In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The Mirador de San Nicolás, the Corral del Carbón (09:00 to 20:00) and the Carmen de los Mártires gardens cost nothing. The Palace of Charles V and the Alhambra Museum are free access, as the Patronato lists them, and the Silla del Moro and the Torres Bermejas are free on weekends. On Sundays the Bañuelo, the Dar al-Horra, Casa de Zafra and the Cuarto Real are free; the Alhambra is not. The Junta’s museums are free for EU citizens and €1.50 for everyone else, and closed on Mondays. A free tapa comes with a drink in most bars. Prices are in euros. Or book a tour: the lower Albaicín walkad is from €14 and the sunset walkad from €15 (GetYourGuide).
What costs nothing
Hours are winter hours. What to book before you go to Granada has the closed days.
| What | Hours | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Mirador de San Nicolás | Always open | Looks at the Alhambra, with the Sierra Nevada behind |
| Corral del Carbón | 09:00 to 20:00 daily | A 14th-century corn exchange; the Patronato’s city information point is inside |
| Carmen de los Mártires gardens | Monday to Friday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 18:00; Saturday and Sunday 10:00 to 18:00 | Until 31 March; on the Alhambra hill |
| Palace of Charles V, Alhambra Museum, Bath of the Mosque | Alhambra hours, 08:30 to 18:00 | The Patronato lists them as free access; the rest of the monument needs a ticket |
| Silla del Moro | Saturday 08:30 to 18:00; Sunday 08:30 to 14:00 | Weekends only, to 31 March |
| Torres Bermejas | Saturday and Sunday 08:30 to 18:00 | Weekends only, to 31 March |
| The streets of the Albaicín and the Carrera del Darro | Always | Steep and cobbled: see the Albaicín |
The courtyard of the Corral del Carbón. Photo: José Luis Filpo Cabana, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0.
Free on Sundays
On Sundays the Andalusian monuments are free to enter, and so are two city-run houses. The Alhambra is not free on Sundays.
- The Bañuelo, the Dar al-Horra and the Casa del Horno de Oro are free all day, 10:00 to 17:00 until 30 April. The Maristán is closed. See Arab baths in Granada.
- Casa de Zafra, the Albaicín visitor centre, is free on Sundays from 10:00 to 14:00 until 14 March. Any other day it is €3.
- Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, a Nasrid palace on Plaza de los Campos built under Muhammad II (1273 to 1302), is free on Sundays. Any other day it is €2.
- The Fundación Rodríguez-Acosta, a carmen at Callejón Niños del Rollo 8, runs free visits on Fridays and Sundays at the 13:00 and 14:00 passes. The ticket must be booked first on its website.
Free for EU citizens
The Junta de Andalucía’s three museums are free for citizens of the European Union, shown with proof, and €1.50 for everyone else. They are closed on Mondays.
- Museo de Bellas Artes, on the first floor of the Palace of Charles V: Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 to 18:00, Sunday 09:00 to 15:00, until 31 March.
- Museo Arqueológico y Etnológico, in the Casa de Castril on the Carrera del Darro: Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 to 21:00, Sunday 09:00 to 15:00.
- Museo Casa de los Tiros, in the Realejo: Tuesday to Saturday 09:00 to 21:00, Sunday 09:00 to 15:00.
Free tapas
The City of Granada says that in most places a free tapa is served with each drink, and it names three models: a different tapa each round, a short list to choose from, and always the same. Free tapas in Granada explains how it works and where.
Tours worth paying for
A guide costs little here. Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices, per person.
Lower Albaicín and historic centre walk
From €14 · 2.5 hours · 4.8 stars from 204 reviews
Granada: Historic Center and Lower Albaicin Walking Tourad is sold by the Tablao Flamenco La Alboreá, in English or Spanish, for up to 30 people. It walks the historic centre and the lower Albaicín to a viewpoint over the Alhambra. Cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
Albaicín and Sacromonte sunset walk
From €15 · 2 to 2.5 hours · 4.9 stars from 3,633 reviews
Granada: Albaicín and Sacromonte Guided Sunset Walking Tourad meets in Plaza Nueva and climbs to the San Nicolás viewpoint. Cancel free up to 24 hours ahead.
What to see
A free day on foot follows the opening hours.
The grotto fountain in the Carmen de los Mártires gardens. Photo: Cocolisa, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
- Morning on the hill. The Carmen de los Mártires gardens open at 10:00. At weekends the Silla del Moro and the Torres Bermejas are open from 08:30.
- The Palace of Charles V and the Alhambra Museum. Both are in the Alhambra grounds, in Alhambra hours.
- Midday in the centre. The Corral del Carbón on Calle Mariana Pineda is open until 20:00, and the city centre walk takes it in with the Cathedral quarter and the Realejo.
- The Carrera del Darro and the Albaicín. Walk the river street to the foot of the hill and climb to the Mirador de San Nicolás for the end of the afternoon. On a Sunday add the Bañuelo and Casa de Zafra before they close at 17:00 and 14:00: the Albaicín walk puts them in order.
The order that works: the gardens and the Alhambra grounds in the morning, the centre at lunch, the Albaicín last. What to skip: the Alhambra’s paid areas if the Nasrid Palaces slots are gone: Alhambra tickets sold out lists the other ways in.
Granada and the Alhambra’s gardens from the Silla del Moro. Photo: MAngeluX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
Practical information
- Proof: carry the passport or ID card that shows EU citizenship at the Junta museums.
- Sundays: the free Andalusian monuments close at 17:00 and Casa de Zafra at 14:00.
- Getting there: the C31 and C32 minibuses climb the Albaicín, and the C30 and C32 go to the Alhambra: see Granada public transport.
- The one thing that ruins a visit: the Junta museums on a Monday, when they are shut.
Things to do in Granada lists the paid sights with prices. The Albaicín and Sacromonte are the free walks, and Alhambra tickets says what the paid ticket adds. Granada walking tours compares the free and paid guided walks, and the Granada Card covers the paid sights. For a bed, see where to stay in Granada.
Common questions
What is free in Granada?
The Mirador de San Nicolás, the Corral del Carbón, the gardens of the Carmen de los Mártires, the Palace of Charles V and the Alhambra Museum, and the streets of the Albaicín. The Silla del Moro and the Torres Bermejas are free at weekends, and some monuments are free on Sundays.
What is free in Granada on a Sunday?
The Andalusian monuments: the Bañuelo, the Dar al-Horra and the Casa del Horno de Oro, plus Casa de Zafra and the Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo. The Alhambra itself is not free on Sundays.
Are the museums in Granada free?
Not for everyone. The Junta de Andalucía's Fine Arts, Archaeological and Casa de los Tiros museums are free for citizens of the European Union with proof and €1.50 for everyone else. They are closed on Mondays.
Is the Corral del Carbón free?
Yes. It is open daily from 09:00 to 20:00 all year, and the Patronato's information point for the city is inside it.
Are there free tapas in Granada?
The City of Granada says that in most places a free tapa is served with each drink. The drink is paid for; the tapa is not.
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