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Transportation from Barcelona to Granada - My Head is Spinning!

When I did earlier research, I thought I saw several fast trains from Barcelona to Granada but am now seeing only the one leaving at 6:50 am. I can't find anything on the Renfe site for Nov 4 and loco2 doesn't list any fast trains for that date. There are seats on the 6:50 direct train listed on Spainrail but the fare looks high. The last Monday for which I can reliably find fares on renfe, loco2, and Rail Europe is Oct 14th. I'm wondering whether they simply aren't being listed yet or are already sold out. Should I just keep checking back?

If the fares do appear later on the sites for our date, should I purchase ahead or would there likely be seats if I wait until we arrive in Barcelona and can buy the dorada gold card and get the discount? If I purchase a flexible fare online and then get the dorada card in Barcelona, can I change the ticket and get the discount?

I've also looked at flying on Vueling but have read such terrible reviews on them I'm hesitant to trust our travel to them. I figure that by the time we added the additional charges for luggage, taxis to and from the airports, etc. there would be little cost savings, and if the plane runs late as I've read they often do, it might not actually get us to Granada that much earlier.

The other option is to rent a car and drive. The car rental itself is cheap but the one-way drop off fee, tolls, and gas would add about $200 (assuming the one-way drop off is 100 Euros as it was in France).

My head is spinning! Please help!

Posted by
7730 posts

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.

Posted by
26829 posts

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.

Posted by
540 posts

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.

Posted by
3874 posts

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

Posted by
81 posts

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.

Posted by
8091 posts

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.

Posted by
5503 posts

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

Posted by
6264 posts

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.

Posted by
26829 posts

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.

Posted by
3874 posts

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.

Posted by
15560 posts

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.

Posted by
6773 posts

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.

Posted by
6 posts

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?

Posted by
7730 posts

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.

Posted by
26829 posts

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?