Things to Do in Granada

Not that you can avoid it – the Alhambra completely dominates the city, looming grandly over everything. Inside the Moorish pleasure palace is a series of intricately decorated rooms, tinkling fountains, elegant pools and graceful gardens. Whichever way you look at it, it’s breathtaking.

Throughout the province of Granada it’s customary to get a small snack or ‘tapa’ when you order a drink. In the city itself this has become something of an art form. And the longer you stay, the more the bar rewards you: the tapas you get will improve in size and quality as you sink one drink after another!

Winding alleyways, ancient palatial houses, glimpses of secret gardens, courtyards and patios… Granada is hopelessly romantic. The city’s two old quarters (one Moorish, the other Jewish) are evocative reminders of the city’s former glories. Pick up a copy of Washington Irving's 'Tales of the Alhambra' and revel in it all.

Like much of Andalucia, Granada has a broad hedonistic streak running through it. From the seedy little dive bars of Calle Elvira to the atmospheric old neighborhood bars of the Realejo and the Albayzin, with so many students and backpackers – not to mention the hard-living Granadinos – knocking about the place, you never quite know where a night’s going to end up.

Whilst the Mirador de San Nicolas might be the most popular, the Albayzin is riddled with viewpoints from which to sit and look out over the Alhambra set against its stunning backdrop, the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Truly unmissable.