Worth taking train from Barcelona to Granada

In a word, no.

It will take you through the center of the country (Castilla) down to Andalucia, depending on the season, most of it will be brownish plateau. Not along the scenic coastline.

Best fly low cost from Barcelona to Granada, it will be faster, more efficient, and probably cheaper.

Carlos, when will high-speed train service from Granada to Madrid begin? For those not fond of low-fare airlines, another two hours or so of train travel is worth it, even at a slightly higher cost. With air travel, there is the trip to the airport, the wait at the airport, the flight, and the trip from the airport to the city. Are we talking five hours? If train service the entire route is now high-speed, for a tourist, the relative comfort of train travel is a plus.

Richard, the AVE service between Granada and Madrid began several weeks ago. It takes about three hours.

From Barcelona to Granad, however, it takes six to seven hours. I'd fly.

Hi Richard, as Nick stated above, the AVE Granada line is now open and operational (fingers crossed).

From Granada to Madrid, I would probably also use the AVE, 1 hr flight vs 3 hr train time is not a big difference. However if traveling from Barcelona to Granada, then the trip becomes around 7+ hrs, even with a high speed train, in that case I would opt for the 1:30 hr direct flight using Vueling or Iberia.

It appears that only Vueling has direct flights. Iberia has one-stop flights that take about three and a half hours, at least flying from Granada to Barcelona (which is what I checked, though I would think the reverse would be true). However, Vueling as an airline gets mixed reviews.

I honestly don't understand if the question is for a day trip, or actual transport to Granada.
With ih new high speed train, flying is less of an obvious travel recommendation.

I dare not speak for Claire, who started this thread, but I was assuming we are talking about a one-way trip by a visitor to Spain. I can't imagine a tourist talking about going from Barcelona to Granada and then back to Barcelona all in one day.

Yes, I'm talking about going from Barcelona to Granada for our 5 days in Granada. Thinking now about flying to Grenada and taking the train back to Barcelona before flying home to US the following morning. We're from California so we love the dry brown landscape but it also includes oak trees and hills. Thought it would be fun to see the countryside on at least one leg of this trip.

I always like a scenic view. I didn't do that particular route, but even in a drought situation, it is a pretty country. If it happens to be orange growing territory, you'll feel at home.