AGP is where most visitors land for southern Spain. The ALSA bus to Granada costs from €14, takes 1h45m, and runs 17 times a day. Here is every option, with real prices.
A decade writing about Andalusian transport logistics, airport access, and independent travel through southern Spain.
Málaga Airport (AGP) is the practical entry point for most visitors to Granada. It handles more routes and cheaper fares than Granada's own airport, and a direct bus connection to Granada runs roughly every hour from Málaga bus station. The journey is 135 km and takes 1h45m on a comfortable ALSA coach. Advance fares start at €14.
There is one step people miss: the ALSA bus does not depart from the airport terminal itself. You take a short metro or taxi ride from AGP arrivals to Málaga bus station first, then catch the Granada service from there. This guide walks through that connection and every other option — driving, car hire, private transfer, and taxi — so you can choose what fits your group and luggage.
For a full picture of all routes into Granada from multiple origins, see the complete getting to Granada guide. This page goes deep on the Málaga airport scenario specifically.
From €14
1h45m road time + ~15 min metro to bus station. Best for solo travellers and couples travelling light.
From €20/day hire
1h45m via A-45/A-92. Best if you plan day trips to the Alpujarras, Ronda, or the coast.
~€160 sedan
Door to door, no connections. Best for families with children, late arrivals, or 4+ people with luggage.
€140–180
Convenient but expensive for 1–2 people. Competitive if splitting 4 ways with heavy luggage.
The ALSA coaches to Granada leave from Málaga bus station at Paseo de los Tilos, not from the airport. This surprises some visitors. The bus station is about 4 km from the terminal, and you have two easy options to get there.
Follow the metro signs from the arrivals hall — the entrance is a short walk from both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Take Line 1 towards Málaga city centre. Get off at María Zambrano, which sits next to the train and bus station complex at Paseo de los Tilos. The whole ride takes about 15 minutes. Machines at the airport metro station take card; no need for cash.
Faster in a hurry and simpler if you have heavy luggage. The taxi rank is immediately outside arrivals. Tell the driver "la estación de autobuses, Paseo de los Tilos". In light traffic it's under 10 minutes. In airport rush-hour it can take 20 minutes, so if you have a bus to catch, the metro is more predictable.
Allow yourself buffer time
ALSA runs 17 buses a day between Málaga and Granada, with the first departure at 03:30 and the last at 22:15. That works out to roughly one or two services per hour throughout the day. The coaches are modern — air conditioning, reclining seats, wifi, an onboard toilet, and footrests. The journey takes 1h45m on a good day; budget 2 hours if there is traffic on the A-92.
€14–17
Advance fare (3–7 days prior)
€15–18
Day-of-travel fare
20 kg
Free luggage allowance (1 bag)
Book at alsa.com or through the ALSA app. You can also buy at Málaga bus station on the day, but advance booking guarantees your seat and sometimes saves a few euros. A second bag up to 25 kg costs from €5 extra. There is no need to print anything; show the confirmation on your phone at the gate.
Enter the bus station from the Paseo de los Tilos side. Check the departure board for your service number — ALSA Granada buses typically depart from the main covered bays. There is a ALSA counter on the ground floor if you need to collect tickets or sort luggage. Arrive at the departure bay at least 10 minutes before your listed time.
The bus arrives at Granada Bus Station (Estación de Autobuses) on Carretera de Jaén — about a 20-minute walk from the city centre, or a short taxi or urban bus ride to your hotel.
The drive from AGP to Granada is 135 km and takes 1h45m in normal traffic. The road is motorway for almost the entire route and the scenery through the hills north of Antequera is genuinely good.
A-45 north then A-92 east (free, recommended)
Leave the airport on the A-7 coastal road briefly, then take the A-45 north towards Antequera. At Antequera, join the A-92 east and follow it all the way into Granada. The route is well signed and toll-free. This is the standard way.
A-46 (toll, marginally faster)
An alternative toll road runs parallel to part of the A-45. The time saving is small (perhaps 10 minutes), and the toll cost rarely justifies it for a one-off journey. If you are in a genuine hurry and prepared to pay, it is an option; otherwise take the free route.
Parking in Granada's historic centre is limited and expensive. Underground car parks on Calle San Agustín and near Plaza del Carmen charge around €15–20 per day. The Alhambra has its own car park on the Cuesta del Rey Chico, but it fills early on summer mornings.
If your hotel is in the Albaicín or within the old city walls, ask about parking arrangements before you arrive. Most historic-centre hotels have agreements with nearby car parks. Street parking in resident-only zones carries stiff fines. Granada also has low-emission zone restrictions in central streets; check the ZBE boundaries if your car does not meet Euro 5/6 standards.
Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings
AGP is a far better place to hire a car than Granada's own airport. All major companies have desks in the terminal — Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt, and Enterprise — with far larger fleets and more competitive pricing than GRX. Advance rates for a compact car start at €20–35 per day.
A rental car earns its cost if you plan multiple day trips from Granada. The Alpujarras villages and Ronda are straightforward by car but inconvenient by bus. Pick up the car at AGP, drive to Granada, and use it for day trips while parking near your hotel in the evenings.
If you plan to stay in Granada city and visit only the Alhambra, Albaicín, and central monuments, a car is more hindrance than help. The old town is largely pedestrianised, and the bus and taxi network within Granada covers everything you need.
A pre-booked transfer runs door to door — the driver meets you in arrivals and takes you straight to your hotel. No metro connection, no bus station, no taxi queue. Journey time is the same as driving: 1h45m in normal conditions.
