# Sierra Nevada 40 minutes from Granada: a skiing and snowshoeing weekend

Two nights in Pradollano, beside the gondola: a day of pistes at Spain's highest resort, another on snowshoes up to the 3,100 metres of the Veleta, and the Mirlo Blanco for the children.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/spain/andalusia/sierra-nevada/itineraries/sierra-nevada-ski-snowshoe-weekend-from-granada · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Sierra Nevada (Pradollano)

Sierra Nevada is 31 km from Granada: 40 minutes by road and you are at the highest ski resort in Spain. From Jaén or Málaga it is about two hours, and from Almería or Córdoba, a little more: enough to make it worth sleeping up the mountain. This weekend stays in Pradollano, beside the gondola, and alternates a day on the pistes with one on snowshoes.

## Where to sleep?

On Plaza de Andalucía in Pradollano, where the Al-Ándalus gondola leaves. The Apartahotel Trevenque has 72 apartments with kitchens, for two to six, free ski storage and direct access from the covered car park: it is the most comfortable for families. The Hotel Telecabina, next door, has rooms for one to four and is adapted for disabled access. Both belong to the resort itself and sell stays from 4 December 2026. The Albergue Inturjoven, in Los Peñones, is the cheap option.

## What to do each day?

If you skiIf you don't ski

Saturday112.5 km of pistes, from Borreguiles to the VeletaMirlo Blanco: Mirlo toboggan from €7

SundayGuided snowshoeing to the Posiciones del VeletaThe same: no technique needed

The lift pass has dynamic pricing: buy it online in advance. Snowshoeing with Nevadensis costs from €65 per person in groups of 4 to 10, with a qualified guide and equipment.

## And without a car?

Autocares Tocina runs from Granada bus station to Pradollano for €10 return, and the city bus gets you around the resort for €2.

## El plan

### Friday · 18:00 · Arrival in Pradollano
From Granada by the A-395 or on the 17:15 bus. Park in the covered car park on Plaza de Andalucía and leave the skis in the Trevenque ski store.

### Saturday · 9:00 · Skiing in Sierra Nevada
Al-Ándalus gondola to Borreguiles. Beginners on the Borreguiles greens; the rest, reds towards the Laguna de las Yeguas and the Veleta.

### Saturday · 13:00 · Lunch at the Central Grill
Self-service at Borreguiles, menu from €14.90.

### Saturday · 16:30 · Mirlo Blanco
Down the Río piste and Mirlo toboggan, from €7, at the foot of Pradollano.

### Sunday · 9:00 · Snowshoeing to the Posiciones del Veleta
With Nevadensis, from the Albergue Universitario, three to five hours.

### Sunday · 14:30 · Lunch at Ruta del Veleta
In Cenes de la Vega, on the way down to Granada. Sundays at midday only, with a booking.

## Consejos

### Lift pass online and early
With dynamic pricing, buying on the day at the ticket office is the most expensive.

### Avoid long weekends
December, Christmas and Andalusia Day fill the pistes and the road.

### Always carry chains
The A-395 may require them in snowfall.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take from Granada to Sierra Nevada?
About 40 minutes by car on the A-395.

### Where to sleep at the foot of the pistes?
On Plaza de Andalucía in Pradollano: Hotel Telecabina or Apartahotel Trevenque.

### How much does the weekend cost?
Between €250 and €420 per person with two nights, lift pass, rental, snowshoes and meals.

