Golf guide • Spain • Andalusia

Golf in Granada: a course facing the Sierra Nevada, the Alhambra by night

Granada is first and foremost a city of art, with an 18-hole course on its doorstep: the Granada Club de Golf, a par 71 opened in 1986 on a hill at Las Gabias, 8 km from the centre and facing the Sierra Nevada. For a second round, Los Moriscos plays beside the Mediterranean at Motril, about an hour's drive away. Come in spring and autumn to combine golf, the Alhambra and the Albaicín.

Plan this tripUpdated 7 October 2026

Let us be clear from the outset: Granada is not an intensive golf destination. It is a city you visit for the Alhambra, the Albaicín and the tapas, slipping a round or two into your stay. The Granada Club de Golf, at Las Gabias, is the only eighteen-hole course we recommend within a quarter of an hour of the centre. On the coast, an hour's drive south, Los Moriscos offers an entirely different setting, palms and sea, for a full day between beach and fairways.

This duality is the charm of the province: the city sits at 738 metres, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, and the Costa Tropical is some fifty kilometres away. In the morning you can play on a hillside where the Torre de la Vela and the peak of Veleta serve as your landmarks; in the evening you watch the sun redden the Nasrid walls from the Mirador de San Nicolás. Winters are cool in the city and much milder on the coast.

The ideal stay fits into three to five nights, in a palace in the centre or a house in the Albaicín: a round at Las Gabias, a day in Motril, a morning set aside for the Alhambra, and the rest for wandering the lanes. It is a perfect stopover for anyone combining Granada with the Costa del Sol or Seville, or for a group with as many sightseers as golfers.

The courses

Green and fairway lined with olive trees and cypresses near a lake, dry hills and snowy peaks in the distance

Granada Club de Golf

Architect: Ramón Espinosa, Emilio Mena
Opened 1986
18 holes
Par 71

Opened in 1986 on a hill at Las Gabias, 8 km from the centre, the club is the work of a group of Granada enthusiasts; Ramón Espinosa and Emilio Mena designed the layout. A par 71 of 5,970 metres from the white tees, it follows the natural relief: rolling fairways, marked changes in elevation and three lakes, at the 5th, 16th and 17th, which also serve as irrigation reservoirs. The clubhouse, at the highest point, overlooks almost the entire course, with the Sierra Nevada as a backdrop. A technical but short layout that rewards accuracy more than length, accessible to every level.

Signature hole. The 5th, a 490-metre par 5 and the second-hardest hole on the card, runs alongside a lake: the club itself admits that players step onto the tee with a certain nervousness.

Official website

Los Moriscos Club de Golf

Architect: Ibergolf
Opened 1974
18 holes

At Playa Granada, in the municipality of Motril, Los Moriscos opened nine holes in 1974 before expanding to eighteen in 2006. The course lies a few metres from the Mediterranean: wide, fairly flat fairways, palms, artificial lakes and, on a clear day, the Sierra Nevada behind the greens. The club calls its 13-14-15 stretch its "Amen Corner" and claims a 17th inspired by the famous hole at Sawgrass. A relaxed day, ideal in winter when the coast stays mild, about an hour from Granada.

Where to stay

Parador de Granada

The only hotel within the walls of the Alhambra. It occupies the former convent of San Francisco, founded by the Catholic Monarchs in 1494 on a Nasrid palace; Isabella and Ferdinand were first buried in its chapel before being moved to the Royal Chapel. Restored by Leopoldo Torres Balbás, it became a parador in 1945. The privilege is a rare one: strolling in the gardens in the evening, once the visitors have gone.

Hospes Palacio de los Patos

A 19th-century neoclassical palace, listed as a Bien de Interés Cultural, right in the centre on calle Solarillo de Gracia. The rooms in the palace keep their high ceilings, mouldings and monumental staircase; those in the contemporary wing, the Alabastro building, play with glass and light. Between the two lies an Arab-inspired garden, beneath which the spa hides, with a Turkish bath and thermal pool. Convenient for driving out to the courses.

Hotel Casa Morisca

Fourteen rooms in an Albaicín house restored by the Granada architect Carlos Sánchez and opened in 2001, the year it received a Europa Nostra award. A central patio, wooden galleries and a view of the Alhambra: the address for those who prefer the calm lanes of the old Moorish quarter to a grand hotel. Rely on taxis or the district's small buses, as cars struggle to get around.

