Get organised

Citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein only require a valid identity card or passport. U.S. citizens, and those from Latin American countries, except Cuba, Peru, and the Dominican Republic, may enter the country as tourists without a visa, and stay for a maximum of 90 days.

Citizens of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, and Liechtenstein have to be at least 18 years of age and possess a valid driving licence; those from other countries will also require an international driving licence.

TO MAKE A CALL TO GRANADA: In order to ring Granada from another country, you have to dial the international code of the country you are ringing from, then 34 for Spain, and then the number of the person you want to speak to. In Spain, all the telephone numbers of both landline and mobile phones have 9 digits.

TO MAKE A CALL FROM GRANADA: If you want to ring another country from Granada, first you have to dial 00, followed by the country code and the number of the person you want to ring. The public phone booths, belonging to the Movistar phone company, take both coins and prepaid telephone cards that you can buy from the tobacconist shops.

• Fire service: 080

• Guardia Civil: 062

• Local Police: 092

• Policía Nacional: 091

• Emergency medical services: 061 or 112

The unit of currency used in Granada and the rest of Spain is the euro. One euro is divided into 100 cents. There are eight different coins of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and 1 and 2-euro coins. There are seven note denominations, worth 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, and 500 euros.

It is customary, although not obligatory, to leave a tip in bars, restaurants, taxis and hotels.

LOCAL TIME
The same time applies in Spain and in the Balearic Islands. The local time corresponds to Greenwich Mean Time, (GMT). Just add 1 hour in winter and two hours in summer.

MUSEUMS AND MONUMENTS
Opening times to visit the historical monuments in Granada vary. Some, like the Alhambra, are open all day to the public, and others, such as the Cathedral or the Royal Chapel, close at midday. Many churches are only open during worshipping hours.

SHOPS
Shops are open from Mondays – Fridays from 10am – 2pm and 5pm – 8pm. On Saturdays they are open from 10am – 2pm. Department stores and some shops do not close at midday or on Saturday afternoons.

RESTAURANTS
Breakfast is served between 8am and 10am.
The midday meal is usually served in restaurants between 1pm – 3.30pm, and the evening meal (la cena) is served from 8.30pm – 11pm.
Pubs, bars and discothèques usually stay open until 3am or 4am.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The city buses in Granada start running at around 7am and stop at around 11.30pm.

BANKS
Opening hours are usually Mondays – Fridays from 8.30am – 2pm. They sometimes open on Saturdays from 8.30am – 1pm in the winter months, but not in the summer.

PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS
The Public Administration offices are open on Mondays – Fridays from 8am -3pm.

TOURIST INFORMATION OFFICE OF THE PATRONATO PROVINCIAL
Mondays – Fridays: 9am – 8pm
Saturdays: 10am – 7pm
Sundays & public holidays: 10am – 3pm

The public holidays in the province of Granada are:

• 1st January/ New Year
•  2nd January/ the Conquest of Granada (holiday only in the capital city)
•  6th January / Epiphany
•  28th February/ National day of Andalucía
•   Holy Thursday, in March or April
•  Good Friday, in March or April
•  Corpus Christi on a Thursday  in June
•  15th August/ Assumption of the Virgin
•  12th October/Feast day of Pilar
•  1st November / All Saints´ Day
•  8th December/ Feast of the Immaculate Conception
•  25th December/ Christmas Day

Driving through the streets of Granada is not easy. Granada is a historical city with narrow streets, and has a huge amount of traffic as it has about 500 000 inhabitants.

Many of the streets in the historical city centre, the Albaicín, Sacromonte, and Realejo districts have restricted access, and only allow pedestrians or public transport to pass.

If you do not know the city well, the best thing to do is to leave your car in one of the many public car parks in the outskirts of Granada and use the bus, the tourist bus or taxis. As everything in Granada is within walking distance, a great option is to enjoy the city on foot.

You can find more information about traffic restrictions, public car parks, and transport in the section Getting here and move around.

The province of Granada has a population of 915.392  inhabitants (figure taken on 1st of January 2016; source: the National Institute of Statistics).

The province of Granada covers an area of 12,531 km2, and the altitude ranges from between the 3482m to 0m by the coast.

The long summers and winters contrast with the short autumn and spring seasons. There is little rain (474 litres per year), which mainly falls between October and May.

The province of Granada offers enormous contrasts in climate, owing to its startlingly different geographical features. It has two special microclimates:

• Costa Tropical: has an average temperature of 18.5º C and 3000 hours of sunlight per year.
• Sierra Nevada: temperatures can range from 35ºC in the hot days of summer, to below freezing in winter.