### What to do without skiing?
Guided snowshoeing up to the Veleta and the Mirlo Blanco.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Telecabina**: The hotel
The Hotel Telecabina belongs to Cetursa, the company that runs the resort, and is in Plaza de Andalucía, the centre of Pradollano, a few metres from the Al-Ándalus gondola and the main lifts. It has single, double and quadruple rooms and a junior suite, with a full bathroom, hairdryer, safe and satellite television. It is adapted for people with disabilities and designed for families and groups.
Season and bookings
It closes out of season. For winter 2026-2027 it sells stays online from 4 December, on the resort's website, which is the hotel's official channel. The website does not publish fixed prices: the booking engine gives the rate according to the dates and number of people.
If you prefer to talk to someone, Cetursa's booking agency answers on 958 70 80 90 (option 2), Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00 in pre-season, with no service at weekends or on public holidays. The same number has a customer-service option for questions about the resort.
Who it is for
For anyone who wants to sleep literally next to the lifts and get around Pradollano on foot. It is practical for families: the quadruples have a separate living room, the Cole de la Nieve takes the smallest children and, for those who do not ski, the Mirlo Blanco snow park is at the foot of the Río slope. For the day on the slopes, see the skiing in Sierra Nevada listing, with the lift pass and the levels.
Getting there and parking
Beneath Plaza de Andalucía is the covered car park, with 2,644 spaces and a winter price depending on the day; the other Pradollano car parks are further down. Without a car, the bus from Granada stops in Pradollano, a few minutes' walk away, and the town bus links the village with Los Peñones and the University Hostel.
- **Apartahotel Trevenque**: The Trevenque is a three-star apartment hotel at Plaza de Andalucía 6, the centre of Pradollano, about 50 metres from the Al-Ándalus gondola and close to the Borreguiles gondola and the Parador chairlift. It is marketed by the Sierra Nevada resort itself, which takes bookings on its website. It has 72 apartments with kitchens, and its main advantage is a practical one: you enter directly from level -2 of the covered public car park beneath the square, without going out into the street with your skis and suitcases.
Studios and apartments with kitchens
There are three types: studios for two people, one-bedroom apartments for four and two-bedroom for six. All have a kitchen, television and free wifi, and cleaning is daily except the kitchen, which is up to you. It is the resort's option for families or groups who want to cook and not eat out every day.
Reception, ski store and fireplace
The building has 24-hour reception, a laundry, a café and, next to it, a lounge with a fireplace and views of the valley and Granada. The ski store is free, so boots and skis stay downstairs. The listing does not publish check-in and check-out times or conditions for pets: ask on 958 48 08 62.
Season and booking
Booking is done online on the Sierra Nevada website; for the 2026-27 season, online bookings were open for stays from 4 December 2026. Before opening, the resort takes bookings on 958 70 80 90 (option 2), Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00.
Fifty metres from the gondola
From the door you go up by gondola to Borreguiles, where the Central Grill serves a slope menu, and to the whole ski area summarised in the skiing in Sierra Nevada listing. For small children, Fuente del Mirlo Blanco has sleds and slides, and the Cole de la Nieve looks after those learning to ski. For leaving the car, see the Pradollano car parks listing.
- **Inturjoven Sierra Nevada Hostel**, desde 24.5 € / bed: The Inturjoven Sierra Nevada hostel is the youth hostel of the Junta de Andalucía at the resort, at Calle de los Peñones 22, next to the High Performance Centre and the slopes. It is the cheapest option for sleeping up there; it works with school groups, clubs and athletes, and accepts any traveller.
Bunks and apartments
The rooms range from singles and doubles to rooms for up to six, with beds and bunk beds, all with a bathroom: doubles for four, triples with a bed and two bunks for five, triples with two beds and a bunk for four, and other combinations. There are also double or triple apartments, with a bed and a bunk, and quadruple or sextuple ones, with two beds and two bunks. There are rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. Free wifi and 24-hour reception.
What it costs in 2026
The 2026 rate is charged per person per night, with VAT, according to age and season. Young people up to 25 and over-60s pay €24.50 in mid season, €28.50 in high season and €32.50 in extra season; adults aged 26 to 59, €30.50, €34.50 and €38.50. Breakfast or an afternoon snack costs €4.30; lunch, dinner or a packed lunch, €10.50. Parking is paid separately per day, and a cot, €4. On some dates breakfast or half board is compulsory, and groups of more than twenty people get a discount. The season calendar is in the price table on its website.
Skiing from the door
The hostel hires out ski and snowboard equipment and manages courses; they can also be arranged at reception on arrival. For getting around without a car, see the Pradollano town bus. The skiing in Sierra Nevada listing summarises the resort and the lift pass, and for children who do not ski there is Fuente del Mirlo Blanco.
Dining room and lounges
Meals are served in a buffet dining room with large windows onto the sierra, and there is a lounge with a central fireplace. The hostel has four rooms for meetings and events, and offers long stays for anyone who wants to work or study in the sierra.
