the bus ride was 4 1/2 hours. We had to stop at a truck stop to change drivers for the last 20 miles or so--sounds like 4 hr. max time for a driver. Bus was very nice, and it was an easy trip.

Carlos, aren't Vueling and Iberian affiliated? With Vueling being the budget airline?

We took the bus from Madrid to Granada. It was a nice, lovely ride. I would assume they also have a route from Barcelona to Madrid. It's a pleasant way to travel, and inexpensive if you book your tickets ahead of time.

I believe David is thinking of the bus from Madrid (not Barcelona) to Granada. The bus from Barcelona would take much, much longer than 4-1/2 hours.

Hi Jules, they're both technically owned by the same conglomerate called IAG, but honestly they are different companies with different experiences, I've never had a positive experience with Iberia. Remember IGA also owns British Airways and Aer Lingus, they have a pretty hands off approach.

It'll be interesting to see how BRexit will affect IAG's Spanish subsidiary airlines, considering they are a British company.

I did a little nosing around the Renfe site. No trains on that route after Oct 14 must mean they are simply late getting the winter schedule up for that route. Monday seems to be a popular day to travel (all but the 6.50 am train are sold out for tomorrow), so if you are set on going by train:
- keep watching the site for Oct/Nov trains.
- compare the tarjeta dorada price to the lowest promo price
- watch the Monday trains and see if they are selling out 2-3 days before

Plane vs train: note that you will have to change trains, either in Antequera or Madrid, with your luggage. In Barcelona I stay near Plaza Catalonia and the airport bus is very convenient and comfortable, leaves every 5-10 minutes and costs only a few euros. The fastest train takes 6.5 hours - add time to get to/from the station, lead time at the station to find your train (not always easy at Sants) and go through security. I'd rather spend an extra hour getting somewhere by train and avoid the hassles of flying. But I'd carefully consider the costs and the time schedules as well.

The post above mentions the need to change trains: the early 6.50 am train is actually direct.
But at over six hours, I would fly, especially since the airports in Barcelona and Granada are within easy reach from their respective cities. Vueling is trouble-free, just heed the cabin luggage restrictions.

I am having the same frustration for a trip I am planning. It looks like today that Vueling has a 10:20 a.m. flight direct to Granada but it is dropped by next spring when I am traveling. They still have a very early morning flight and an evening flight but neither are ideal for our travel plan.
Air Europa has a flight departing at 08:40 a.m. but connects to Granada via Mallorca. Does anyone have experience with that airline?

I would not take a connecting flight in this case you might as well take the train
Or you can fly to Malaga and take the bus to Granada which only takes an hour.

I believe the fastest buses from Malaga to Granada are scheduled to take 90 minutes, and that doesn't include the time needed to travel from the airport to the Malaga bus station. It appears there may be direct buses from the airport to Granada scheduled to take about 2-1/4 hours but I haven't verified that no transfer is required.

Malaga is a lot closer to Granada than Madrid is. The question is whether the airfare to Malaga is reasonable. And does opting for Malaga require an extra flight connection?