You can buy medicines at night in the 24-hour chemist. The rota of the local chemists that are open at night in each town in the province can be found on the website of the Official School of Pharmacists of Granada:

In the city of Granada there are several 24-hour chemists in the following locations:

- Avenida de Dílar, 16 (Zaidín district, next to the fountains). Tel: +34 958 811 806

- Reyes Católicos, 5 (on the corner of Calle Mesones). Tel: +34 958 262 664

- Puerta Real, 2 (next to the Hotel Victoria). Tel: +34 958 263 113

- Recogidas, 48. Tel: +34 958 251 290

- Periodista José María Carulla, 8. Tel: +34 958 154 949

In Spain, the public health service is free of charge. Most of the towns in the province have a health centre and public clinics, managed by the Consejería de Salud del Gobierno Andaluz (Local Health Office of Andalucia – www.juntadeandalucia.es/salud). The larger towns have hospitals that cover the majority of medical specialities, including emergency services:

BAZA
HOSPITAL DE BAZA
Carretera de Murcia, s/n
Tel: +34 958 031 300 or +34 958 031 321

GRANADA
HOSPITAL SAN CECILIO
Avenida Doctor Oloriz, 16
Hospital de Especialidades (Specialist Hospital)
Tel: +34 958 023 000 or +34 958 023 245

HOSPITAL CAMPUS DE LA SALUD

Avda. de la Investigaciön s/n

Tel. 958 021850

HOSPITAL MATERNO-INFANTIL VIRGEN DE LAS NIEVES (MATERNAL AND CHILDREN´S HOSPITAL)
Avenida. de las Fuerzas Armadas, 2
Tel: +34 958 020 000

HOSPITAL PROVINCIAL SAN JUAN DE DIOS
San Juan de Dios, 15
Tel: +34 958 020 000

HOSPITAL VIRGEN DE LAS NIEVES
Avda. de las Fuerzas Armadas, 2
Tel: +34 958 020 000

MOTRIL
HOSPITAL SANTA ANA
Avenida Enrique Martín Cuevas, s/n
Tel: +34 958 038 200

Medical emergency numbers: 061 or 112

Access to the Alhambra is free on Sunday for citizens of the province who present proof of address.

The tickets can be acquired in the Oficina de Corral del Carbón (Calle Mariana Pineda, 40).

Opening hours: Sundays 2pm-6pm in winter; 2pm-8pm in summer.

More information: +34 958 575126

There are 3 types of activities within this programme:

• Guided tours: Tours guided by specialists in different subjects that allow you to see the Alhambra from different perspectives.
• Family programme: Tours led by experienced educators specialising in heritage. They will take you on interesting new routes about the inside and the outside of the complex, making it an enjoyable experience for adults and children alike.
• Programme of activities for the residents in Granada: This programme provides free visits to the Alhambra on Sunday evenings to a certain number of residents of the province.

For more information on the programme or to book tickets, contact us at tel. + 34 958 57 51 26

Patronato de la Alhambra y el Generalife
Real de la Alhambra, s/n
Telephone of information and public visits: +34 958 02 79 71
www.alhambra-patronato.es

Alhambra Parking Area

Address: Camino Viejo del Cementerio, accessed via Ronda Sur (south roundabout). Opened and monitored 24 hours a day

Spaces: 600

From 15th October to 31st March:

• Day visits: Monday – Sunday, 8.30 am - 6.00 pm.
• Night visits: Friday and Saturdays, 8.00 pm - 9.30 pm.

From 1st April to 14th October:

• Day visits: Monday – Sunday, 8.30 am - 8.00 pm.
• Night visits: Tuesday - Saturday, 10.00 pm - 11.30 pm.

The Alhambra is closed on 25th December and 1st of January

Access to the Nasrid Palaces is only allowed during the time indicated on your ticket. This is because capacity is limited to 300 people every half an hour. If this part of the complex is not visited within that time, you will lose the right to visit it. Last entry will be one hour before closing.

There are several types of tickets:

Alhambra General:

It includes the visiting areas of the citadel, the Nasrid palaces, the Generalife, the Mosque baths and the gardens.

• Price: €18.00

Gardens, Generalife and Alcazaba:

During the day it is possible to visit the main gardens only.  The gardens open to visitors are:

• Alhambra (Paseo de los Cipreses, Secano, Jardines de San Francisco); the citadel, El Partal (Pórtico del Palacio, gardens and walks, Rauda, Palacio de Yusuf III, Paseo de las Torres); and the Generalife (Jardines Bajos).
• Price: €10.00

Night visit to the Nasrid Palaces:

This only includes a visit to the Nasrid Palaces. Limited capacity.

