Car Rental Granada Spain: Airport Pick-up and Driving Tips

For a city break focused on the monuments, honestly, probably not. The Alhambra, the Generalife and the Palace of Charles V are around 2 km from the centre, and the Royal Chapel, the cathedral, the Madrasah, Puerta de Elvira and the Basilica of Saint John of God are all closer still. You can cover this ground on foot, and a short taxi ride handles the airport transfer, since the drive is only 13 minutes.

Car hire in Granada earns its keep once you look beyond the city. Alfacar is about 4 miles out and Monachil about 6 miles, both easy half-day trips. The coast at Motril is roughly 29 miles away, Málaga about 55 miles and Almería about 63 miles, which makes a car the most flexible way to combine Granada with the sea or another city on a week or a fortnight.

The obvious choice is car hire at Granada airport. GRX is served by direct flights from the United Kingdom, so you can land, collect the keys and be in the city in around 13 minutes, at Alfacar in about 17 or at Monachil in about 20.

If you plan a few days in the old town first, it can make more sense to arrive by taxi and pick up a car only for the days you intend to drive out of the city. That saves paying for a vehicle that sits parked while you explore the Alhambra and the cathedral quarter on foot. Either way, the comparison on this page lets you check rates for airport collection before you commit.

Distances are short and manageable. From the city, Alfacar is about 4 miles and Monachil about 6 miles, and the main coastal and city run-outs are Motril at roughly 29 miles, Málaga at about 55 and Almería at about 63. Most visitors use the car for these trips rather than for getting around the centre, where the main sights are close together.

The climate matters more than you might expect. July and August reach highs of 35°C, so a car left in the sun gets very hot; air conditioning is worth checking. March is the wettest month, with around 115 mm of rain over 12 days, and winter nights drop to about 3°C in January, so allow for wet roads and cold early starts out of season. May, June, September and October offer the most comfortable driving weather.

Choose a full-to-full fuel policy where you can: you collect the car with a full tank and return it full, paying only for what you use. Read the excess terms carefully and decide in advance whether you want cover to reduce it, rather than deciding at the desk after a flight.

If you are travelling with children, reserve child seats when you book, as they are not guaranteed on arrival. Demand rises during UK school holidays, so booking early for those weeks gives you more choice. Use the live comparison on this page to set suppliers side by side; if you would rather bundle flight, hotel and transfer, the package deals shown here are worth comparing too.