Granada Spain Two Day Itinerary for First-Timers
Granada is a medieval town with Spanish balconies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains 1.5 hours from Malaga Spain. You will find Moroccan lamps, shisha pipes, dog flutes, tapas, flamenco guitars, winding alleyways, cave homes, arched footbridges, and the Alhambra. It is difficult to determine how to best use your 48 hours in Granada Spain, there are so many great things to see and do. This 2-day itinerary is jam-packed with must-see sites and top attractions, including, the Alhambra Palace, North African Moorish architecture, souk, viewpoints, and tapas. Have more time? Visit Costa Del Sol. It is possible to travel the world with limited PTO, here’s how to visit Granada in two days. Enjoy your time out of the office!
READ Complete Travel Guide to Spain, What You Need To Know
READ Best of Spain Travel Itinerary for First-Timers
READ Must-See Cities In and Around Spain’s Costa Del Sol
Day One: Alhambra Palace and Gypsy Caves
9 am Check into your hotel, drop off your luggage, and make your way to the Alhambra at your designated time. Purchase Alhambra tickets online months in advance to ensure entrance. Buy the entrance that includes Alhambra, Nasrid Palace, and Generalife. Spend your day exploring it all. The time on your ticket is the time of entrance into Nasrid Palace. The palace is far from the entrance and there will be a line, allow plenty of time.
5 pm Head down the hill toward Calle Molinos and wander the street art. Stop for tapas on your way back to your hotel to get ready for the night.
9 pm Attend a flamenco show in a gypsy cave. Choose a venue that offers transportation to and from your hotel and make a stop at Mirador de San Nicolás for the beautiful view of the Alhambra at night.
Alternative: Make your way to Sacramento early. Walk the Road to the Sacromonte checking out the gypsy caves. Photograph a panoramic view of the Alhambra. Stop in the Sacromonte Caves Museum.
Day Two: Cathedrals, Tapas, and the Alcaiceria
10 am Start your day at the Terrace on the 7th floor of Hotel Los Jerónimos for a pastry with a view. Walk next door to the Monastery of San Jerónimo and check out the courtyard and detail of the altarpiece.
12 pm Stop for tapas and a tinto de verano at Bodegas Castañeda. Photograph the facades of the Granada Cathedral. Walk next door to visit the tombs of Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon at the Royal Chapel.
4 pm Visit an Arabian hammam to relax in a warm bath, enjoy a traditional Arab massage, and sip a mint tea.
6 pm Stop for a traditional dinner of couscous, kabobs, and falafel before wandering the Albayzín narrow cobblestoned maze of streets and shopping the Alcaiceria’s Moorish souk for souvenirs.
8 pm Stop by the Plaza Isabel La Catolica on your way to Plaza Nueva to catch the tourist night train. The train stops at the San Nicolas viewing point for the best view of Alhambra. Stop for a cocktail on El Centro or El Albaicin before heading back to the hotel.
Additional Things to Do in Granada Spain
- Check out the Alcazaba ruins
- Check out the mansions and gardens of Realejo, the Jewish Quarter
- Explore the Carmen de Los Martires garden
- Check out El Bañuelo, an old bathhouse
- Tour the Granada Charterhouse Monastery
- Take a tapas walking tour
- Take a walk along the Carrera del Darro
- Drink from Fuente del Aceituno, the magic fountain of youth
- Hike the Hanging Bridges of Los Cahorras
- Grab a cocktail and relax at Bohemia Jazz Café
- Check out the ‘Walk of the Sad Ones’ funeral procession route along Paseo de Los Tristes
- Relax in Plaza de Bib-Rambla
- Tour Palacio de Dar al-Horra
- Browse the Museum of Fine Arts at Charles V Palace
- Take a tapas cooking class
- Stop at Mirador de San Cristobal for panoramic views of Granada
- Tour Casa de Zafra
- See the statue of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabella in Plaza Isabel la Catolica
- Relax by a fountain listening to the dog flute in El Huerto de Los Carlos
- Try shisha (water pipe) at a teteria (Arab tea house)
- Go for a hike at Los Cahorros
Check the Spain Office of Tourism website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.
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