• Price: 10,00 euros

Night visit to the Generalife gardens:

• Price: 7,00 euros

Ticket reductions:

• EU citizens over 65 years old: €12.00
• EU Youth Card holders: €12.00
• Disables visitors: €12.00
• 11-year-old children and under accompanied by parents, relatives or legal guardians: Free
• General ticket for children between the ages of 12 and 15 accompanied by parents, relatives or legal guardians: €12.00
• Visitors must access the visiting areas of the monument during the visiting hours specified on their ticket (morning, afternoon or night). Once the visitors are inside the monument, they can stay as long as it is open.

The Alhambra offers an optional audio guide service.

For more information go to: www.alhambra-patronato.es

By foot:

• Cuesta de Gomérez (from Plaza Nueva)
• Cuesta del Realejo (from Plaza del Realejo)
• Cuesta de los Chinos (from el Paseo de los Tristes)

By car:

• Ronda Sur (Granada South by-pass)
• Taxi
• Microbus Alhambra,  C30 line

The tickets are only valid for the day shown. Due to the great demand and the limited number visitors allowed per day, we strongly advise you to book tickets at least one week in advance.

Direct purchase:

• Access Pavilion to the Alhambra: Ticket Offices – You can buy the same-day tickets at the ticket offices from 8am if there is availability.

Advance purchases:

• Telephone: +34 858 889002

• Web: tickets.alhambra-patronato.es

Granada Card:

This voucher allows you to visit to the most important monuments and museums of the city, including the Alhambra. For more information go to Granada Card section.

Granada is a safe region, but just as in any other place, you must guard against pickpocketing. The police make the following list of general recommendations for tourists.

In the place where you are staying:

- Do not leave money or objects of value in sight, instead use a safety deposit box.

- When in public areas, watch your luggage and personal belongings.

In public places:

- Do not lose sight of your belongings.

- Keep your wallet or purse safe in crowded areas.

- Only take what is strictly necessary when going to the beach or swimming pool.

- Keep your camera or video camera safe at all times.

- Avoid street gambling games as they are rigged.

·Do not trust any suspicious offers or requests for help (someone tells you that you have a stain on your clothes, or they have a broken-down vehicle, etc.).

- Avoid all too easy business deals. They are most probably a swindle.

- If you are using a car, do not leave any objects of value in sight.

Police stations in the province of Granada:

GRANADA CITY

FOREIGN TOURIST SERVICES (SATE)
Cárcel Baja, 3
Tel: +34 958278816

CENTRAL GRANADA
Plaza de los Campos, 3
Tel: +34 958 808 000

SOUTH GRANADA
Chile, 13
Tel: +34 958 808 000

POLICE HEADQUARTERS
Calle de la Palmita
Tel: +34 958 808 000

MOTRIL
Avda Pío XII, 2
Tel: +34 958 834 875

BAZA
C/ Alhóndiga, 18
Tel: +34 958 701 820

• Policía Nacional: 091
•  Guardia Civil: 062
•  Local Police: 092
• General emergencies: 112

The Catholic religion is the most widespread religious faith in Granada and in the rest of Spain. There are more than 350 churches in the province that hold religious services on Saturdays and Sundays, and sometimes also during the week. For more information about churches and opening times go to Archidiócesis de Granada website.

There is a growing Muslim community in Granada, especially in the city of Granada itself. There are several places for meeting and prayer:

- Granada Mosque
Cuesta de las cabras nº 4, next to the Mirador de San Nicolás
District of Albaicín. Granada.
Tel: +34 958 202 331 or +34 958 202 526
info@mezquitadegranada.com
www.mezquitadegranada.com

- Spanish Muslim Community of the At-Taqw Mosque
Plaza Correo Viejo, 4. Bajo.
Granada

- Islamic Community of Spain
Elvira, 13
Granada

- Faculty of Andalusí Studies
Alquería de Rosales
Puebla de don Fadrique
Tel: +34 958 344 438
correo@al-madrasa.com
www.al-madrasa.com

- Osel Ling Buddhist Retreat Centre
Pampaneira
Tel: +34 958 343 134
oficina@oseling.com
www.oseling.org

- Evangelical Church
Grabador David Roberts, s/n
Tel: +34 958 132937
Granada

- Evangelical Church
Granada, 21
Armilla

-Spanish Evangelical Church
Callejón de Pretorio, 1
Granada

–Spanish Evangelical Church
 Avenida Costa del Sol, 37
Almuñécar

-Baptist Evangelical Church
Ángel Barrios, 10
Granada

- Christian Jehovah’s Witnesses
Margarita Xirgu, 2
Granada 

- New Apostolic Church
Pintor Ismael de la Serna, 8
Granada