Getting around: ALSA buses, Málaga vs Granada airport & driving

The short version

• Fly into Málaga for choice and international routes; Granada is smaller but handy for domestic flights and closer to the eastern coast.
• ALSA buses link the coastal towns with each other, Granada, Málaga and Almería — fine for town-to-town, limited for the villages.
• There is no train to the Costa Tropical.
• If you're settling here, you'll almost certainly want a car.

Airports: Málaga vs Granada

Málaga (AGP)

The region's main international gateway, roughly 85–100 km west of Almuñécar — about 1 to 1¼ hours by the A-7 motorway. Far more flights, the widest choice of car hire, and year-round international connections. For most arrivals, this is the airport.

Granada (GRX — Federico García Lorca)

Smaller and inland, around 60–70 km from the coast (about an hour). Fewer routes — mainly Madrid, Barcelona and some seasonal flights — but quick and quiet, and closer if you're heading to the eastern towns or up into the Alpujarra.

Getting from the airport to the coast

• From Málaga: the easiest is to drive or hire a car and take the A-7 east. ALSA also runs coaches from Málaga (airport and city) towards Nerja, Almuñécar and Motril.
• From Granada: the airport has a shuttle into Granada city and its bus station, where ALSA coaches continue down to the coast via the A-44.
• Private transfers and taxis are widely available and worth it with luggage or a group.

ALSA and intercity buses

ALSA is the main intercity operator:

• Coastal run linking Nerja – La Herradura – Almuñécar – Salobreña – Motril and on towards Almería.
• Regular services coast ↔ Granada (roughly 1¼–1½ hours) and coast ↔ Málaga (about 1½–2 hours).
• Motril has the main bus station for the comarca; Almuñécar has its own station too.
• Buy tickets on the ALSA app or website, or at the station. Services run more often in summer.

Driving the coast

• The A-7 (Autovía del Mediterráneo) is the toll-free motorway spine running along the coast — your main east–west route.
• The A-44 motorway climbs inland from Motril up to Granada.
• The old N-340 coast road is fine for short local hops between towns.
• Roads to the inland villages (the Alpujarra, the Lecrín valley) are scenic but winding and mountainous — allow extra time.
• Parking in the old town centres gets tight in high summer; use the edge-of-town car parks.

Local buses & taxis

• Short local lines connect neighbouring towns — La Herradura–Almuñécar, for example — but frequencies drop in winter.
• Taxis are available in every town; ride-hailing apps barely operate outside the big cities, so don't count on Uber or Cabify here.

No trains — what to know

There's no railway along the Costa Tropical — a common surprise. The nearest stations are in Granada, Málaga and Antequera; Antequera has the AVE high-speed line to Madrid (and connections beyond). For anywhere else, it's bus or car.

A few tips

• Hire a car at the airport for your first visits — it transforms what you can see and where you can consider living.
• Download the ALSA app for timetables and tickets, and check summer vs winter schedules.
• If you'll drive long-term, look into swapping to a Spanish licence once resident (rules differ by nationality).
• Coming from Granada in winter, watch the weather — the inland route crosses higher ground.