The most common option. Four people splitting the cost pay €40 each — comparable to bus fares once you factor in the metro connection and luggage. Book through providers like Civitatis, Welcome Pickups, or a local transfer company.
Families with children and luggage, or groups of five or more. At €28–30 per person, this undercuts the bus once you add luggage handling and the metro connection.
Private transfers make particular sense for late arrivals (when the last bus has gone) and for travellers with mobility needs. Book at least 48 hours ahead during peak season — availability tightens quickly in July and August. See the where to stay guide for hotel areas that are easiest to reach directly from a transfer drop-off.
A metered taxi from AGP to Granada costs €140–180 depending on the time of day and the driver. The journey takes the same 1h45m as driving. Pre-booked private transfers (above) tend to offer more predictable pricing for this route; a metered taxi is best for spontaneous departures.
The taxi queue outside AGP arrivals is reliable and well-managed. If you have missed the last bus, if your transfer booking fell through, or if you are arriving with more luggage than metro travel allows, hailing a taxi at the rank is the straightforward fallback. Drivers are accustomed to the Granada run and will not be surprised by the destination.
Agree on an estimated fare before you get in, or confirm the driver is running the meter. For a 135 km intercity journey, asking "cuánto cuesta hasta Granada?" is normal practice and not impolite.
Groups of 4 should compare taxi vs transfer
If you came by bus, you arrive at Granada Bus Station (Estación de Autobuses) on Carretera de Jaén. The train station is about 500 metres away. From either station, the city centre is roughly a 20-minute walk south, or a short ride on urban bus line 4 (€1.40) or a taxi (€6–8 to the historic centre).
Take urban bus C3 from Plaza Nueva (about 20 minutes on foot from the bus station, or take a taxi to Plaza Nueva first). The C3 runs directly to the Alhambra ticket office. You need a pre-booked ticket to enter — see the Alhambra tickets guide if you have not booked yet.
Most of Granada's main sights are walkable once you are in the centre. The Albaicín is uphill from Plaza Nueva; bus C1 handles the climb if you prefer not to. Taxis are metered and reliable. For a complete picture of getting around the city, see the getting around Granada guide.
Granada bus station has left-luggage lockers if you arrive before hotel check-in time. There are also private left-luggage services in the city centre if you want to drop bags and explore immediately. Ask at the bus station information desk for the current locker location.
For where to stay, neighbourhood character, and hotel recommendations, the where to stay in Granada guide covers the main areas and what suits different trip styles.
The ALSA bus from Málaga to Granada takes 1 hour 45 minutes on the road. Add 15–20 minutes to get from the airport terminal to Málaga bus station (by Metro Line 1 or taxi), so the total journey from AGP arrivals to Granada bus station is typically 2 to 2 hours 10 minutes depending on connections.
ALSA runs Granada services from Málaga bus station (Estación de Autobuses) at Paseo de los Tilos, not directly from the airport terminal. To get there from AGP arrivals, take Metro Line 1 (around 15 minutes, €1.80) or a taxi (around 10 minutes, ~€10). Follow metro signs from the arrivals hall — the platform is a short walk from the terminal.
Yes, if you plan to do day trips once in Granada. Málaga Airport (AGP) has far better car hire stock than Granada's smaller airport — all major companies (Hertz, Avis, Europcar, Sixt) have desks in the terminal, and advance rates start around €20–35 per day for a compact car. Driving to Granada takes 1h45m via the A-45/A-92. The main caveat: parking in Granada's historic centre is difficult and expensive. A car earns its cost on the days you head out to the Alpujarras or Ronda, not for getting between the cathedral and the Alhambra.
A direct metered taxi costs €140–180 for the full journey from AGP to Granada. Pre-booked private transfers come in around €160 for a standard sedan (up to 4 passengers) and €200 for a minivan (up to 7). Split across 3–4 people with luggage, the per-person cost becomes comparable to bus fares, and you go door to door with no metro connection needed.
ALSA runs services until around 22:15 from Málaga bus station (and the first departure is at 03:30). Schedules shift slightly by season, so check the current timetable at alsa.com for your travel date rather than relying on this figure. In practice, if you land after 20:00 and clear customs slowly, you may be cutting it close for the last bus — a taxi or transfer is the safer option for late arrivals.
Reporter notebook
Practical observations gathered the way a local journalist would keep them: short, specific, and more useful than brochure copy.
ALSA bus seats from Málaga to Granada are not guaranteed if you walk up on a summer Saturday afternoon. July and August buses fill up, particularly the mid-afternoon services that catch people landing from UK and northern European flights. Book at alsa.com when you book your flight — the advance fare is €14–17 and the seat is held. You can also buy at Málaga bus station on the day, but you may be queuing for the next service 90 minutes later.
The metro platform is a short walk from the arrivals hall at both Terminal 2 and Terminal 3. Line 1 runs to the city centre and stops at Málaga bus station (look for the "María Zambrano" stop, which is next to the main station complex). A taxi from the terminal to the bus station costs around €10 and takes 10 minutes in light traffic. Both work; the metro is cheaper and avoids traffic on the approach road.
The A-45/A-92 route between Málaga and Granada sees heavy weekend traffic. Friday afternoon and Sunday evening are the worst windows — people heading to and from the Costa del Sol. In those slots, the 1h45m drive can stretch to 2h15m or more. If you are self-driving and have flexibility, aim to leave Málaga before 14:00 on Fridays or after 21:00 on Sundays. Mid-week driving is relaxed at any hour.