Getting there, and getting back
Malaga to Granada — Albaicín
Granada is 90 km inland over the mountains. The ALSA coach is the practical independent option and it is a long day either way.
- Four to seven hours of travelling on a port day. This is the longest realistic independent trip in the Mediterranean catalogue and it does not fit a short call.
- Alhambra admission is timed and sells out weeks ahead in season. Without a ticket booked in advance you will not get into the Nasrid Palaces, whatever time you arrive.
Most ships also sell a coach excursion to
Granada — Albaicín. However you travel, being back aboard before all-aboard
is your own arrangement to make — we publish the journey, not your
sailing. Your guide plays either way, and it is yours to keep.
-
15–30 min
Cruise terminal to Malaga bus station — a taxi, or the port shuttle into town and a short walk.
-
90–150 min
ALSA coach Malaga to Granada. Direct services run about 1h30; those with more stops take up to 2h30. Services are frequent through the day.
-
20–40 min
Granada bus station is outside the centre; a city bus or taxi covers the last stretch, and the Alhambra sits above the town on its own hill.
2.1–3.7 hours each way
Plan your return against your ship's all-aboard time, which is on your
daily programme. It is earlier than the departure time, and if you are
coming back by tender the last tender leaves earlier still.
Open live transit directions
— times on the day, in your own maps app.
Checked 2026-09-15. ALSA fares vary by service and booking time.
Sources: www.alsa.com/en/coach/malaga-granada, www.alhambra.org/en/alhambra/alhamb....
Malaga to Granada — Alhambra
Granada is 90 km inland over the mountains. The ALSA coach is the practical independent option and it is a long day either way.
- Four to seven hours of travelling on a port day. This is the longest realistic independent trip in the Mediterranean catalogue and it does not fit a short call.
- Alhambra admission is timed and sells out weeks ahead in season. Without a ticket booked in advance you will not get into the Nasrid Palaces, whatever time you arrive.
Most ships also sell a coach excursion to
Granada — Alhambra. However you travel, being back aboard before all-aboard
is your own arrangement to make — we publish the journey, not your
sailing. Your guide plays either way, and it is yours to keep.
-
15–30 min
Cruise terminal to Malaga bus station — a taxi, or the port shuttle into town and a short walk.
-
90–150 min
ALSA coach Malaga to Granada. Direct services run about 1h30; those with more stops take up to 2h30. Services are frequent through the day.
-
20–40 min
Granada bus station is outside the centre; a city bus or taxi covers the last stretch, and the Alhambra sits above the town on its own hill.
2.1–3.7 hours each way
Plan your return against your ship's all-aboard time, which is on your
daily programme. It is earlier than the departure time, and if you are
coming back by tender the last tender leaves earlier still.
Open live transit directions
— times on the day, in your own maps app.
Checked 2026-09-15. ALSA fares vary by service and booking time.
Sources: www.alsa.com/en/coach/malaga-granada, www.alhambra.org/en/alhambra/alhamb....
Journey times are typical, not guaranteed, and nothing here is a schedule.
Your ship's all-aboard time is the only one that counts, it is not the same
as the departure time, and it is not something we can look up for you — it
varies by line and by port and it is printed on your daily programme.
If a connection slips, turn around.
