ABOUT GRANADA

Pedro de Cristo (atrib.), The Virgin and Child (c.1500), Perelada (Girona), Museu del Castell de Peralada

Welcome to Granada

Granada, surrounded by the Natural Park of Sierra Nevada and very close to the Mediterranean Sea, was the last Muslim city in the Iberian Peninsula, up to 1492. Consequently, its streets, monuments, gastronomy and culture reflect Arab tradition. The walled city of the Alhambra is the most visited monument in Europe, and the Alhambra and the Generalife were declared World Heritage sites by UNESCO in 1984. The University of Granada was founded in 1531 by Charles V, succeeding the Madrasah founded in 1349 by Yusuf I, Sultan of Granada.

The Cathedral, the Royal Chapel (where the Catholic Monarchs are buried), the Collegiate Church of El Salvador, and the Monastery of San Jerónimo were important musical centres during the Renaissance, and their archives are among the richest in sixteenth-century Spanish music. For instance, Rodrigo de Ceballos, one of the great Spanish polyphonists, was chapel master at the Royal Chapel in Granada until his death in 1581. The manufacture of string instruments, based on local Moorish traditions, was important in Granada, and the vihuelist Luis Narváez was born in the city.

Transport

Granada is in the Eastern region of Andalusia, 420 km from Madrid, 888 km from Barcelona and 248 km from Seville.

GRANADA AIRPORT

The airport of Granada, officially named Aeropuerto Federico García Lorca Granada – Jaén, is 17 km from the city center.

Granada Airport has international flights (London and Paris) and you can arrive via Madrid o Barcelona. From Barcelona, the flight time is approximately 1 hour and a half and, from Madrid it takes 1 hour.

To get to the city centre you can take a taxi (25-30 € aprox.) or a bus (3 €). There is a special bus (operated by Alsa) which connects the airport with the centre of Granada. You can buy the ticket inside the bus by cash. Depending on traffic, travel time is 45 minutes. Be cautious and always calculate a greater margin of time on the trip back to the airport, avoiding the anguish of being caught on a traffic jam. The airport bus stops at several points, including the bus station.

Leaving Granada airport by taxi: There is no flat rate to the city. The price of the ride can range from 25€ to 35€, depending on the time of day and the day of the week.

For more information

Bus: https://www.aena.es/en/f.g.l.-granada-jaen/how-to-get-there/bus.html

Taxi: Pide Taxi Granada: +34 958280654

MÁLAGA AIRPORT

Málaga Airport has many international connections and it is close to Granada. There are several direct buses from Malaga Airport to Granada and it is advisable to buy your tickets in advance to get a seat. There are many more buses from Malaga bus station to Granada. You need to take a bus from Malaga airport to Malaga bus station that run every 30 minutes and it takes only 30 minutes to reach the station. The price of the bus ticket is 3 €. Malaga-Granada buses run every 1-2 hours and journey time is 1.5-2 hours.

For more information: https://www.alsa.es/ruta/malaga-granada

TRAIN
Granada’s train station, also known as Estación de Andaluces, is located about 1km north of the old town (around 18 min walk to the Granada Cathedral).
Granada’s train station is connected to Spain’s high-speed rail network (AVE), linking the city with:

Malaga in under 1 h 30 min. There are 3 to 4 daily high speed trains (slower options also available). You can expect to pay between 17 and 47 €.
Sevilla in 2 h 40 min. There are about 4 high speed trains per day (slower options also available). Expect to pay around 47 €.
Madrid in just over 3 h 30 min. There are about 3 daily direct high speed trains. Several slower options requiring train change in Cordoba are also available every day. Expect to pay between 25 and 78 €.
Barcelona in under 6 h 30 min. There is 1 direct high speed train per day but there are also about 4 to 5 more daily options that require changing trains in either Cordoba, Madrid or Antequera. Ticket prices vary largely (52 to 115 €).

