I am wondering if anyone has traveled from Granada to Madrid via auto. I know it takes about 5 hours, and there is no AVE so the train takes about 5 hours as well. I am somewhat concerned about driving that far. What is the terrain, road conditions, etc.

Trains now take about 2 hours and 40 minutes - not AVE but still high-speed pendolino type trains.

Hi. I just got back from Andalucia on Wed Sept 22nd. I took an Iberia flight from Granada(GRX) at 7am which arrived in Madrid at 8am. More than enough time for my 11:35am trip back to the US.

I would also be interested in hearing about this drive. We were originally planning to take the train, possibly from Malaga, but when I priced it out, it was equivalent to about $CDN225, and the car rental company I am looking at does not charge a drop fee to leave the car at MAD.

I wonder where PalenQ got his record times from? 2:40 from Granada to Madrid? He knows something the rest of us don't.

As per www.renfe.es (and www.bahn.de for that matter) there are only two direct ones that don't require a change of trains en route - the 09:45 that takes 4:25 hours and the 18:05 that takes 4:47 hours.

The others, requiring one or two changes of trains en route, take 6:15 or much longer.

www.viamichelin.com estimates a good four hours, more if you have to get to a specific target in Madrid where all bets could be off depending on location and time of day.

If you click on the options the site tells you all about slow-downs, steep hills, road work etc. - it gets very detailed, and you can input the type of vehicle etc. and it will calculate your cost.

The road's fine, but the drive is boring unless you stop off in Consuegra to see the wind mills and stop in Toledo for lunch.

I wonder where PalenQ got his record times from? 2:40 from Granada to Madrid? He knows something the rest of us don't.>

well i waz dead wrong - reading a printed schedule and read the wrong line - Dolly is right, again, with the over 4 hour train ride. Used to be an overnight train on the route - if running could be an option and save some on a night's hotel costs.

There is no overnight train between Granada and Madrid.

Don't drive. It's a long boring drive, take the bus or train.

Robert got it right-- such a boring ride...unless you stop at Consuegra. Pay attention to the signs (not many)-- blink and miss the turn towards Consuegra. We did (my fault; I was the co-pilot). Not a total loss; we stopped in Toledo. If I was to do this again, we would had never rented a car and will have taken the bus or train instead.

We ended up flying. Pretty darn easy and very cheap.

The drive is easy. Get on motorway A-4 in Granada, go to Madrid. Done. Does not even cost tolls.
The landscape after Jaen is not too exciting, agreed.
But Castilla-La Mancha is as "typical" for Spain as the White Villages of Andalucia or the Galician coast.
If you drive for a few hours thru the plains, you begin to understand why Don Quixote started to fight windmills
Or you'll simply find it boring.
But 4-5 hours is not THAT long of a drive, not even by European standards.