Visit Granada

The visit fills half a day to a full day: the military Alcazaba and its Vela tower, the Nasrid palaces at the exact time on the timed ticket, and the Generalife gardens on the neighbouring hill. The full ticket often sells out two to three weeks ahead in high season; without a booking, entries for the gardens alone sometimes remain. The Carmen de los Martires, a free romantic garden by the exit, extends the visit quietly, with peacocks and a view over the plain.

Facing the Alhambra, the Albaicin unrolls its sloping lanes, whitewashed houses and walled-garden carmenes. The Mirador San Nicolas offers the classic view of the palace against the snowy peaks, very busy at sunset: come earlier. Lower down, the El Banuelo Arab baths, among the oldest kept in Spain, take fifteen minutes to see. Allow half a day to wander with no set route.

Beyond the Albaicin, gypsy Sacromonte lines its whitewashed cave houses along the hillside. The cave museum explains this way of living and the old trades; the abbey closes the walk. In the evening, the cuevas host the zambra, the form of flamenco unique to Granada, danced in a circle: book, the small venues sell out. The climb from the Carrera del Darro takes about twenty minutes.

After the Reconquest of 1492, the Catholic Monarchs stamped the city. The Renaissance cathedral and the adjoining Royal Chapel, which holds their tombs, take an hour; the chapel closes on Sunday mornings. To the north, the Cartuja monastery surprises with a baroque sacristy of rare profusion. The Parque de las Ciencias, to the south, rounds off the day for families with its planetarium.

The highest range in mainland Spain looms over the city. In winter, the ski resort is 45 minutes by bus; from June to September, the same line climbs to the Hoya de la Mora, at 2500 metres, the start of high-altitude hikes. On the southern slope, the white villages of the Alpujarra, Pampaneira, Bubion and Capileira, form a one-day driving loop.