Spain Malaga or Granada on Christmas Day?

[Christian]

Hi! So we're off to Malaga for a couple weeks in December and will be there ON Christmas Day. At first, I thought of maybe going to Granada for an overnight stay, but I wonder if it's worth it. Will everything be closed? We were there 6 years ago for one day and the Alhambra is pretty well all we had time to visit, so we decided we'd be back some day to explore the city to see what else it has to offer. Pretty great first impression. I understand Christmas is a tricky time to travel, so I want to make sure we do it right. I also know that Granada has a great Christmas Market (we LOVE them!), but many of those are not open ON Christmas Day!

So...looking for advice! Should we simply stay in Malaga and go to Granada before or after Christmas?

Thanks!

 

[Tina]

Here it says the Christmas market is open until 6th January but that might not be every day

Los mercadillos de Navidad de España más bonitos y mágicos (ordenados por ciudad)

La mayoría de ciudades cuentan con uno o varios mercadillos de Navidad que merecen mucho la pena. Dejarte caer por ellos es un auténtico planazo para el mes de diciembre.

www.google.com

I haven't any direct information for you but a lot of things could be closed actually on Christmas Day. I'd be inclined to spend a night or two in Granada before or after. Bear in mind it'll be a lot colder in Granada than Malaga.
Lots to see and do in Malaga whatever the weather

Malaga what to see and do FREE 31 ideas

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

I love both!

 

[Georgia & Zig]

Hi! So we're off to Malaga for a couple weeks in December and will be there ON Christmas Day. At first, I thought of maybe going to Granada for an overnight stay, but I wonder if it's worth it. Will everything be closed? We were there 6 years ago for one day and the Alhambra is pretty well all we had time to visit, so we decided we'd be back some day to explore the city to see what else it has to offer. Pretty great first impression. I understand Christmas is a tricky time to travel, so I want to make sure we do it right. I also know that Granada has a great Christmas Market (we LOVE them!), but many of those are not open ON Christmas Day!

So...looking for advice! Should we simply stay in Malaga and go to Granada before or after Christmas?

Thanks!

It’s much better to stay more than one night. I would go a couple of days before and leave on the 26th or 27th.

 

[Christian]

It’s much better to stay more than one night. I would go a couple of days before and leave on the 26th or 27th.

Thank you! That may not be an option, as we'll already have a rental in Malaga for 16 nights.

 

[Christian]

Here it says the Christmas market is open until 6th January but that might not be every day

Los mercadillos de Navidad de España más bonitos y mágicos (ordenados por ciudad)

La mayoría de ciudades cuentan con uno o varios mercadillos de Navidad que merecen mucho la pena. Dejarte caer por ellos es un auténtico planazo para el mes de diciembre.

www.google.com

I haven't any direct information for you but a lot of things could be closed actually on Christmas Day. I'd be inclined to spend a night or two in Granada before or after. Bear in mind it'll be a lot colder in Granada than Malaga.
Lots to see and do in Malaga whatever the weather

Malaga what to see and do FREE 31 ideas

A blog about travel, vacations and holidays in Italy and Spain with advice, tips and trip reports

slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com

I love both!

Thank you, Tina! And thank you for the link leading to an amazing website! As for the cold weather, well, as cold as it may get in Granada in December, I'm sure it will be colder here in Toronto, where we're from! We'll be fine!

 

[Lance]

Hi! So we're off to Malaga for a couple weeks in December and will be there ON Christmas Day. At first, I thought of maybe going to Granada for an overnight stay, but I wonder if it's worth it. Will everything be closed? We were there 6 years ago for one day and the Alhambra is pretty well all we had time to visit, so we decided we'd be back some day to explore the city to see what else it has to offer. Pretty great first impression. I understand Christmas is a tricky time to travel, so I want to make sure we do it right. I also know that Granada has a great Christmas Market (we LOVE them!), but many of those are not open ON Christmas Day!

So...looking for advice! Should we simply stay in Malaga and go to Granada before or after Christmas?

Thanks!

I haven't been there for several years, but when I did go, yes, everything was closed on Christmas Day. That being said, I would recommend going to Granada before Christmas! The Albaicín quarter looks beautiful with all the lights, and seeing the Alhambra in winter is something else. Plus, there's the Christmas market, the "Feria del Belén," where locals display nativity scenes and crafts.

 

[Christian]

So we ended up doing an overnight in Granada before Christmas and it was great! Granada is amazing at Christmastime! Back in Málaga, we had the most fantastic time! The weather was absolutely fantastic and the atmosphere was festive and lots of fun! We would spend the Holidays there anytime! The only tiny little challenge was dining out on Christmas Eve. I would say that a good 90-95% of restaurants are closed in the evening. Then, we were kinda surprised (and happy!) to see that almost everything is open for dinner on Christmas Day! Such a wonderful holiday!