Overview and History
Granada sits at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, where the Darro River meets the Genil River. The little Darro is now not much more than a babbling trickle, but through the ages, it has carved a deep gorge through Granada. Two hills face each other across the narrow Darro valley. On one, the Sabika, the red walls of the Alhambra stretch along the ridge. On the other, the Albaicín, a jumble of whitewashed houses tumbles down toward the river. Stand on either hill and you're looking straight at the other. That view, more than anything, is Granada.
Why does this one city loom so large in Spanish history? Well, Granada was the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula, and it's where the Reconquista finally brought Moorish rule to an end. But people lived here long before that. Iberians, and then Romans, settled on the Albaicín hill, which the Romans called Iliberis. Then, in 711, the Moors arrived. But before we get to that chapter, let's define who the Moors were.
The Moors weren't one people at all. The name came from the Latin Mauri, the Romans' word for the Berber tribes of Mauretania in northwest Africa, and over the centuries Christian Europe stretched it to cover just about any Muslim living in Spain. In 711 AD, a Berber commander named Tariq ibn Ziyad led an army across the narrow strait from North Africa. The big rock where he landed still carries his name. Gibraltar comes from Jabal Tariq, "Tariq's Mountain." Within about seven years, nearly the whole peninsula was theirs. The newcomers were a mix: Berbers made up most of the fighting men, Arabs from the Middle East took the top seats in government, and before long a great many local Iberians had converted to Islam and become Moors themselves. Together they built al-Andalus, and by the 900s its capital, Córdoba, was by most accounts the grandest city in Western Europe, with paved streets, public baths, and libraries, while much of the continent was still sloshing through the mud. They left behind the Great Mosque of Córdoba, with its forest of red-and-white striped arches, and later the Alhambra in Granada. They also passed along learning in medicine, mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy that eventually made its way north through translators in Toledo. Mind you, it didn't last. Over nearly eight centuries, the Christian kingdoms in the north chipped away at Moorish territory in the long campaign the Spanish call the Reconquista, until all that was left was the little Kingdom of Granada.
Fast forward to 1238. A local leader named Muhammad I ibn al-Ahmar founded the Nasrid dynasty, and Granada's golden age began. One by one, Córdoba and Seville fell to Castile, but the Nasrids hung on for another two and a half centuries. How? They paid tribute to the Christian kings and cleverly played their neighbors against one another. Muslims fleeing the conquered cities poured into Granada, and the sultans poured their wealth into the palaces on the Sabika hill. Most of the Alhambra you'll see today was built by two 14th-century sultans, Yusuf I and Muhammad V.
In January 1492 (the same year Columbus sailed, and in fact, it was here that Isabella finally agreed to fund him), its last ruler, Muhammad XII (Boabdil to the Spanish), handed the keys over to Ferdinand and Isabella. Legend has it he looked back at the Alhambra from a mountain pass and wept, and the spot is still called "the Moor's Last Sigh." Spain's Jews fared no better: in March 1492, in the Alhambra itself, Ferdinand and Isabella signed the Alhambra Decree ordering their expulsion. The Muslims who stayed behind were pressured, then forced, to convert, and between 1609 and 1614 Spain expelled their descendants altogether.
After the conquest, Granada was remade as a Christian, imperial city. Charles V built a Renaissance palace smack in the middle of the Alhambra, and the Catholic Monarchs chose to be buried here. But the Moorish city was never entirely erased. In the 19th century, Romantic travelers — led by the American writer Washington Irving — rediscovered the neglected Alhambra and made it one of the great destinations of Europe. UNESCO added the Alhambra and Generalife to its World Heritage list in 1984, and the Albaicín joined them in 1994.
Getting Around Granada
Here's the good news: Granada's center is compact and flat around the Cathedral, Gran Vía, and Plaza Nueva. The not-so-good news? The two hills flanking the Darro River are the real attraction!
To the south, the walk up to the Alhambra from Plaza Nueva takes 20 to 30 minutes, all of it uphill, though the path winds through shady woods. On the north side of the Darro River, the Albaicín and Sacromonte are a maze of steep, cobbled lanes, many of them stairs. Wear good shoes, and budget plenty of time — and energy — for climbing.