If you come up from Granada without a car, the bus from Granada to Sierra Nevada reaches Pradollano.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Hotel Telecabina**: The hotel
The Hotel Telecabina belongs to Cetursa, the company that runs the resort, and is in Plaza de Andalucía, the centre of Pradollano, a few metres from the Al-Ándalus gondola and the main lifts. It has single, double and quadruple rooms and a junior suite, with a full bathroom, hairdryer, safe and satellite television. It is adapted for people with disabilities and designed for families and groups.
Season and bookings
It closes out of season. For winter 2026-2027 it sells stays online from 4 December, on the resort's website, which is the hotel's official channel. The website does not publish fixed prices: the booking engine gives the rate according to the dates and number of people.
If you prefer to talk to someone, Cetursa's booking agency answers on 958 70 80 90 (option 2), Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00 in pre-season, with no service at weekends or on public holidays. The same number has a customer-service option for questions about the resort.
Who it is for
For anyone who wants to sleep literally next to the lifts and get around Pradollano on foot. It is practical for families: the quadruples have a separate living room, the Cole de la Nieve takes the smallest children and, for those who do not ski, the Mirlo Blanco snow park is at the foot of the Río slope. For the day on the slopes, see the skiing in Sierra Nevada listing, with the lift pass and the levels.
Getting there and parking
Beneath Plaza de Andalucía is the covered car park, with 2,644 spaces and a winter price depending on the day; the other Pradollano car parks are further down. Without a car, the bus from Granada stops in Pradollano, a few minutes' walk away, and the town bus links the village with Los Peñones and the University Hostel.
- **Apartahotel Trevenque**: The Trevenque is a three-star apartment hotel at Plaza de Andalucía 6, the centre of Pradollano, about 50 metres from the Al-Ándalus gondola and close to the Borreguiles gondola and the Parador chairlift. It is marketed by the Sierra Nevada resort itself, which takes bookings on its website. It has 72 apartments with kitchens, and its main advantage is a practical one: you enter directly from level -2 of the covered public car park beneath the square, without going out into the street with your skis and suitcases.
Studios and apartments with kitchens
There are three types: studios for two people, one-bedroom apartments for four and two-bedroom for six. All have a kitchen, television and free wifi, and cleaning is daily except the kitchen, which is up to you. It is the resort's option for families or groups who want to cook and not eat out every day.
Reception, ski store and fireplace
The building has 24-hour reception, a laundry, a café and, next to it, a lounge with a fireplace and views of the valley and Granada. The ski store is free, so boots and skis stay downstairs. The listing does not publish check-in and check-out times or conditions for pets: ask on 958 48 08 62.
Season and booking
Booking is done online on the Sierra Nevada website; for the 2026-27 season, online bookings were open for stays from 4 December 2026. Before opening, the resort takes bookings on 958 70 80 90 (option 2), Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 15:00.
Fifty metres from the gondola
From the door you go up by gondola to Borreguiles, where the Central Grill serves a slope menu, and to the whole ski area summarised in the skiing in Sierra Nevada listing. For small children, Fuente del Mirlo Blanco has sleds and slides, and the Cole de la Nieve looks after those learning to ski. For leaving the car, see the Pradollano car parks listing.
- **Inturjoven Sierra Nevada Hostel**, desde 24.5 € / bed: The Inturjoven Sierra Nevada hostel is the youth hostel of the Junta de Andalucía at the resort, at Calle de los Peñones 22, next to the High Performance Centre and the slopes. It is the cheapest option for sleeping up there; it works with school groups, clubs and athletes, and accepts any traveller.
Bunks and apartments
The rooms range from singles and doubles to rooms for up to six, with beds and bunk beds, all with a bathroom: doubles for four, triples with a bed and two bunks for five, triples with two beds and a bunk for four, and other combinations. There are also double or triple apartments, with a bed and a bunk, and quadruple or sextuple ones, with two beds and two bunks. There are rooms adapted for people with reduced mobility. Free wifi and 24-hour reception.
What it costs in 2026
The 2026 rate is charged per person per night, with VAT, according to age and season. Young people up to 25 and over-60s pay €24.50 in mid season, €28.50 in high season and €32.50 in extra season; adults aged 26 to 59, €30.50, €34.50 and €38.50. Breakfast or an afternoon snack costs €4.30; lunch, dinner or a packed lunch, €10.50. Parking is paid separately per day, and a cot, €4. On some dates breakfast or half board is compulsory, and groups of more than twenty people get a discount. The season calendar is in the price table on its website.
Skiing from the door
The hostel hires out ski and snowboard equipment and manages courses; they can also be arranged at reception on arrival. For getting around without a car, see the Pradollano town bus. The skiing in Sierra Nevada listing summarises the resort and the lift pass, and for children who do not ski there is Fuente del Mirlo Blanco.
Dining room and lounges
Meals are served in a buffet dining room with large windows onto the sierra, and there is a lounge with a central fireplace. The hostel has four rooms for meetings and events, and offers long stays for anyone who wants to work or study in the sierra.
If you come up from Granada without a car, the bus from Granada to Sierra Nevada reaches Pradollano.