Then there’s the food. Granada is easily one of the cheapest destinations in Spain to eat, drink and be merry — a tradition of complimentary tapas and a large population of university students (around 80,000) may have something to do with it.

Related: How to buy tickets to Alhambra in Granada

Here are five tips for a fun Granada escape on a budget.

1. Visit during the week to save on hotels

Hotels in Granada are already pretty cheap, which some running as low as €35-70 a night. However, many are even cheaper in the middle of the week. Private rooms at hostels are even more economically priced, ranging from €30-50 a night.

Looking for a place to stay? Search our Granada hotel listings.

Order a sherry at Bodegas Espadafor and get a plate of delicious (and free!) tapas. Photo: Craig Nelson

2. Free meals! Take a culinary journey through tapas

Tapas are the way to go in Granada. In most bars, custom still dictates that when you order a drink (alcoholic or otherwise) a small bar snack is included. That’s right, you can fill up on free food all over town.

Whereas, elsewhere in Spain, this tends to mean olives, popcorn or a bowl of peanuts, in Granada it means actual food — spicy sausages dipped in cognac and lit on fire, stewed garbanzos, meatballs, Spanish omelet— all kinds of tasty eats come free with your beverage. Best of all, the more drinks you order at any one bar, the better the free tapas get (and the stronger the drinks tend to become along the way).

Try Bar Reca (Plaza de la Trinidad 11) or hop from bar to bar on Calle Elvira, known locally as the “Tapas” street. You can also find a variety of tapas cuisine from seafood to North African specialties.

If you’re really, really hungry go out to a restaurant for lunch, not dinner. At the midday meal, fixed-price menus include wine and bread and start at €7.

Or, for a cheap snack, stop off for Moroccan tea and pastries in the Albaicín neighborhood at bakeries like Casa Pasteles.

Wandering through the famous Medieval streets of El Albayzín. Photo: bruchez

3. Travel by foot

Granada is easy to explore by foot. It’s a small and compact city that’s easy to navigate with a good map. It can be hilly, but that means you get a lot of scenic views. Wander the narrow streets and historic Moorish buildings of the Albaicín, an enchanting district and UNESCO World Heritage site,. This is a highlight of a visit to Granada that won’t cost you a dime.

For transportation during your stay, don’t waste your money on the bus anywhere but to and from the airport. Just invest in a good pair of walking shoes and you can get around with ease.

A passionate Flamenco show in Granada. Photo: whertha

4. After Alhambra, focus on Flamenco and free attractions

Save your spare cash for the Alhambra — the Moorish citadel, palace and gardens is the one paid entry attraction in town that you simply must see. (Check out guide to getting tickets to Alhambra.)

With your leftover euros, look into seeing an authentic Flamenco show at Peña Flamenca La Platería (Placeta de Toqueros, 7) — the oldest flamenco club in Spain. The Thursday night shows are legendary and €8 buy you a show and a bottle of Manzanilla fortified wine.

Spend the rest of your time on free, open-air sights. See the ruins of the historic Arab baths at Banuelo. Walk along the River Darro at Paseo de los Tristes. Browse the wares at the Saturday morning flea market in Zaidín. Listen to buskers at the Mirador de San Nicolas while you watch the sun set behind the Alhambra.

Alhambra is one of the tourism treasures of Europe. Photo: RaMaOrLi

5. Arrive in Granada for less

Budget airlines like Ryanair and Vueling fly to the Granada Airport from big cities in Spain and elsewhere in Europe for less you’d pay to check a second bag on a major airline. More often than not, budget flights are even cheaper than Spain’s national rail, RENFE. Book your tickets as far in advance as possible and don’t check a bag for added savings.

Search for a flight on EuroCheapo.

The post Granada: 5 ways to save big on your trip appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.

So it’s not surprising that sometimes the lines go on for days and ticketing technicalities can be somewhat head-scratching. And not to mention: Only a limited number of tickets are available each day, so advance planning is strongly recommended.

Here’s our best advice on how to see this UNESCO World Heritage site without wasting any valuable tapas time waiting to get in.

Related: Search affordable hotels in Granada

1. Reserve your tickets in advance

Book your Alhambra tickets as far ahead as you can. The tickets are booked either for morning (8:30 am – 2 pm), or afternoon (2 pm – 6 pm) from October 15 – March 14, and 2 pm – 8 pm the rest of the year.

Note: Keep in mind that when you book your ticket you have to reserve a specific time to visit the Nasrid Palace, and if you’re late, you won’t get to see it.

2. Pick up your reserved tickets ahead of time

Grab the tickets you booked over the phone or online in a La Caixa cash machine before your visit, using the credit card you used to book the tickets. Doing this lets you skip the ticket collection line at the on-site ticket office.

If you haven’t purchased your tickets before you arrived in Granada, book them a day or so before your palace visit at the Alhambra ticket office in Granada’s city center (Calle Reyes Católicos, 40). You can pay cash or credit. Just be advised that you’ll have to use a Visa or MasterCard with a pin—one with a chip is ideal.

However you pick up your Alhambra tickets, you must collect them at least one hour before you’re scheduled to visit the Nasrid Palace.

3. Day-of ticket Alhambra purchase? Rise with the sun… and run!

If you must wait until the day-of your visit to buy, don’t plan on sleeping in. Throw back an extra strong café solo first thing and show up at the ticket office before it opens at 8:30 am to avoid the line and have the best chance of snagging a ticket.

Go to a person—it’s impossible to negotiate with the unsympathetic automated terminals. Of course waiting ‘til the last minute will cost you at least 10% more in entry fees, if you get in at all.

4. Visit the Alhambra during the off-season

Of course, you could just make your life easier by planning your visit during the off-season (between November and early March). That said, Granada’s most famous monument is popular all year long, even during the off season, so reservations (or early mornings!) are still a good idea.

Elaborate tile along the walls of Palicio Arabes inside Alhambra. Photo: plutor

5.Watch out for third-party websites

There are a lot of third-party websites selling expensive Alhambra tour packages. Search around for Alhambra tickets on the web, and you’re certain to come across agencies ready to sell you tickets and tours at inflated prices. You don’t need them.

The easiest and cheapest way to get Alhambra tickets is through the official Alhambra website, powered by ticketmaster: www.alhambra-tickets.es or buy calling +34 958 92 60 31.

For more details about purchasing tickets or visiting the Alhambra, visit this page on their official website.

The post Granada: How to buy Alhambra tickets, even at the last minute appeared first on EuroCheapo's Budget Travel Blog.