The old quarters are far too narrow for regular city buses, so Granada runs a fleet of little red minibuses up the hills. They come along every 10 to 20 minutes, and the fare is small.
- The C30 runs from Plaza Isabel la Católica up to the Alhambra
- The C31 loops through the Albaicín
- The C32 connects the Alhambra with the Albaicín and Plaza Nueva. This is the most useful single line for visitors
- The C34 climbs to Sacromonte
Single tickets for the minibuses and city buses are €1.60 per ride (purchase from the driver).
Credibús cards can save money if you are riding often or traveling with a group (these cards are sharable). The Credibús card costs €2 and can be loaded with €5, €10, or €20 from the driver, bringing each ride down to well under a euro. These cards are valid on all city buses and minibuses and include a free transfer if made within 60 minutes.
Taxis are inexpensive and can get just about anywhere a bus can. If you'd rather skip the climbing altogether, a hop-on, hop-off tourist train loops around the main sights on a 24-hour ticket.
Arrival in Granada by Train and Bus
Coming from Madrid? High-speed trains from Atocha station get you to Granada in about three and a half hours. From Córdoba, it's about an hour and a half. Seville and Málaga are connected by train, too, and by frequent Alsa buses. The train and bus stations both sit outside the historic center, so plan on a short taxi or bus ride to Gran Vía. I don't recommend driving into the old town. Access to the Albaicín and the center is limited to residents, and cameras catch anyone who tries. Leave the car in one of the public car parks — there's a big one right at the Alhambra.
Granada Map
A hand-drawn sketch of the old city and its two hills, not to scale. Tap any place in the key to jump to its section of the guide.
Key
- 1Alhambra: Nasrid Palaces
- 2Alcazaba & Puerta de la Justicia
- 3Generalife
- 4Cathedral & Royal Chapel
- 5Plaza Nueva
- 6The Alcaicería
- 7Corral del Carbón
- 8Plaza Bib-Rambla
- 9Mirador de San Nicolás
- 10Calle Calderería
- 11El Bañuelo & Carrera del Darro
- 12Paseo de los Tristes
- 13Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte
- 14Abadía del Sacromonte
The dotted line marks the Alhambra's walls. Dashed lines show the walk up to the Alhambra from Plaza Nueva and the Cuesta del Rey Chico path down to the Paseo de los Tristes. Past Plaza Nueva, the Darro runs underground beneath the city streets.
The Alhambra
Why "Alhambra"? The name comes from the Arabic al-Qal'a al-Hamra — "the red fortress" — for the reddish color of its walls, especially at sunset. It isn't really one building. It's a walled city stretched along the ridge of the Sabika hill. Inside those walls you'll find a 13th-century fortress, a string of royal palaces, a Renaissance palace, gardens, and the remains of a little town where the court's officials and craftsmen once lived. Just beyond, on the next hillside over, is the Generalife, the sultans' summer getaway.
The palaces are the Nasrids' great masterpiece. And here's the surprise: they were built from humble materials — brick, wood, plaster, and tile. But the Nasrid craftsmen covered every surface with some of the most intricate decoration ever made. Carved plaster as fine as lace. Geometric tiles. Honeycomb domes called muqarnas. And everywhere, walls of flowing Arabic script — poems written especially for the rooms, and the Nasrid motto, "There is no victor but God," repeated thousands of times. Water runs through nearly every courtyard, carried up the hill from the Darro River by a royal canal. After 1492, the Castilian court used the palaces for a while, then let them go. By the early 1800s, squatters were living in parts of them, and Napoleon's troops had done their share of damage. The restoration that followed turned the Alhambra into one of the most visited monuments in Spain.
Now, a word of warning. Most places in Europe, you walk up, buy a ticket, and stroll in. Not the Alhambra! The number of visitors each day is capped, and every general ticket comes with a fixed 30-minute window to enter the Nasrid Palaces. Show up late, and you lose your chance to see the palaces. (Once you're inside, though, you can stay as long as you like.) You're free to explore the rest of the complex any time that same day. Tickets are issued in your name, so bring the ID you used when you booked.
