Granada Spain in 3 Days on a Budget (Day Trips)
Three days out of Granada: Sierra Nevada, Cordoba, then Guadix
This plan takes the 2-day version , keeps Sierra Nevada and Cordoba exactly where they were, and adds a third day at Guadix, the cheapest full day trip in this whole family. All three run on regular buses and trains, no scarce timed ticket like the Alhambra back in the city. A fourth day for the Alpujarras waits in the 4-day plan ; the full six-trip breakdown sits in the Granada as a base guide .
| Day | Day trip | Travel time from Granada | Rough spend (per person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Sierra Nevada | About 45 min | EUR 20 in hiking season; EUR 65-90 with a winter ski pass |
| Day 2 | Cordoba (the Mezquita) | 1h20-2h by AVE | About EUR 55 (train, ticket, lunch) |
| Day 3 | Guadix | About 1 h | About EUR 20 (train, lunch) |
Book these before you go:
- A guided Sierra Nevada trip on GetYourGuide : worth the fee if you would rather not manage bus timetables and lift-ticket lines yourself.
- A Renfe seat for both Cordoba and Guadix on renfe.com : book a few days ahead for the cheaper fare tiers on either route.
- A room in the Albaicin or centre on Booking.com : keeps you within walking distance of both the bus station and the train station.
Day 1: Sierra Nevada
Catch an early ALSA bus from the Estacion de Autobuses (or drive), about 45 minutes and 31km out, to Europe’s southernmost ski resort. In winter (roughly mid-December through April, snow-dependent) a day pass runs from about EUR 47 at its cheapest to around EUR 66 over the Christmas holidays; buy it online through sierranevada.es rather than at the ticket window. Outside ski season the same ride buys a genuinely free day: hike from the Borreguiles plateau toward Mulhacen, mainland Spain’s highest peak, paying nothing beyond the bus fare. Check the mountain forecast that morning either way; conditions above 2,000m close roads and lifts on short notice.
Day 2: Cordoba and the Mezquita
Book an early AVE or Avant seat on renfe.com a few days ahead, not months ahead like the Alhambra back in Granada. The fastest run covers Cordoba in about 1h20, slower services closer to 2 hours. The Mezquita, a working cathedral built inside a former Great Mosque’s forest of horseshoe-arch columns, costs about EUR 13 for adults, or nothing at all Monday to Saturday roughly 8:30-9:30am (that free window skips the nave and choir, so treat it as a bonus rather than the full visit). Spend the rest of the morning in the Juderia, check current hours at turismodecordoba.org , and catch an afternoon train back.
Day 3: Guadix
Guadix is the cheapest full day on this list: about an hour away by train for roughly EUR 6, or a similarly priced bus. The cave houses here are still lived in today, not a museum piece, carved into the soft rock on the edge of town and free to walk past on your own. A short paid tour of one furnished cave-house museum runs a few euros if the free wander leaves questions unanswered. It is a genuinely different cave tradition from Sacromonte’s flamenco caves back in Granada, and cheap enough to pair with a lighter-spend day after Cordoba’s bigger outlay the day before.
Do these three day trips need a car?
No. All three run on a regular ALSA bus or a Renfe train from Granada’s own stations, unlike the Alpujarras or Antequera later in this family, which genuinely do reward a car or a booked tour. This three-day version stays the cheapest way into three of Granada’s six real day trips.
Is 3 days enough for Granada’s day trips?
Three days covers the closest trip (Sierra Nevada), the most rewarding one (Cordoba’s Mezquita), and the cheapest one (Guadix), but it still skips the Alpujarras, the coast, and Antequera. The 4-day plan adds the Alpujarras next; the Alhambra and the Albaicin sit outside this family entirely, in the 3-day Granada city plan instead.
Book the Sierra Nevada bus and both train legs first, since none of the three run on a walk-up basis reliably; save the free-tapa crawl on Calle Elvira or Calle Navas for whichever evening needs the cheapest dinner.