One Day in Granada, Spain: Top Things to See and Do

Granada is a beautiful city in the Andalusia region of Spain. No visit to Andalusia is complete without visiting the amazing Alhambra in Granada. Here’s how to spend one day in Granada, Spain and the top things to see and do. 

Last updated: May 2025

Granada is situated in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain. It’s a small city, but there’s still a lot to do. The most famous sight in Granada is the Alhambra. So if you’ve got one day in Granada, you’ll definitely want to focus on seeing the Alhambra. But with one day in Granada, you can see more of this city as well. My guide will show you all of the top things to see and do in one day in Granada, Spain.

How to get to Granada? 

Granada is well connected to a lot of other major cities in Spain, and in Europe. There are a variety of transport options available to get to Granada. So it’s really easy to spend one day in Granada, Spain as part of a trip to Spain to see other cities in the region. Granada has its own airport, making it easily accessible from many European cities.

Granada is also not too far from Seville, making it easy to visit as part of a tour around Andalusia. You can drive to Granada from Seville in about 2.5 – 3 hours. Or the train from Seville to Granada also takes about 2.5-3 hours. Check out train times here. I visited Granada after spending several days in Seville, and I thought it worked really well to combine a day in Granada with my time in Seville and the Andalusia region.

Visiting Granada as part of a week in Andalusia 

It can be great to spend a day in Granada, Spain as part of a tour of the Andalusia region. I recommend spending a week in Andalusia, to give yourself plenty of time to visit some of the best places in the area. Start off your week with a few days in Seville, and then spend a day in Cordoba, and a day exploring the white villages and mountains of Andalusia. Finish your week with a couple of nights in Granada. With two nights in Granada, you’ll have one full day to explore the city. So with one day in Granada, Spain, you can see all of the highlights of this great city.

Things to do in Granada 

You can see the main sights in Granada in one day without needing to rush around too much. But if you’ve only got one day in Granada, it’s best to start your day early to make the most of some of the sights with fewer crowds. Try to arrive in Granada the night before, so you can be up early to make the most of your day. 

The Alhambra

My favourite thing to do in Granada is to visit the famous Alhambra. This should definitely be the first thing you do if you have on day in Granada. It’s definitely the most famous, and biggest, sight in Granada. So it makes sense to start your day here so you can have plenty of time to explore the Alhambra.

To visit the Alhambra in Granada, it’s best to book tickets in advance. You can book tickets in advance here. You’ll be asked to select a timed entry slot when you book tickets. I recommend visiting the Alhambra in Granada early in the morning so you can enjoy the serenity before it gets too busy. As the most popular sight in Granada, the Alhambra can get very busy, especially at peak times. So it’s best to visit at one of the earliest time slots, so then you can enjoy the area with fewer crowds.

The Alhambra is a UNESCO world heritage site. It’s a medieval palace, originally constructed as a fortress in the 9th century and then rebuilt and converted into an Islamic royal palace in the 13th -14th century. Just walking around this amazing place gives you a sense of how much history is here, and how important this place was for hundreds of years.

The size is amazing. The Alhambra in Granada really is huge. The size makes it so impressive. There are so many different areas, from peaceful gardens to areas where you can get greats views from the Alhambra over the city of Granada.

The highlight of the Alhambra for me were the enchanting gardens. I also really liked seeing the Islamic/Moorish decoration of the many rooms. Many of the rooms were decorated with Arabic calligraphy, and although I struggled to read it, it was still really beautiful.

Another highlight of the Alhambra for me was this area. I just loved the views into the distance from the palace. You could see the town of Granada, and also some of the mountains beyond. I also really loved the gardens, including the orange trees that were really colourful in the spring. 

The decoration of the buildings was so intricate, and I loved seeing the Arabic calligraphy and the geometric patterns that are iconic of Islamic decoration. 

You should plan to spend around 4 hours at the Alhambra. If your visit started early, you can easily fill the whole morning here. I easily could have spent longer here as well – there really is so much to see and take in.

The streets and markets of Granada 

After visiting the Alhambra, continue your one day in Granada, Spain by exploring the cute streets, colourful shops and markets. I really enjoyed just walking around the city and exploring what it had to offer. After spending the morning at the Alhambra and taking in so much history, it was nice to have a more relaxing afternoon just wandering around the city’s streets and markets.

You can definitely feel the Moorish influence as you walk through Granada’s streets. At times, it can almost feel like you’re in North Africa. I loved how the North African culture was mixing with the European and Spanish cultures in this fascinating city.

Take your time to wander through the streets, browse the shops, and stop for lunch at one of the many tapas bars. 

Views of the Alhambra 

Finish your one day in Granada, Spain by visiting the best viewpoint of the Alhambra. I loved visiting the Alhambra in the morning, but I felt like I struggled to get a sense of the size and scale of the palace when I was inside. So in the evening, I was really keen to find a view of the whole of the Alhambra to be able to see the whole palace complex in one go.

The best viewpoint of the Alhambra in Granada is Mirador de San Nicolas, off the street called Callejon Atarazana. It’s best to visit this viewpoint in the evening if you can. If you visit in the evening, you can enjoy gorgeous lighting for photos. And if it’s a clear day you’ll be able to see the Sierra Nevada mountains behind the vast palace. It really is a magical place. I loved finishing my one day in Granada with such a spectacular view of the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Enjoy spending one day in Granada, Spain! Check out the rest of my blogs on Andalusia so you can explore more of this region. Make sure you spend a few days in Seville, a day trip to Cordoba, and a day in Ronda and the white villages and mountains. Or if you’re looking to explore other areas of Spain, check out my guide to Barcelona in 3 days and the Montserrat monastery in the mountains. Or you can visit the capital city of Spain, Madrid. Check out my guide to spending 3 days in Madrid, and also taking a day trip from Madrid to Segovia and a day trip from Madrid to Toledo.