Can you ski in Granada in December? Most years you can, but the date the lifts start is decided by the weather a few days ahead. Cetursa opened Sierra Nevada on Saturday 29 November in 2025 with 7 kilometres of runs, and on Friday 13 December in 2024, after the long weekend of 6 to 8 December had come and gone without skiing.
Sierra Nevada is the ski resort above the village of Pradollano, 40.3 kilometres by road from Granada Bus Station, run by the public company Cetursa and open from late autumn to spring.
Is Sierra Nevada worth visiting at Christmas? Yes, even if you never ski. Pradollano has a sled ride from 10:00 to 17:15, a Christmas market from 26 to 29 December and the Three Kings skiing down the El Río run on 5 January at 18:30. The bus from Granada takes about 45 minutes, and the last one back leaves at 18:30.
For a visitor spending the holidays in the city, the question is less about skiing than about hours. A morning of snow and an evening of tapas in Granada fit in one day; New Year’s Eve in the mountains does not.
When Sierra Nevada opens and whether you can ski in early December
Cetursa Sierra Nevada aims to open on the last Saturday of November, which in 2026 is the 28th, but the real date has moved by more than two weeks in recent winters. If your trip falls in early December, plan for snow activities and treat skiing as a bonus.
| Opening day | Sierra Nevada season | Skiing on day one | The 6-8 December weekend |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday 27 November | 2021-22 | 8.5 km in Borreguiles and El Río | open |
| Saturday 3 December | 2022-23 | 1.9 km in Borreguiles | open, very little terrain |
| Friday 13 December | 2024-25 | 8 runs in Borreguiles and El Río | closed for skiing |
| Saturday 29 November | 2025-26 | 7 km on 9 runs in Borreguiles | open, 18 km prepared |
By Christmas the picture usually improves. On 22 December 2025 the resort had more than 50 kilometres open in all six areas after 30 centimetres of new snow. In a dry year the early runs rely on machine-made snow, 20 to 40 centimetres of it, hard and icy in the morning. For safety, the piste service asks skiers to stay on marked runs, and on 22 December 2025 it set the avalanche risk at 3 out of 5.
How to spend a half-day of snow in Sierra Nevada without skiing
The simplest Christmas trip is a few hours in Pradollano with no lift pass at all. On last winter’s timetable, the 10:15 bus from Granada Bus Station arrived around 11:00, and the 16:00 bus back put you in the city in time for a late dinner; at weekends there was also a 13:00 return for a shorter morning.
A half-day plan on last winter’s timetable looks like this:
- 10:15, bus from Granada Bus Station, or 15 minutes later from Paseo del Violón.
- Around 11:00, arrival in Pradollano, a short walk from the Mirlo Blanco area.
- Until 17:15, the Mirlo sled keeps running; the market, from 26 to 29 December, stays open until 20:00.
- 16:00 or 18:30, bus back to Granada, with an extra 13:00 departure at weekends and on public holidays.
Everything for non-skiers sits around the Mirlo Blanco area at the bottom of the El Río run: a snow park for children, the Mirlo sled on rails and an ice rink. Cetursa opens them on the same day as the ski season. Prices are paid on site, and the full list is in the guide to the Granada to Sierra Nevada bus.
To see the mountain from higher up, a pedestrian gondola ticket takes you to Borreguiles and back, with four price bands depending on the day. Leave the sled from home behind: the gondola does not accept sleds, ski boots or boards, and up top you use the resort’s own snow slides.
What a Spanish Christmas looks like in Sierra Nevada
The resort’s Christmas programme follows the Spanish calendar rather than the British or American one. Father Christmas visits the Borreguiles slopes before 24 December, but the big children’s night is 5 January, when the Three Kings arrive and leave presents. In Sierra Nevada they do it on skis.
On 5 January 2027 at 18:30 the Kings will ski down the El Río run to Pradollano with an escort of ski clubs and schools, and hand out gifts on a stage in the Plaza de Andalucía. That is the only date of the 2026-27 programme the resort has published so far. Between 26 and 29 December, the Ayuntamiento of Monachil opens its Christmas market in the same square.
New Year’s Eve has its own ritual: twelve grapes, one for each stroke of midnight. In Pradollano the party in the Plaza de Andalucía runs from 23:30 to 2:30 with a DJ, and for the 2025 edition the Andalusian broadcaster Canal Sur announced it would air the chimes from there.
Why New Year’s Eve in Sierra Nevada means staying the night
There is no bus between the 18:30 departure and the next morning, and the party in Pradollano only starts at 23:30. Seeing the New Year in at the ski resort therefore means a hotel or apartment in the village, or a car with a sober driver for the drive down in the dark.
