Granada’s Christmas lights are easiest to reach by metro, not by the cathedral. Get off at Alcázar Genil, walk 361 metres to the Ferris wheel on Paseo del Violón, and the whole illuminated centre lies uphill in front of you, ending 2,436 metres later in Plaza del Carmen.
The Granada Christmas lights are the city council’s seasonal illumination of the centre and neighbourhoods, running from late November until Epiphany. For 2025 the Ayuntamiento records 2,458,956 light points, including a 16.8-metre 3D tree in Plaza Nueva; the Ayuntamiento sets the 2026 date towards the end of November and announces the design with it.
When are the Christmas lights on in Granada? Every evening from 18:30 between the switch-on in late November and Epiphany on 6 January. In the centre they go off at 1:00 from Sunday to Thursday, at 3:00 on Fridays, Saturdays and holiday eves, and at 5:00 on 24 and 31 December. In 2025 the switch-on was on 29 November at 20:30.
How to get to the Christmas lights from your hotel
If your hotel is in the old centre, around Plaza Nueva or Gran Vía, the lights start at your door. If you are further out, the Metropolitano de Granada stop Alcázar Genil leaves you 361 metres from the Palacio de Exposiciones y Congresos de Granada, which is the bottom end of the route.
Starting at the bottom has a practical point. The walk then finishes at Plaza del Carmen, beside Calle Navas, which is Granada’s tapas street, so a late dinner comes at the end instead of halfway: the last show starts at 21:00, which is an ordinary dinner hour in Granada.
From Plaza Nueva, the small C31, C32 and C34 buses climb into the Albaicín. They stop 43 metres from the tree, and a single ticket costs 1.60 euros on board, paid to the driver, which makes the square the natural place to finish if you are staying up the hill.
The walking route, from the Ferris wheel to Plaza del Carmen
The uphill route below measures 2,436 metres along real streets and takes 32 minutes at an easy pace, or 37 minutes counting the walk from the metro. Distances run from the Ferris wheel, so you can tell at any point how far the town hall still is.
| Stop on the route | Distance from the Ferris wheel | Walking time | What is lit there |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paseo del Violón | 0 metres | 0 min | Ferris wheel, a nativity scene made of lights and large light structures |
| Acera del Darro at the river Genil | 388 metres | 5 min | Start of the 635-metre climb to Puerta Real |
| Puerta Real | 1,023 metres | 14 min | Square with fully renewed lighting in 2025 |
| Plaza Bib-Rambla, via Calle Mesones | 1,298 metres | 17 min | Nativity market, open until 21:00 |
| Calle Zacatín | 1,539 metres | 21 min | Narrow lane between Bib-Rambla and Reyes Católicos |
| Plaza Nueva | 1,893 metres | 25 min | 3D Christmas tree, 16.8 metres tall |
| Plaza de Isabel la Católica | 2,128 metres | 28 min | Calle Reyes Católicos, relit end to end in 2025 |
| Plaza del Carmen | 2,436 metres | 32 min | 15 trees wrapped in light and the light and music show |
If you only have twenty minutes, skip the river section and walk from Puerta Real to Plaza Nueva and back to Plaza del Carmen. That loop keeps the three squares with the strongest decorations and measures 1,155 metres, about 15 minutes.
When to catch the Plaza del Carmen light show
The free light and music show in Plaza del Carmen ran three times a night in 2025, at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00. Leaving the Ferris wheel at about 19:25 brings you into the square for the 20:00 show; leaving at 20:25 lands you there for the last one.
A simple plan for one evening:
- 19:25 at the Ferris wheel, after a ride or a look at the light nativity on Paseo del Violón.
- 19:40 at Puerta Real, 1,023 metres up, then Bib-Rambla before its stalls close at 21:00.
- 20:00 in Plaza del Carmen for the show, with Calle Navas next door for dinner.
The Ferris wheel itself kept long hours in the 2025-2026 season, from 11:00 to 23:00 on weekdays and from 11:00 to 2:00 at weekends and on public holidays. It ran from 1 December to 2 February, and rides are paid at its own ticket booth. The lights and the shows cost nothing.
Christmas dates that change your plans in Granada
Five dates in the 2026-2027 season are public holidays in Andalusia: Monday 7 and Tuesday 8 December, Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and 6 January. The 7 December holiday is the Constitution Day holiday moved from Sunday, which gives a four-day weekend from Saturday 5 December.
Two nights run unusually late. On Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve the centre stays lit until 5:00, and on 31 December Plaza del Carmen is reserved for New Year’s Eve in Granada with its midnight grapes, so start that evening from Plaza Nueva instead.
On 5 January, part of this route turns into the course of the Three Kings parade in Granada, which uses Reyes Católicos, Puerta Real and the Acera del Darro. That afternoon the streets belong to the parade, so keep the lights for another night.
What else to fit into a Christmas evening in Granada
The lights route passes through Plaza Bib-Rambla, where the nativity figurine market and the convent sweets stalls set up for the season. Both are covered in the guide to Granada’s Christmas markets, including their two-hour lunch break.
The light nativity on Paseo del Violón is one of several scenes worth seeing in December, and the nativity scenes of Granada are mostly open in the morning, so they suit the day before the lights. An evening that starts with the Nasrid Palaces at night can end in Plaza Nueva, at the foot of the hill.
For what else opens and closes over the holidays, see Granada at Christmas, what is open.
The walk ends by the Palacio de Congresos, which hosts several Granada Christmas concerts, including Diego El Cigala on 28 December.
Travelling as two? Granada at Christmas for couples pairs this walk with the palaces at night and an Alhambra-view dinner.
FAQ about the Granada Christmas lights
When do the Christmas lights go on in Granada?
The Ayuntamiento de Granada announces the date towards the end of November. In 2025 the switch-on took place on Saturday 29 November in Plaza del Carmen, with a show from 20:00 and the button pressed at 20:30. After that the lights came on every evening at 18:30 until Epiphany.
Is Granada worth visiting at Christmas?
For the lights alone, an evening is enough: the main walking route covers 2,436 metres and takes about 32 minutes. Granada adds a nativity market in Plaza Bib-Rambla, a Ferris wheel on Paseo del Violón and a Three Kings parade on 5 January, all within walking distance of the centre.
What time is the light show in Plaza del Carmen?
During Christmas 2025 the light and music show in Plaza del Carmen ran three times every evening, at 19:00, 20:00 and 21:00. It is free, there are no seats or tickets, and you watch it standing in the square facing the Ayuntamiento, whose facade is hung with curtains of lights.
Are the lights on during Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve?
Yes, and for longer than any other night. On 24 and 31 December the city-centre lights stay on until 5:00 and the neighbourhood lights until 3:00. On 31 December Plaza del Carmen is set aside for the midnight grapes, so start the walk from Plaza Nueva that evening.
Walk Granada’s lights uphill from the river and the town hall show becomes the finale rather than the starting gun.