To buy tickets in advance: www.renfe.com
There are several local city buses connecting the city center with the train station, such as lines 4, 11, 21 and 33. For up-to-date information on the local city buses: www.transportesrober.com

BUS
Granada’s bus station is located 2.5 km north of the old town. For example, it is a 60 min walk to the cathedral. ALSA is the main bus company servicing Granada.
From Granada’s bus station, there are daily buses to:

Malaga: ALSA runs at least one bus per hour throughout the day (5am to 9pm). In Malaga, most buses stop in both the city and the airport. The trip lasts between 1 h 30 min and 2 h 30 min, depending on the number of stops on the way and where you get in/out of the bus in Malaga. The ticket price ranges from 8 to 13 €.
Cordoba: ALSA runs around 6 daily buses. The trip lasts between 2 h 30 min and 3 h, depending on the number of stops on the way. Expect to pay 9 to 17 €.
Seville: ALSA offers about 8 daily buses. In Seville, they all arrive/depart from the Plaza de Armas Station. All buses are direct and the journey takes 3 h. Expect to pay from 12 to 20 €.
Madrid: ALSA runs 12 buses per day. There are three stops in Madrid: Estación Sur, Barajas Airport T4 and Av. America. But not all the buses stop in all of them. The trip lasts between 4 h 30 min and 6 h depending on the number of stops. Tickets cost 21 to 48€.
Barcelona: ALSA runs 4 buses per day. In Barcelona, all of them arrive/leave from Estación Nord. The trip can take from 12 h 45 min to 14 h 40 min. Expect to pay between 48 and 90 €. Both plane and train are much faster and can even be cheaper.

The local city bus lines 21 and 33 connect the city center (bus stop at Gran Vía 14) with the bus station. For up-to-date information on the local city buses: www.transportesrober.com

Granada bus station practical information:

Address: Av. de Juan Pablo II s/n, 18014 Granada
Telephone: (+34) 902 42 22 42

Accommodation

Granada is one of the main touristic destinations in the world and offers a variety of accommodation with a wide price-range, from students’ residences to luxury hotels. You will be able to find many suitable places through travel website services, such as Booking.com. Here you have some hotels very close to the conference venue.

LESS THAN 10 MINUTES WALK

Less than 100 € per night

Hotel Molinos

Casual Ilbira Granada

Rooms Vita

Sercotel Palacio de los Gamboa

Hotel Colón Centro

Hotel Los Ángeles

Hotel Inglaterra

Hotel Puerta de las Granadas

Hotel Monjas del Carmen

Hotel Maciá Plaza Nueva

More than 100 € per night

Hotel Alhambra Palace (close to the venue but in the Alhambra hill)

Carmen de la Alcubilla del Caracol (close to the venue but also in the hill)

Carmen Real del Realejo Candil Suites (close to the venue but also in the hill)

BETWEEN 15 AND 20 MINUTES WALK

Less than 100 € per night

Eurostars Puerta Real

Boutique Hotel Luna Granada Centro

Granada Vincci

More than 100 € per night

Palacio GranVía, a Royal Hideaway Hotel

Hotel Santa Paula

Parador de Granada (close to the Alhambra)

If you belong to a University you can book one of the two accommodations that Granada University offers to its visitors: Corrala de Santiago and Carmen de la Victoria. The first one is only 5 minutes walk from the Conference Venue and Carmen de la Victoria is 30 minutes walk. To book any of these you should indicate your institutional data, put your name in Invitado/Guest again and in Activity you should indicate Med Ren Conference held by Granada University.

Bars and restaurants

In Granada you can find many places to eat or have “tapas”. We only indicate here the closest places near the Conference Venue. Apart from the coffee shop in the Facultad de Arquitectura, you can explore the animated bars in Campo del Príncipe and Calle Navas.

Cafetería de la Facultad de Arquitectura (conference venue coffee shop) menu 6 €

Campo del Príncipe

Los Altramuces 10-15 €, traditional Spanish food and tapas

Campo del Príncipe

Bar Quesería Rossini 10-20 €, wines and Spanish Food

Campo del Príncipe

Restaurante Damasqueros 65-100 €

c/Damasqueros, 3

Vegan

El piano 10-20 € (gluten free options)

c/Santiago 2

Hicuri 15-30 € (gluten free options)