Moorish patio with marble columns and carved arches around a fountain pool, potted plants and wooden galleries

Where to dine

Faralá

At the foot of the Alhambra, on the Cuesta de Gomérez, chef Cristina Jiménez has earned a Michelin star with cooking that showcases the province's produce, from Saladilla bread to Huétor peas. Three tasting menus upstairs; on the ground floor, the El Quejío wine bar hosts live flamenco.

Mirador de Morayma

A carmen in the Albaicín, the quarter's typical house with a hidden garden, where legend has it that Morayma, wife of Boabdil, lived during her husband's captivity. Seasonal Granada cooking, wines from the owners' own vineyard in the Alpujarras and a view of the Nasrid palaces from the terrace. Closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Albidaya

A small restaurant in the centre, awarded a Bib Gourmand by the Michelin Guide, run by Ismael Abderrahaman in the kitchen and Jorge Seco front of house. The market menu changes every week and blends Andalusian and Moroccan flavours; almost the entire wine list is served by the glass.

Beyond golf

The Alhambra and the Generalife

Begun in 1238 by Muhammad I, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, the citadel took on most of its present appearance in the 14th century. The Nasrid palaces, the Court of the Lions, the gardens of the Generalife and the Renaissance palace of Charles V: the whole ensemble has been a Unesco site since 1984. Entry to the palaces is timed; book online on the Patronato website and aim for the first hour.

The Albaicín and the Sacromonte

Opposite the Alhambra, the old Moorish quarter, added to the Unesco site in 1994, is explored on foot through its steep lanes up to the Mirador de San Nicolás at sunset. Below, on the banks of the Darro, El Bañuelo preserves Arab baths from the 11th and 12th centuries. Higher up, the Sacromonte and its cave houses host flamenco shows in the caves in the evening.

The Costa Tropical

On your Los Moriscos day, carry on along the coast: Playa Granada and its palm-lined promenade, then the white villages of the Costa Tropical, where the mild winter lets you lunch outdoors in January. The road drops from the Sierra Nevada to the sea in under an hour, one of the most striking contrasts in Andalusia.

Cobbled lane between whitewashed houses, wrought-iron balconies, bougainvillea and cypresses at dusk

When to go

Spring, from March to June, and autumn, from September to November, are the best seasons: mild days, with the Sierra Nevada often still snow-capped in April. July and August regularly exceed 34 °C in the city and can only be played at dawn. Winter is cool and sometimes frosty in the mornings in Granada, but the Motril coast stays pleasant: that is the time to favour Los Moriscos.

Getting there

Granada's Federico García Lorca airport (GRX), 15 km to the west, is about twenty minutes from the centre, with mainly domestic connections. Many golfers fly into Málaga (AGP), about an hour and a half's drive away. Granada station is served by the AVE from Madrid and Barcelona. Allow a quarter of an hour to Las Gabias and an hour to Motril.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best golf course near Granada?

The Granada Club de Golf, at Las Gabias, 8 km from the centre: a 1986 par 71 on a hill facing the Sierra Nevada. It is the most convenient course for a city stay.

How many golf courses are there around Granada?

The province has three eighteen-hole courses. We recommend the Granada Club de Golf, a quarter of an hour from the city, and Los Moriscos, by the sea at Motril, about an hour away.

Can you play golf by the sea near Granada?

Yes, at Los Moriscos, on Playa Granada in Motril, an 18-hole course beside the Mediterranean, about an hour's drive from the city by motorway.

When is the best time to play golf in Granada?

From March to June and from September to November. Summer is very hot in the city; in winter, mornings are cold in Granada but the Motril coast stays mild.

Which airport should I fly into for a golf trip to Granada?

Granada airport (GRX), twenty minutes from the centre, or Málaga (AGP), about an hour and a half away and better served by international flights.

Tailor-made

Your golf trip: Granada

Tee times, suites, transfers and tables: your concierge replies within 24 hours with a proposal shaped around you.

Palm-lined fairway and small lake at sunset, ochre cliffs and the Mediterranean on the horizon

Valencian Community (Costa Blanca)