One of the things I loved about living in Granada was how close I was to the beach. A day trip to the beach was such an easy thing to do. You simply pack a bag with a towel, sunblock, food and water, and catch a bus or Blablacar to one of several picturesque beach towns. There are so many beach day trips from Granada options out there!
If you’re visiting Granada for a few days, a beach trip is a great way to see a different side of Spain. If you’re visiting Granada during the summer months, you’ll want to escape the heat at least one day during your visit! Here are five beaches that are an easy day trip from Granada.
1. Nerja
Nerja is in the Málaga province, but it borders the Granada province making it only about an hour and some minutes from Granada. The charming white buildings and sandy beaches make it an absolute treat to visit.
There are several ways to get to Nerja from Granada city center. There are Alsa buses going about every hour until 7 p.m. You can also check out Blablacar. During the summer, there are lots of Blablacars since everyone in Spain is escaping to the beach.
When you first arrive, you have to check out the town. It is absolutely picturesque with white buildings and many terraces to enjoy a drink. The Balcón de Europa has some of the best views of water. You can also go to the beach right there in the center of the town. It will be a tad more crowded. However we did manage to find a good spot.
I just kept thinking about how absolutely paradise this town was
When in Nerja (or Málaga for that matter), you have to try espetos de sardinas. They’re basically grilled sardines. They’re absolutely amazing.
We decided to walk through the town and go to the other beach for this one. We ate these at at place called Jose Cruz. They had an extensive menu in several languages. I would definitely recommend them. It was fully worth the 17-minute walk. Afterwards, we checked out the beach right in front of us. It was quite open and spacious.
My friends Kayleigh and Brian were visiting me when we took a day trip to Nerja. Brian loves to drive, so rented a car for the day. Companies such as Alamo, Enterprise and Avis offer some great deals. The rental office was right next to the train station in Granada, making pick-up and drop-off super easy.
2. Salobreña
Salobreña is one town I actually never got the chance to visit. These photos are from my friend and fellow travel blogger Jade from It’s Time to Explore.
Salobreña has a castle that overlooks the town. That was one thing I was sad that I missed out on. Oh well … I will just have to save Salobreña for another summer.
Just like with Nerja, Alsa or Blablacar will be the way to go for this trip.
3. Torrenueva/Motril
Motril is probably the easiest beach to get to from Granada. You literally just take one highway south for less than an hour. Motril is a larger town, so there are lots of places to eat and the transportation is relatively straight-forward.
In August, I went to the Motril area with my friend Jade to meet up with our friend Sabrina. However instead of going to the city beach in Motril, we went to Torrenueva. For a simple day trip, it was perfect. We even found a Blablacar that dropped us off there and one that was leaving from there. It was perfect!
The sand was HOT in this photo! All I could think about were my burning feet!
Torrenueva is great if you simply want a no-frills beach day.
4. Maro Beach
This beach is right near Nerja, but a tad less-known. I went there with a friend in August and had a blast. The rocks are absolutely amazing.
Make sure you check out my full post on Maro Beach.
5. Castell de Ferro
I will admit that I would not have known about this town if it hadn’t been for my roommate Esther. My roommate in Granada is from this town and invited me to spend Christmas with her family. Since I was planning to stay in Spain over Christmas, I decided why not? I love seeing how people from different cultures celebrate holidays and it was sure better than spending Christmas alone in my flat.
The bonus was that Esther is from an absolutely beautiful beach town just outside of Granada. While it was too cold to swim when I went, I loved the views and enjoyed walking around the town.
There were a few beaches I didn’t mention. Other great beach day trips from Granada include Almuñécar, Málaga and Rijana.
Overall, I would highly recommend a day trip to the beach when visiting Granada. If you’re looking to travel Spain like a local, a beach visit is a must. Spaniards seem to live at the beach the month of August, more or less.
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This post was written in collaboration with Wikibuy. All opinions are my own.
