Figuring out how long you need in any city can be tough, and Granada in southern Spain is no different. The truth is, that however long you have available, you could fill. There’s always exploring to be done, classes to take, and day trips to enjoy. In this article we’ll be discussing how to spend a perfect 2 days in Granada. 

If you have 2 days in Granada then the likelihood is that you’re either planning a bit of a road trip around Andalucia or you’re coming in for a short city break from somewhere else in Europe. 

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How to get to Granada

✈️ The Federico Garicía Lorca airport is about 15km from the city. There are direct flights to Granada from UK and many other places around Europe. There is a 20 minute bus between the airport and Granada’s bus station. Malaga airport is just 1hr30 away by road.

→ Check flight options

🚗 It’s easy to drive to Granada – the roads are good and everything is well signposted

→ Check out Spanish rental car options

🚂 There are direct trains from Madrid, Sevilla, Córdoba and Malaga

→ Check train tickets & timetables on the Trainline website

🚌 Buses – look for bus tickets on Omio

Where to stay during your 2 days in Granada

Where you stay, of course, depends on your budget and how much you want to walk. These are my top three accommodation recommendations for Granada.

🗺 If none of these options appeal, why not use my interactive Granada accommodation map to find something more to your taste.

What to do during your 2 days in Granada

For the sake of ease (and not knowing your specific details) I’m going to create 2 full day itineraries for Granada and depending on what time you arrive in Granada, you could swap around the days to suit your schedule. 

Day 1 in Granada

Morning

After a good breakfast in your hotel, head to the Alhambra. It’s either a short walk (from the cathedral it’s about a 15-20 minute walk) or bus ride from the centre of the city. 

The Alhambra 

The stunning Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site (along with the Albaicín and the Generalife). It was built by the Muslim rulers of Granada during the 13th and 14th centuries beginning with Emir Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar. Subsequent rulers added to the complex, most significantly Yusuf I and Muhammad V. After the emirate was taken by the Catholic Kings in 1492, it became a royal court for Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand.

If you visit both the Alhambra and Sevilla’s Alcazar, you could be forgiven for wondering about how similar they are. Parts of Sevilla’s Alcazar were remodelled by Rey Pedro I in the 1360s after he visited the Alhambra and decided he wanted something similar for himself.

🎧 If you go it alone, there are QR codes for a basic free audio guide you can use as you walk around. I liked it very much because it also offers a written explanation alongside the audio.

⏰ My recommendation is to visit the Alhambra first thing if you can. It opens at 8.30am and I highly recommend booking your Nasrid Palaces (Palacio de Nazaries in Spanish) time slot for then. Nothing beats being first into the palaces and experiencing the absolute stillness of the atmosphere before everyone else arrives. The palace is truly breathtaking. You’ll find yourself exclaiming over its magnificence multiple times as you walk around it. 

⭐️ I highly recommend buying a copy of Washington Irving’s magnificent book, Tales of the Alhambra, to read before or while you’re in Granada. This chatty book offers a glimpse into the history of the complex, the city and the people who inhabited both. ⭐️

📸 The Patio de los Arrayanes is the most famous spot for photos in the palace. Once you leave the Nasrid Palace you will find yourself in the gardens. Be sure to stop to admire the views and take photos by the Partal Palace and its water feature before exploring the rest of the beautiful gardens.

Next up, walk up to the Generalife Gardens and Palace for a relaxing stroll while admiring the views and the gardens themselves.

The 3rd stop in the Alhambra complex is the Palace of Carlos V where you’ll find 2 small museums: the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the Alhambra Museum. Both are good for a quick look.

Finally, head into the Alcazaba where you’ll climb the towers for excellent views over the city all the way over to the Sierra Nevada mountains.

What to take with you

🥤 Exploring the Alhambra will take you all morning so be sure to take a bottle of water and a light snack in with you if you tend to need a mid morning nibble. 

🍌 There are water fountains throughout the complex.  There is a kiosk at the Puerta de la Justicia and there are snack machines by the Palacio de Carlos V (Palace of Charles V).

Lunch

🥙 Time to try some local cuisine and grab some tapas for lunch. Remember, this is the main meal of the day in Spain so if you’re visiting Granada during high season, it might be worth reserving a table for lunch.

