The best time to visit Granada
Granada month by month in numbers: how warm by day and cold by night, how much rain falls, and when the mountain above the city has snow.
- Best
- April
- Hardest
- July and August: around 35 by day
- Wettest
- November and December: 54 and 56 mm
Granada has two windows for the city, April–May and October, with daytime highs of 20 to 25 degrees, and one for the mountain, December to April, when the Sierra Nevada ski resort 31 km away is open. July and August average highs of 35 degrees with hardly a day of rain, and a January night drops to zero.
Granada month by month
Average daytime high / night-time low, rainfall and days with at least 1 mm. Long-term average from AEMET, Spain's met office, for the Granada airport station, 560 m.
The hill in the morning, the Albaicín after seven
From June to September not even rain breaks the heat. The Alhambra is mostly walked in the open, between courtyards and gardens, so in summer the Nasrid palaces slot is chosen before 11:00, and the Albaicín and San Nicolás are left for after 19:00. In season that morning slot is sought weeks ahead, which is why before a summer trip you look for a free slot first and only then for a flight.
Dry, cold, snow above the city
January is cold but mostly dry, so the city is walked in a jacket rather than under an umbrella. That is when the Sierra Nevada ski resort at Pradollano, the southernmost in Europe, is open: the season runs from December to April, and the Tocina bus leaves the main bus station three or four times a day. From May to November, with the resort closed, there is one bus a day, so the mountain then only works as a whole-day trip.
Which month for whom
- A first visit — May or October. Warm by day, with nights cool enough that a jacket comes along for the evening at San Nicolás.
- Least rain without the peak heat — June and September. The driest after July and August, though June is already closer to summer than to spring in heat.
- For snow — December to April, while the resort is open; the driest of those months are March and January.
- November and December — only knowing they are the wettest of the year. The Albaicín is cobbles, and wet cobbles on a climb slow the whole of day two.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
What month suits a first visit to Granada?
May or October: warm enough for the Albaicín in the evening, and before the summer heat or after it.
Can you go skiing from Granada?
You can, from December to April. The resort sits right above the city, so skiing and dinner in Granada fit into the same day.
When does it rain most in Granada?
In November and December. Summer is practically dry, and from January to May rain falls on a few days a month.
Ready for Granada?
Where to next
Granada in 2 days
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How well does Granada suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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