Getting from Barcelona to Granada
 

Hi all,
We are travelling to Barcelona in Oct and plan to go to Granada from Barcelona on oct 11th. But I have realised Granada doesn't have that good connections from BCN. So far my options are BCN- Granada a 14hour night bus which saves money for accommadation or 9hr train trip during day which will take up the whole day. Or BCN- Cordoba a 5 hour AVA ride and bus to Granada. Or fly to Malaga and take the bus to granada. But because it is a weekend flying is the most expensive option. I just want to find out if anyone has done the 14 hr night bus and what that would be like?
Thanks

I would not know how well you sleep or not in a coach seat for 14 hours. A 14 hour overnight bus journey would very likely give a day or much of the day following wasted because I would be wasted.

Yeah that's what I thought too.. I think my best option is to get to Cordoba first.

Forget the bus. Iberia/Vueling has two direct flights on the 11th, one departing at 5:05 pm and the other departing at 8:30 pm. 1hr 25min for $165/one-way.

Vueling's flight on 10/11 isn't that expensive, of course it is in euro, not USD. But it's only 110 euro (US$125) for the basic fare and 130 euro for the Optima.

It isn't expensive that date because it's a weekend, fares are often cheaper on Sat/Sundays, it's that particular weekend or date. I guess the OP isn't aware that it is a national holiday on that Monday (Dia de la Hispanidad or National Day) and so probably a lot of people are flying that weekend.

Usually weekend fares on Vueling are only about 50 euro. So decide if 14 hours in a bus or the rigamarole with AVE plus bus, is worth that difference in train/bus fares versus 110 euro or so. The AVE fare alone is about 80-90 euro, so I don't see how that could be cheaper when you add in bus from Cordoba.

we were in Granada Oct 12 some years ago...it was VERY busy..a lot of Spaniards visit for Holidays.
Flew from Barcelona .

If you were in Madrid or closer to Granada, I'd take the train. However, with the complications of train travel from Barcelona, a flight would be my first choice. Make sure you understand how much weighed luggage you can bring on the plane.

Thanks everyone for all the help. I considered the AVE because it would be nice to stop at Cordoba even for few hours even though it wasn't in our original plan. We'll compare all options and see if train or plane is better. I know Time wise flying is so much better.

You can try the AVE from Barcelona to Malaga and then a bus connection Malaga-granada (should be 1h 30mins).

Or simply try to catch a cheap flight.

Enjoy Spain!

There are only two AVEs from Barcelona to Malaga that do not require a change of trains, and both make the trip in just under 6 hours travel time. The others go through Madrid or Sevilla.

Flying directly to Granada from Barcelona is much quicker.

We visited both last fall, and after researching the time and costs, we decided to fly (Vueling) between the two. We flew on a Saturday, and the cost was the same as the train. I didn't research the bus, though. Have a great time! I loved Granada, especially the Alhambra, of course, but just exploring the city was great.