During the long weekend of December 2025 the Pradollano hotels were 70 % full, so rooms for the last night of the year go early. If the snow plan is flexible, a quieter option is to celebrate in Granada and go up on 2 January, which falls on a Saturday in 2027 and runs the weekend timetable, with the extra 13:00 bus down.
How to get to Sierra Nevada from Granada and back
The Autocares Tocina bus leaves Granada Bus Station, stops at Paseo del Violón near the Palacio de Congresos and reaches Pradollano in about 45 minutes. On last winter’s timetable the first bus up left at 8:00 and the last one down at 18:30, with public holidays following the weekend timetable.
Check the 25 December and 1 January services on 958 465 022 before you plan around them. By car it is 40.3 kilometres from the bus station on the A-395. The underground car park under the Plaza de Andalucía is free out of season and becomes pay parking on the day the resort opens.
Taxis are the fallback if you miss the last bus, but there is no fixed fare to quote. If your Christmas includes other trips without a car, the same timetable logic applies to the Monachil gorge walk by bus and to the cave quarter of Guadix.
How Sierra Nevada lift ticket prices work at Christmas
Cetursa Sierra Nevada uses dynamic pricing. Each day has its own price, which can rise as the date approaches, and the 2026-27 calendar of fares is not on sale yet. That makes a cheap Christmas day hard to plan from abroad: the safest move is to buy as soon as your date is fixed and the resort has confirmed it will open.
A few rules do not move. The half-day pass is valid from 13:00 until the lifts close. The child category is under 16, adults are 16 to 64, and the senior rate for 65 and over is sold only at the ticket desk with ID. The resort’s booking line is 958 70 80 90, option 2.
Who should skip Sierra Nevada at Christmas
The resort is a poor bet for a trip fixed months ahead around early December, because the opening date is unknown until days before. Getting there is also hard without a car for anyone with reduced mobility: the bus line is not adapted, as the Consorcio lists it in its timetable.
Families after a calm day out may find the holiday crowds wearing; the busiest dates are the bank holidays. For a December day without snow, Granada itself has the sweets to bring home from Granada at Christmas, and the villages have nativity scenes and Christmas day trips by bus.
Sierra Nevada at Christmas, frequently asked questions
Can you ski in Sierra Nevada in December?
Usually, but not always from the start of the month. Cetursa Sierra Nevada opened the resort on 27 November in 2021, 3 December in 2022, 13 December in 2024 and 29 November in 2025. By late December there is normally skiing: on 22 December 2025 more than 50 kilometres were open across all six areas.
Is there a Christmas market in Sierra Nevada?
Yes. Monachil town council runs a small Christmas market in the Plaza de Andalucía in Pradollano from 26 to 29 December, open from 10:00 to 20:00 in its last edition, with storytelling and craft workshops for children. Entry is free, and this is the easiest Christmas plan in the resort for visitors who do not ski.
Can I go to Sierra Nevada for the day without skiing?
Yes. Pradollano has the Mirlo Blanco snow area, the Mirlo rail sled from 10:00 to 17:15 and an ice rink, all reachable on foot from the bus stop. A pedestrian gondola ticket takes you up to Borreguiles and back, but you cannot carry your own sled or wear ski boots on it.
How do I get back to Granada after New Year’s Eve in Sierra Nevada?
Not by bus. The New Year’s Eve party in the Plaza de Andalucía runs from 23:30 to 2:30, while the last Autocares Tocina bus to Granada leaves Pradollano at 18:30. You need a room in Pradollano, a car with a driver who stays sober for 40.3 kilometres of mountain road, or a plan to celebrate in Granada instead.
Do I need to book Sierra Nevada lift tickets in advance at Christmas?
It helps. Cetursa Sierra Nevada sells day passes at a dynamic price that changes with the date and with how far ahead you buy, and the 2026-27 prices are not on sale yet. The half-day pass starts at 13:00, children under 16 pay the child rate and the 65-plus rate is sold only at the ticket desk.
What happens in Sierra Nevada on 5 January?
The Three Kings ski down the El Río run to Pradollano at 18:30 on 5 January 2027, escorted by ski clubs and schools, and hand out presents in the Plaza de Andalucía. For Spanish children this is the big night. The last bus to Granada leaves at the same time, so families without a car need to stay the night.
At Christmas, Sierra Nevada is a morning plan unless you book a bed: the mountain closes at 18:30 for anyone on the bus.