Granada, Spain — Travel Tips
Getting There By Air
Flights to Granada from the UK are offered by British Airways and Iberia. Cheap flights to Grenada are available in spring and autumn outside the peak tourist season of July and August. Book your Granada flights well in advance during the summer.
Aeropuerto de Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén (GRX)
Tel: 902 404 704.
Website: www.aena.es
The airport is located 17km (11 miles) west of the city.
Airport facilities
Include three ATMs, car hire, tourist information offices in the main hall and the baggage collection hall, a café, a shop, a first aid post, parking for 450 cars.
Transport to the city
Taxis are found outside the arrivals hall, as is the stop for buses to the city center operated by Autocares José González (tel: 958 490 164; www.autocaresjosegonzalez.com).
Getting There By Road
Traffic drives on the right. No person under 18 years may hire or drive a vehicle over 75cc.. The speed limit for cars and motorcycles is 120kph (75mph) on motorways, 100kph (62mph) on dual carriageways, 90kph (56mph) outside built-up areas and 50kph (31mph) within towns. Foreign visitors require a valid driving license to drive in Spain. National licenses from EU countries are accepted, while nationals of other countries are advised to obtain an International Driving Permit. Third-party insurance is required and documents should be carried at all times. A Green Card is strongly recommended for all visitors and is compulsory for those from outside the EU. * The speed limit on motorways in Spain has temporarily been reduced to 110kph (68mph). The new limit will remain in effect until the end of June 2011 at the earliest. The slowdown is intended to save energy in response to the surge in oil prices sparked by the unrest in Libya and elsewhere in the Arab world. Real Automóvil Club de España (RACE) (tel: 90 240 4545; www.race.es) has reciprocal agreements with the AA and RAC in Britain and the AAA in America.
Emergency breakdown services
Spanish Royal Automobile Club (RACE) (tel: 90 240 4545).
Routes to the city
Granada is at the junction of the east-west Almería-Seville A92 highway and the north-south A44 from Jaén to Salobreña (on the Mediterranean coast), giving good access to all parts of Andalucía and other regions of Spain. North of Jaén, the A44 joins the A4 highway to Madrid; the A92N for the eastern Mediterranean coast branches off the A92 at Guadix, east of Granada.
Coach services
Granada's bus station, Carretera de Jaén, is 3km (2 miles) northwest of the center. Alsina Graells (tel: 958 185 480; www.alsa.es) runs to many destinations in Andalucía including Almería, Córdoba, Jaén, Málaga and Seville. Alsa (tel: 902 422 242; www.alsa.es) runs buses up the Mediterranean coast as far as Barcelona and offers international services.
Getting There By Rail
Rail Services
Granada Station is on Avenida de Andaluces, off Avenida de la Constitución, 1.5km (1 mile) west of the city center.
Rail Operators
Services are operated by RENFE (tel: 902 240 202; www.renfe.es). There are two daily trains to Madrid and one or two a day to Valencia and Barcelona. Four trains a day run to Seville via Antequera, and to Almería via Guadix; three go to Algeciras via Antequera and Ronda.
Connections
To Madrid – 5.5 hours; Seville – 3 hours ; Barcelona – 12 hours.
Getting Around in Granada, Spain
Public Transport
City buses are operated by Transportes Rober (tel: 900 710 900; www.transportesrober.com), with 26 lines including services to the Alhambra and Albaicín. Most routes run from approximately 0700 until midnight.
Taxis
Taxi companies include Radio Taxi (tel: 958 132 323) and Tele-Radio-Taxi (tel: 958 280 654).
Car Hire
A car is more of a hindrance than a help in Granada's convoluted one-way system but if you plan to tour outside the city, it's the ideal transport. To rent a car you must be at least 21 (the minimum is 23 with some companies). EU countries' driving licenses are valid in Spain: if you have a non-EU license you are supposed to show an International Driving Permit too, but for purposes of rental and dealing with traffic police a national license is usually acceptable. Renters must have held their license for at least one year.
Car hire companies in Granada include Atesa (tel: 958 446 290; www.atesa.es), Avis (tel: 958 252 358: www.avis.es), Europcar (tel: 958 295 065; www.europcar.com) and Hertz (tel: 958 204 454; www.hertz.es).
Bicycle Hire
With its hills and busy traffic, Granada is not ideal for cycling but Semar, Calle San Antón 83 (tel: 958 251 862) has a limited number of bikes to rent if you want to give it a try.
