Season guide · Granada · Spain
Granada in winter
December–February: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Quick answer
Sunny days, frosty nights and snow on the Sierra Nevada; quieter Alhambra visits and skiing within an hour. Expect highs up to 15°C (59°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 16 rainy days across December–February.
Key facts
- Months
- December–February
- Temperatures
- 1°C (34°F) to 15°C (59°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 16
- Crowds
- Quiet
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in winter
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13°C (55°F) | 1°C (34°F) | 5 | 9.9 h | 2/5 |
| February | 15°C (59°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 5 | 10.8 h | 2/5 |
| December | 13°C (55°F) | 2°C (36°F) | 6 | 9.6 h | 2/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 14°C (57°F) against a yearly 23°C (73°F), and 16 of the year's roughly 42 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 2/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in winter
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- January: Día de la Toma — civic ceremony marking the events of 1492 (2 January)
- February: Fiesta de San Cecilio — patron saint's pilgrimage in Sacromonte (usually early February)
Good choices for winter
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Museum · Parque García Lorca
Huerta de San Vicente
Read a few Lorca poems beforehand; the house is small and the visit is short and personal.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Albaicín
Arab baths experience
Modern bathhouses near Plaza Nueva recreate the hammam tradition of al-Andalus with warm, hot and cold pools in candle-lit, tiled rooms, often with an optional massage.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Expensive
- Couples
- Rainy day
- After dark
Palace · Alhambra hill
Palace of Charles V
Stand in the centre of the circular courtyard and speak; the acoustics are remarkable.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Free
- Rainy day
Religious site · Centro
Granada Cathedral
Begun in the 1520s on the site of the city's main mosque, the cathedral is one of the great Renaissance churches of Spain, with a bright white interior, a gilded main chapel and a baroque façade designed by the Granada-born artist Alonso Cano.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
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Religious site · Centro
Royal Chapel of Granada
Look down into the crypt to see the simple lead coffins beneath the elaborate tombs.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Day trips in winter
- Córdoba (About 1.5 hours by train) — The Mezquita-Catedral, a vast forest of striped horseshoe arches with a cathedral inside, the Jewish quarter and the Alcázar gardens make Córdoba Granada's natural partner on an Andalusian trip.
- Fuente Vaqueros (About 30 minutes by bus) — Federico García Lorca was born in this farming village on the Vega plain in 1898; his birthplace is a small museum with family belongings, photographs and manuscripts.
What to pack
- Layers, a warm sweater and a jacket for cool evenings
- Shoes with good grip for icy pavements
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is winter a good time to visit Granada?
It is a trade-off: Sunny days, frosty nights and snow on the Sierra Nevada; quieter Alhambra visits and skiing within an hour. The best months overall are April–May and October.
+What is the weather like in Granada in winter?
Highs of up to 15°C (59°F) and lows around 1°C (34°F), with about 16 rainy days over the season.