Road Trip Barcelona to Granada, a Pleasant Drive

Our day one of Spain and Portugal Vacation was hectic. We got just half a day to tour Barcelona, where we managed to do the La Rambla Walk and tour the Cathedral of Barcelona. On day two we set off early morning, after stuffing ourselves with breakfast we set out for the road trip from Barcelona to Granada.

Road Trip Barcelona to Granada

Drive from Barcelona to Granada is 853 km. We set aside the estimated time for the drive as 10 hours catering for the stops and things to do on Barcelona to Granada drive, though Google map suggested 8hr 26min. We had to pay a toll amount of 22 euros to drive along these superb roads. While paying I thought, the sights and scenes along the road better be good for this high toll fees.

Other ways to get from Barcelona to Granada

Since we had hired a vehicle in Barcelona airport we drove along the scenic route. But there are other options to travel from Barcelona to Granada.

If you love train journeys, the best option would be to take the train from Barcelona to Granada. You can save a couple of hours, as it takes 6h approx. It would cost you €100 – €180. For the four of us, a family, it would be a huge expense, so hiring private car turned out budget friendly option. And the train journey to Granada from Barcelona wouldn’t be as scenic compared to road trip.

Alternatively, you can even hire a bus. That would cost €50 – €70 but would take a long time, about 15h 30m.

Flights are the other option. Flight tickets cost €25 – €100 and takes much lesser time, 4h 22m. (Please check up the prices once more. These were at the time of writing.)

Below is view of Balearic Sea from the road… it seemed so near yet so far!

Barcelona to Granada road trip

Barcelona to Granada road trip

Initial part of the drive was along the sea coast of Balearic Sea. This was the most pleasant part of the trip. At some of the places the sea would appear to be at the same level as the road.

After Valencia the scenes changed. It was more rugged. The church spires showed up as we crossed towns and villages.

After Valencia we crossed Bunol which is famous for La Tomatina – Tomato Throwing Festival. I was reminded of the movie ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’. But where is the time for halts like this. 500+ km still more to go and we planned to reach Granada before nightfall.

A church spire in one of the towns we crossed. Love the blue tiled dome.

Road trip sights in Spain

Road trip sights in Spain

Places to Stop and Things to Do on Barcelona to Granada Drive

Sitges, 39.2 km southwest of Barcelona, is known for its Mediterranean beaches and seafront promenade lined with grand mansions. The streets are filled with shops, restaurants, and many gay bars and nightclubs. Interesting things to do are visit to Maricel Museum and Cau Ferrat Museum showcase Catalan and other Spanish art.

Barcelona to Granada drive Spain – Fun sign… wonder what he was trying to say.

Salou, 108 km from Barcelona, is a resort town is popular for windsurfing, sailing and golf.

The port city of Valencia, 349 km from Barcelona, is known for its City of Arts and Sciences. I would have loved to halt here for the futuristic structures that include a planetarium, an oceanarium and an interactive museum, definitely worth stopping for families with kids. But then we were zipping across!

Travel snacks, road trip lunches we had them all. Some quick bites we had  along the way at a refueling station for man and machines.

It was exciting to cross the tunnels.

road trip through tunnels in spain

Road trip through tunnels in Spain

Alicante is a port city in Costa Blanca, and the capital of the Alicante province. As we crossed it we caught a glimpse of medieval Castillo de Santa Bárbara, set on a hilltop.

Road Trip Barcelona to Granada – Spring is setting in… flower lined roads…

A casual click… the sign is adding so much mystery to the pic… I am unable to recollect what it actually meant.

Road Trip Barcelona to Granada sights

Drive by sights

A bull billboard, we sighted several of them during the drives we took. Read more: Osborne Bulls along roads of Spain.

Road Trip Barcelona to Granada bull

Osborne bull

We are almost there… Granada. This is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. It is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, between the rivers Darro and Genil. We planned to spend just one night here… very very less we realized later.

Read more: Granada: Best Things to Do

Granada street lamps

Granada street lamps

Conclusion

The Barcelona to Granada drive took us little more than 10 hours. We would return to Barcelona again at the end of our vacation after touring the attractions of central Spain, Salamanca- Avila- Madrid-Zaragoza. For now our focus was Granada.

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Barcelona to Granada Drive

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