Visit Granada on a Budget

Granada is one of Spain's most popular city break destinations and popular with all ages. Like all cities blessed with centuries of cultural heritage and an abundance of magnificent palaces, museums, art galleries, religious monuments, Granada can be expensive, if you stick to the prescribed tourist trail and pay admission wherever you go. It is, however, possible to do Granada on a shoestring and here is how:

Contrary to popular belief, you can actually see large parts of the Alhambra palace complex without having to pay. This includes the lovely Plaza de los Aljibes and large general areas. Simply sneak in via the Puerta de Justica and you can get a good first impression of the whole complex. If you want to see everything, you'll have to buy a ticket, but can save money by booking well in advance at the Alhambra online ticket office.

You can visit the Museo de la Alhambra and the Museo de Bellas Artes also for free. Both are located within the palace grounds in the splendid Renaissance Palacio de Carlos V. However, the latter museum will charge around 1.50 euros admission to non-EU citizens.

Spend a whole morning strolling around the narrow cobbled streets of Granada's former Moorish quarter and enjoy peering at the ancient houses and colourful gardens for free. the splendid views over the city enjoyed from the Mirador San Nicolas are worth the hike up the steep streets. 

One of these ancient buildings houses the Carmen Museo Max Moreau and here you can actually get into the terraced garden protected by high walls, which was the typical layout for private houses in medieval times, when Islamic rulers were in charge of the Granada province. Max Moreau was a Belgian-born composer and portrait painter and his former home has been turned into a delightful museum. You can visit his former studio and living quarters, including his gallery with some of his finest paintings without paying a cent.

Not free, but at an entry fee of just 60 cents visiting the Colegiata del Salvador hardly puts a dent in your travel budget. Located at the Plaza de Salvador, near the top end of the Albayzin quarter, the 16th century church was erected on Granada's former main mosque. You can still see the original patio at the Colegiata's western end.

To get a good overview of the city, simply join one of the many free walking tours that meet daily beside the fountain at the Plaza Nueva at 11.00 am (Granatours). A paid-for walking tour costing 15.00 euros takes in central Granada and the Albayazin, leaving daily from a kiosk at the Plaza Bib-Rambla at 10.30 am and 5.00 pm in summer and 11.00 am and 4.00 pm in winter (Cicerone ultura y Ocio)

Located in the Calle Officio 8, the Centro Jose Guerrero offers a wide range of temporary exhibitions, showing mostly modernist artworks, although there is a small selection of Guerrero's works on permanent display.

Granada's magnificent cathedral can be visited for free on Sundays during Mass, at 10.00 am, 11.00 am and 12.30 pm. On all other days admission costs around 4.00 euros. This 17th century monument sprang from the fevered imagination of Alonso Cano, a painter, architect and sculptor. The cathedral was commissioned originally by the Catholic Monarchs at the start of the 1500s, but construction was delayed until long after Queen Isabella's death and didn't finish until 1704. That is one of the reasons why the facade is Baroque, while the interiors are Renaissance in style.

Federico Lorca's former summer house has free admission on Wednesdays. It is located on the Calle Virgen Blanca, about 1.5 km outside of the city centre, and is famous for being the place where the author wrote some of his most famous works. 

Granada's tapas bars, catering more for a permanent student population than seasonal students, are always cheap and cheerful, offering free tapas with drinks. Start your free culinary tour in the Calle de Elvira, work your way round the tapas platters of the Calle Navas before indulging in chocolate and churros at the incredibly cheap Gran Café Bib-Rambla, where these delicious sugar-bombs can be purchased for ca. 4.00 euros. The café stays open until 11.00 pm.