📍 Pick somewhere around Plaza Nueva / Granada cathedral / Paseo de los Tristes for lunch. While it’s definitely the touristy area, there are numerous restaurants here and most of them will be serve good food. Just use Google maps and the reviews to find the right spot for you.  I recommend this to make your afternoon activity easier to reach

⭐️ If you’re travelling with kids or someone who has a narrow diet, you can use my article about finding simple tapas and other plates, to help you figure out what you might like to eat.

🍅 And if you’re a vegetarian, use this article to help you find ‘safe’ dishes.

Afternoon

If you feel the need to relax after your busy morning in the Alcazaba, you could do worse than head to the Hammam al Ándalus (Arab baths) for a relaxing spa treatment and massage.

If you’re still raring to explore, then I recommend heading up to Sacromonte, one of the 2 neighbourhoods up on the hill overlooking Granada and the Alhambra. There is a gorgeous little museum right at the top of the hill, the Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte. Here you’ll learn about the history of the area and cave living and be treated to a wonderful view over to the Alhambra and the white houses on the hills around Granada. 

Evening

💃🏻 Book yourself a flamenco show for the evening. You can find numerous options both in the historic centre of Granada and in Sacromonte. In Sacromonte many of the performances take place in a cave house, which of course can be extremely atmospheric but it’s worth knowing that these can be a little touristy so always read reviews before you book. 

We saw a fabulous performance in the Palacio de Flamenco in the old city that I can highly recommend. We were all blown away by the dancing and music here. One way to know if a flamenco venue is touristy is whether they offer a meal with the perforrmance – generally if there’s food on offer it’s aimed at tourists. Another trick is to look up the names of the performers and read reviews of the individuals.

Flamenco performances generally last about an hour so if you book one for 7.30 or 8.30 pm, by the time you’re finished it’ll be time to go for supper and home to bed!

💃🏻 Check the various flamenco options in Granada

⭐️ Follow MexicoCassie’s advice and book at the Palacio de Flamenco

Day 2 in Granada

Begin with a walking tour of Granada. This is a great way to get a feel for the beautiful city of Granada. You’ll explore the narrow streets of the historic centre, with its Alcaiceria, the old bazaar or souk, the Catedral de Granada, la Carrera del Darro and up into the Albaicin district where you’ll find the Mirador de San Nicolás for one of the best views over to city to the Alhambra.

As you might expect, the city is a maze of narrow, cobblestone streets, small markets, and plazas full of restaurants and tapas bars. Granada isn’t a big city to its not difficult to find your way around. The main areas people tend to explore are the historic centre, Sacromonte and Albaicín.

👣 You can pick up a free walking tour of Granada from Guru Tours

And if you’re not keen on walking tours you can

📍 Explore on your own

🚐 Take the hop-on-hop-off mini-train (with audio commentary in multiple languages)

⭐️ Book a segway tour of the city

Lunch

🥙 I highly recommend reserving a table at Restaurante Qadima on the peaceful and gorgeous Placeta de San Miguel (the plaza pictured above) in the same area. We, sadly, didn’t eat here as it felt too expensive to visit with kids but it remains firmly on my ‘must eat here’ list. This restaurant is famous for its quality tuna.

Afternoon

If you’re a cathedral visiting kinda person, now is a great time to visit both the Granada Cathedral and next door the Capilla Royal. If you’re not into churchy-stuff then a great option for you is the Inquisition Exhibition, where you can learn about the Spanish Inquisition while seeing a fascinating exhibition of real torture equipment. 

Afterward, why not stroll around the shopping areas of Granada, head back into the Alcaiceria to enjoy the souk-like atmosphere and the souvenir stores. 

Or/

Take a cool artisan class to learn how to make Alhambra style tiles to take home.

→ Read more about the class

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Evening 

Soak up the typical Andalucian atmosphere before you leave the city by joining locals in dining late on one of the numerous plazas around Granada.

or/

If you’re interested in eating a meal while watching the sun set over the Alhambra, book a table at Las Thomasas. Again, I haven’t eaten here but it gets rave reviews for the views, the food and the service.

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Now that you’ve got Granada sorted, where’s next?