Day trips from Granada: Córdoba, Alpujarras, Nerja

In two hours or so from Granada you can be up in the Sierra Nevada, on the Mediterranean coast or in Córdoba. Coaches leave from the bus station north of the centre; for the mountain villages, a car gives you far more freedom on the winding roads.

Córdoba and its Mosque-Cathedral

Red and white arches inside the Mosque-Cathedral of Córdoba — Photo: José Antonio Otegui Auzmendi / Pexels, Pexels License

Alsa coaches from Granada bus station
about 2 h 10 min

For three centuries Córdoba was the capital of Muslim Spain, and its great mosque, begun in the eighth century, grew with each caliph into a forest of columns topped with red and white striped arches. After the Christian conquest a cathedral was built right in its middle, so you step from the dim prayer hall into a soaring Renaissance nave. Leave time for the white lanes of the old Jewish quarter around it and the Roman bridge over the Guadalquivir.

Tip: Set off early, because the Mosque-Cathedral alone easily fills a morning. In May, the town's patio festival opens private flower-filled courtyards to visitors. Check the Mosque-Cathedral's official site for tickets and visiting hours, and avoid the midday heat in July and August, when Córdoba is often hotter than Granada.

Weather: Córdoba

Guadix: a town of cave houses

Whitewashed chimneys of cave houses in Guadix — Photo: Daciana Cristina Visan / Pexels, Pexels License

Alsa coaches from Granada bus station
about 48 min

In the clay hills around Guadix, people have dug their homes into the earth for centuries, and the Barrio de las Cuevas still has hundreds of inhabited cave houses, recognisable from above only by their white chimneys among the slopes. Caves keep a steady temperature in summer and winter alike. The town itself has a cathedral of reddish stone and a Moorish fortress on the hill.

Tip: Walk up through the cave quarter, where the lanes wind between the chimneys, to one of the viewpoints above it. More about the town is on the town council's site. A half day is enough, so Guadix pairs well with a late return to Granada.

Weather: Guadix

Nerja: the coast and the Balcón de Europa

The coast of Nerja with white buildings, blue water and mountains behind — Photo: Flow TV / Pexels, Pexels License

1 h 55 min to 4 h 45 minAlsa coaches from Granada bus station
about 1 h 14 min

Where the mountains drop steeply to the sea, Nerja's white houses sit on a cliff, with the Balcón de Europa, a palm-lined promontory, jutting out over the water. Small beaches lie in the coves below, and a short distance east of the town the Cueva de Nerja leads into vast caverns of stalactites.

Tip: Journey times vary a lot between services, so pick a direct one in the Alsa timetable. From June to September you can swim; out of season Nerja makes a mild, sunny escape when Granada is cold.

Weather: Nerja

The Alpujarras: Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira

Capileira in the Alpujarras, white houses in a mountain valley — Photo: Charlie Jordan / Pexels, Pexels License

Alsa coaches from Granada bus station to the Poqueira villages
about 1 h 25 min

On the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada, three white villages cling to the side of the Poqueira gorge, one above the other: Pampaneira, Bubión and Capileira at the top. Flat roofs, round chimneys and steep lanes with water channels go back to the Moorish settlers who terraced these slopes. Footpaths link the villages, and above Capileira rises Mulhacén, the highest peak of mainland Spain.

Tip: The road climbs through many bends, so allow more time than the distance suggests. Walk down from Capileira to Pampaneira and take the bus back up, or the other way round, but check the return times before you set off. If you plan to hike higher, check the weather on Mulhacén first: conditions near the summit can be harsh even when the villages are in sunshine. More on the village's own site.

Weather: Capileira

Sierra Nevada: snow and high trails above the city

Snow-covered peaks of the Sierra Nevada rising above Granada — Photo: Jose Manuel Gonzalez Lupiañez Photography / Pexels, Pexels License

Bus from Granada bus station to Pradollano
about 43 min

The resort at Pradollano, the southernmost ski area in Europe, is so close to Granada that you can ski in the morning and be back in the Albaicín for dinner. In winter the lifts run up towards the Veleta; in summer the same slopes become the starting point for walks in the high mountains, and on clear days the view from the top reaches the Mediterranean.

Tip: Check the weather on the Veleta before you go: it is much colder and windier up there than in the city, and storms build up on summer afternoons. The resort's access page has the road and parking information.

Weather: Sierra Nevada

Coach timetables and tickets at Alsa