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Looking to travel from Granada to Málaga by train? You've come to the right place!
On average, it takes around 1 hour 46 minutes to travel from Granada to Málaga by train, the fastest services can get you there in as little as 1 hour 24 minutes though. You'll usually find 9 trains per day running along the 89 km route between these two destinations. Once you're onboard, you can sit back and relax, as you won't need to make any changes on your way to Málaga. This route is operated by Renfe, the Spanish national rail operator, who run long and medium distance trains across the country. During you journey you're likely to be traveling on one of their high-speed services – AVE, AV-City, Avant, Alvia or Avlo – or a regional Media Distancia, Regional or Express Regional train.
Plan your trip ahead of time and book early if you want to snap up the cheapest fares. Tickets from Granada to Málaga start from $21.75 when you book in advance, so start a search in our Journey Planner to view the latest prices.
If you're feeling ready to book, start looking for cheap train tickets with us today. Keep reading for more information on the journey to Málaga by train, including our train schedule where you can view first and last train times.
Renfe is the national train operator in Spain. It operates trains on the longest high-speed railway network in Europe, and the second-longest in the world. The country's major cities are linked up by the high-speed AVE and Avlo trains, while other long-distance routes are served by Altaria, Talgo, Alvia and Euromed trains. Renfe also operates cross-border services into neighbouring Portugal and France. Depending on which service you are travelling on, you'll usually find two classes on Renfe trains - Estándard (Standard Class) and Confort (First Class). Fare types range from the cheapest (but least flexible) Básico fare, to the more flexible Elige fares, to the Premium fare for seats in Confort carriages.
Able to reach speeds of at 155 mph (250 km/h), Avant trains operate short and medium distance high-speed services. These trains are intended to cover journeys within the same autonomous community or in two neighbouring communities. For this reason, trains generally don’t offer catering services and travel less than 125 miles (200 km). They have two types of comfort classes – Turista (Second Class) and Preferente (First Class).
In Avant's Turista Class, you'll find most seats arranged in airline-style pairs rather than around tables, air-conditioning, vending machines and accessible toilets.
With Avant, you can take up to 3 pieces of baggage, as long as they do not exceed 290cm (114.1 inches) and 25kg (55.1 pounds) in total. On Avant trains, pushchairs and instruments smaller than 30 x 120 x 38 cm (11.8 x 47.2 x 14.9 inches) are also considered hand baggage.
If you’d like to stretch your legs, most Avant trains have a café carriage, and in case you’d prefer to stay in your seat, a mobile bar service.
Avant trains do not offer Wi-Fi, but you can watch the films or documentaries that are broadcast in each carriage.
Children up to 3 years old travel for free as long as they don’t occupy a seat, but they will need a free child ticket. Children between 3 and 14 years old have a 40% discount on the general price.
You can take your bike or skateboard if it is folded, travels inside a cover and is less than 180 cm (70.8 inches) in total. If the dimensions exceed 180 cm, it will be considered special luggage and must travel with the pedals removed, the handlebars turned 90 degrees and dimensions less than 120 x 90 x 40 cm (47.2 x 35.4 x 15.7 inches).
Your pet can accompany you as long as it weighs less than 10 kg (22 pounds), travels with a pet ticket, doesn’t occupy a seat and is inside a carrier with max dimensions 60 x 35 x 35 cm (23 x 13 x 13 inches). The ticket price is 25% of the standard ticket price, except in first class, which will be free.
Avant has an assistance service for people with reduced mobility or disabilities, to request it contact Avant directly.
Most of the train companies across Europe release their tickets around three to six months in advance, many of which can be cheaper the earlier you book. If you know the dates you want to travel, you may be able to find some cheaper train tickets from Granada to Málaga by booking early.§
Many of the train services in Europe are also popular commuter services, lots of train companies increase ticket prices during “peak hours” (generally between 06:00 – 10:00 and 15:00 – 19:00 on weekdays). If you can, consider travelling outside of peak hours to find lower priced tickets.
On some of the busier routes, you might also have the option to take a slower or connecting train. It may take a little longer than some high-speed or direct services, but if you have a little extra time on your hands, you might find a cheaper fare. Plus, you'll have more time to enjoy the view of the countryside!
Take a look at our handy guides to find out when train operators release their special deals and offers to see if you can find cheap European train tickets for your journey.
For specific information about how to get your hands on cheap tickets, check out our European train tickets hub.