Getting to Spain

The closest airport to Capileira is at Granada (70 km, 45 mi, airport code GRX), which has several daily flights to Madrid and Barcelona on Iberia (often expensive, unless part of a transatlantic ticket). Next closest is Málaga (150 km, 95 mi, airport code AGP), with discount flights to many European cities, then Madrid (500 km, 310 mi, airport code MAD).

From the UK, easyJet flies from Liverpool, East Midlands, Bristol, and London (Luton, Gatwick and Stansted airports) to Málaga, and from Liverpool and London to Madrid (flights must be booked at easyjet.com or by phone 0870 6 000 000). Other options include flights on British Airways, bmi, or Iberia, which you can search for on expedia.co.uk.

From the US there are many flight options to Madrid, Málaga, or Granada, either direct (to Madrid only) or with a connection at a European hub (Madrid, London, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Paris, Zürich, Milan, etc.). Granada as the destination is often available for the same price as Madrid or Malaga when combined with a transatlantic flight on British Airways or Iberia (around $850 r/t from the East Coast as of April). Try expedia.com, or the 'my dates are flexible' low-cost search on travelocity.com, though a consolidator like DiscountAirfare.com or EuropeDiscount.net might have lower fares. If you're a student, try StudentUniverse.com or STAtravel.com.

From Switzerland there are numerous flight options from Geneva, Basel and Zürich to Madrid, Málaga, or Granada, either direct or with a connection. You might try expedia.ch or swiss.com (Swiss International Air Lines). The least expensive way to Málaga might be on easyJet from Geneva to Barcelona (book the first leg with easyjet.ch), then continuing to Málaga on Spanair (book with spanair.com or a travel agent).

By land, there are overnight Talgo Trenhotel trains from Paris-Austerlitz to Madrid-Chamartin, and from Zürich HB to Barcelona-Sants (from which Granada is an additional overnight train ride away). London-Waterloo is of course linked to Paris-Nord in 3 h by Eurostar.

Getting around Spain

A car rental (the easiest way to Capileira) can be arranged through an online travel agent like Expedia (links above), from holidayautos.com, or from one of the agencies listed at andalucia.com. (Note for those from the US: specify automatic shift if desired at the time of booking as the default in Europe is stick shift)

Or easycar.com, with locations at Málaga airport and in Madrid, might be an economical choice if booked far enough ahead of time. Note though that they have a 100 km per day allowance (€0.12/km above this), and no automatic shift cars.

Public transport

Between Madrid and Granada there is a bus about every 2 hours (every hour on Fridays and Sundays, a 5 h 20 min journey). In Madrid, it leaves from the bus station at metro Avda. de América (+34 917.45.63.00). In Granada, it leaves from the municipal bus station, about 3 km northwest of center on the Carretera de Jaén (bus no. 3 from the Gran Vía, +34 958.18.54.80).

Between Málaga and Granada there is an hourly bus departure from 7:00 to 21:00 in both directions (1 h 45 min journey). In Málaga, it leaves from the bus station on the Paseo de los Tilos (+34 952.34.17.38), and in Granada from the municipal bus station. There is also a city bus (No. 19) or a regional train linking Málaga station with the airport (both services run every 1/2 hour from about 7am to midnight), and buses for points both east and west on the Costa del Sol.

Bus schedules and prices are available from Alsina Graells (continental-auto.es), the main bus company in Andalucía.

There are also trains linking Granada with Madrid Atocha station (6-8 hours), and Granada with Barcelona Sants station (overnight). Information from renfe.es.

Getting to the wedding

See the Capileira page for details on how to get there and where to stay.