In this guide
💡 The Short Version: Nerja is about 1 hour 55 minutes from Granada bus station by Alsa coach, a long day with the cave and the village. The Nerja Cave is €16 online in 2026 (€18 in June to September, at Christmas, on holiday long weekends and in Holy Week), €18 or €20 at the gate; it takes about 50 minutes, has 458 steps, and closes on 1 and 6 January, 15 May and 25 December. Frigiliana is a separate bus from Nerja, on a timetable that changed on 10 August 2026. The best-reviewed tour starts in Málaga: 9 hours from €69. Prices are in euros. Or book now: the Nerja, Frigiliana and caves day tour from Málagaad is from €69 and the Albaicín and Sacromonte sunset walkad in Granada from €15 (GetYourGuide).
Getting there compared
| Option | Time | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Alsa coach from Granada bus station | About 1 hour 55 minutes | 96.6 km on Alsa’s route page; check Alsa’s app for times and fares |
| Nerja to Frigiliana bus | See the council’s timetable | Grupo Verano Azul, new timetable from 10 August 2026 |
| Tour from Granada | 7 to 9 hours | Three are listed, each with fewer than 50 reviews |
| Tour from Málaga | 9 hours | From €69ad, 4.6 from 3,317 reviews, starting in Málaga |
The Alsa route page is Granada to Nerja. A car or a night on the coast gives more time than the coach: the coach is about four hours of the day, there and back. Granada public transport has the bus station.
The coast below Nerja seen from the Balcón de Europa. Photo: Tuxyso, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Nerja Cave
€16 online · €18 or €20 at the gate · about 50 minutes · 458 steps
The Cueva de Nerja is run by its own foundation, and its only ticket shop is cuevadenerja.es. Other websites with the cave’s name in the address resell tickets; buy from the foundation. Tickets bought online carry an exact visit time and a separate entrance.
The great column in the Nerja Cave. Photo: Pedro J Pacheco, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.
| Adult ticket, 2026 | Normal periods | Busy periods |
|---|---|---|
| Online | €16 | €18 |
| At the gate or machine | €18 | €20 |
The busy periods are June to September, Christmas, public-holiday long weekends and Holy Week, from the Friday of Sorrows to Easter Sunday. Reduced online tickets are €14 (€15 in the busy periods) for over-65s with a card, disabled visitors, large families and European Youth Card holders; ages 12 to 13 are €13 (€14), ages 6 to 11 €12 (€13), ages 3 to 5 €5 (€6), and under-3s are free. Every paid ticket includes the virtual-reality room and a visit to the Nerja Museum in the town’s Plaza de España, which is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 16:00. Tickets cannot be changed or refunded, and the foundation has not published 2027 prices (price page).
Hours: 09:15 to 16:30, last entry 15:30, in the normal periods, and 09:15 to 17:30, last entry 16:30, in the busy ones. The cave is closed on 1 and 6 January, 15 May and 25 December. The first hour of the morning, from 10:00 to 11:30, is the quietest.
The visit: about 50 minutes, with a free audio-guide app in 15 languages. The cave has more than 458 steps and several changes in level, and is not recommended for visitors with reduced mobility or heart conditions or for people with claustrophobia. Pets are not allowed, even in carriers. On site are a locker room, a café-restaurant, a picnic area, bus stops and a tourist train for the cave-museum route (Cueva de Nerja FAQ).
The metal walkways and stairs inside the Nerja Cave. Photo: Mark Nakasone, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0.
GetYourGuide lists an entry ticket for the cave from €15.50 with an audio guide; the foundation’s online price is the one to compare, and its shop is the first place to buy.
Frigiliana
Bus from Nerja · museum free · 350 m above the sea
Frigiliana is reached from Nerja by a local bus. It stands 350 m above sea level on the south slope of the Sierra Almijara, about 50 km from Málaga, and has whitewashed houses on cobbled streets. The Nerja to Frigiliana bus has had a new operator, Grupo Verano Azul, and a new timetable since 10 August 2026, with separate Monday to Saturday and Sunday and holiday times and extra summer night services. The council posts the timetable and gives +34 952 52 37 00 for information (Ayuntamiento de Frigiliana).
A whitewashed lane in Frigiliana. Photo: Liberaler Humanist, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.
The Museo Arqueológico de Frigiliana is free, in the 17th-century Casa del Apero on Calle Cuesta del Apero, and shares its hours with the tourist office: Monday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00, Saturday 10:00 to 14:00 and 16:00 to 20:00, and Sunday 10:00 to 14:00, from 16 September to 1 July, and Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 14:30 and 17:30 to 21:00 and Sunday 10:00 to 14:30 from 1 July to 15 September (Museo Arqueológico de Frigiliana).
The Costa Tropical in a line
Alsa also runs buses from Granada bus station to Motril in about 50 minutes and Almuñécar in about 1 hour 15 minutes, on its route pages. Both are on the Granada coast, reached by coach.
Before you go
- Buy the cave ticket online, for a visit time, and allow for the 458 steps.
- The cave on a holiday: it is closed on 15 May as well as 1 and 6 January and 25 December.
- The one thing that ruins the day: reaching Nerja with no time for Frigiliana. Look up the village bus before you leave Granada.
Nerja is one of the day trips from Granada; Málaga has the faster train to the coast, and the Alpujarras the mountain alternative. What to book before you go to Granada lists the sights that need tickets, and where to stay in Granada compares the areas.
Common questions
How do I get from Granada to Nerja?
By Alsa coach from Granada bus station, about 1 hour 55 minutes for 96.6 km on Alsa's route page. The Nerja Cave is in the Maro district of Nerja, on the Carretera de Maro, and the cave lists bus stops on site.
How much is the Nerja Cave in 2026?
€16 for an adult ticket bought online at cuevadenerja.es, or €18 in the busy periods: June to September, Christmas, public-holiday long weekends and Holy Week. At the gate or machine it is €18, or €20 in the busy periods. Under-3s are free.
How long does the Nerja Cave visit take?
About 50 minutes, with an audio guide in 15 languages through the cave's free app. The cave has more than 458 steps and several changes in level, so it is not recommended for visitors with reduced mobility or heart conditions.
When is the Nerja Cave closed?
On 1 and 6 January, 15 May and 25 December. Otherwise it is open 09:15 to 16:30, with the last entry at 15:30, and 09:15 to 17:30, last entry 16:30, in the busy periods. The first hour of the morning is quietest, from 10:00 to 11:30.
How do I get from Nerja to Frigiliana?
By the Nerja to Frigiliana bus, run since 10 August 2026 by Grupo Verano Azul on a new timetable, with separate Monday to Saturday and Sunday and holiday times. Frigiliana's council lists the timetable and the information line, +34 952 52 37 00.
Is there a tour from Granada to Nerja?
Three Granada tours are listed, each with fewer than 50 reviews. The best-reviewed Nerja, Frigiliana and cave tour starts in Málaga: 9 hours from €69, rated 4.6 from 3,317 reviews.