Open daily 8:30 to 20:00 from April 1 to October 14, and 8:30 to 18:00 from October 15 to March 31, with separate night visits to the Nasrid Palaces and to the Generalife on selected evenings. The general day ticket costs about €22 online, including the booking fee; children under 12 enter free but still need a named ticket. Buy only through the official site, tickets.alhambra-patronato.es, and book as early as possible — in spring and summer, tickets can sell out weeks or even months ahead. Allow three to four hours for a full visit, and note that the walk from the main entrance pavilion to the Nasrid Palaces takes about 15 minutes.
Self-Guided Walking Tour
The Alhambra is big and not very well signposted, and it's all too easy to wear yourself out on the outer grounds before your palace time comes around. This route hits the essential stops in a sensible order, starting at the Puerta de la Justicia. If your Nasrid time slot is early, head straight to Stop 4 and pick up the rest afterward.
Stop 1: Puerta de la Justicia (Gate of Justice)
This massive tower gate, with its great horseshoe arch, was built in 1348 under Yusuf I as the grand ceremonial entrance to the Alhambra. Look up at the outer arch and you'll spot a carved hand on the keystone. Now look at the inner arch — there's a key carved above it. What do they mean? Nobody knows for sure. The hand is often read as the five pillars of Islam. But I like the old legend better: the Alhambra will fall only on the day the hand reaches down and grabs the key.
Stop 2: Palace of Charles V
In 1526, Emperor Charles V came to Granada on his honeymoon, fell for the place, and decided he needed a palace of his own — right in the middle of the Moorish complex. The architect, Pedro Machuca, had trained as a painter in Italy, and it shows. The building is a big square block, and walk inside and you'll find a perfectly round courtyard, one of the purest Italian Renaissance designs anywhere in Spain. Come to find out, the emperor never saw it finished. The roof wasn't completed until the 20th century! Inside are two museums: the Museo de la Alhambra, with beautiful Nasrid woodwork, tiles, and pottery, and the city's fine arts museum.
Stop 3: The Alcazaba
This is the oldest part of the Alhambra, a 13th-century fortress at the western tip of the hill, built by the first Nasrid sultan on top of even older foundations. Inside the walls, you can still make out the foundations of the soldiers' barracks. Climb up the Torre de la Vela, the old watchtower. It was here, on January 2, 1492, that the Castilian banners went up over Granada. From the top, the whole city spreads out below you, with the Albaicín directly across the valley and, on a clear day, the snowcaps of the Sierra Nevada behind.
Stop 4: The Mexuar and Comares Palace
You enter the Nasrid Palaces through the Mexuar, the council hall where the sultan heard petitions and handed down justice. (The Christians later turned it into a chapel.) From there, you pass into the Comares Palace, the sultan's official residence. At its heart is the Court of the Myrtles, a long reflecting pool framed by hedges and arcades — the photo you've probably already seen a hundred times. At the far end, inside the Comares Tower, is the Hall of the Ambassadors, the throne room of the Nasrid kingdom. Don't forget to look up! The carved cedar dome, pieced together from thousands of interlocking bits of wood, is said to represent the seven heavens of Islam.
Stop 5: Palace of the Lions
This is the heart of the Alhambra. Muhammad V built it in the 1370s as his private residence. The Court of the Lions is ringed by a forest of slender marble columns, and in the center, twelve stone lions hold up a fountain basin with a poem carved around its rim. On either side of the court are two of the most extraordinary rooms in the palace. The Hall of the Abencerrajes is named for a noble family whose leaders, the story goes, were massacred here at a banquet. Its star-shaped honeycomb ceiling will stop you in your tracks. Across the court, the Hall of the Two Sisters has an even bigger dome, built from several thousand tiny carved cells. Take your time here. This is the part of the visit you'll remember.
Stop 6: The Partal Gardens
Leaving the palaces, you step out into the terraced gardens of the Partal, where the arcaded Tower of the Ladies is reflected in a big pool. Believe it or not, this is the oldest palace building still standing in the Alhambra, older than both the Comares and Lions palaces. It's a good spot to sit and rest your feet before the walk to the Generalife.
Stop 7: The Generalife
A ten-minute walk along a path lined with cypress trees brings you to the Generalife, the summer palace and farm estate of the Nasrid sultans, laid out on the hillside above the Alhambra in the early 14th century. The centerpiece is the Court of the Water Channel, a long pool lined with flowerbeds and arching jets of water. Don't miss the Water Stairway on the hill above. Water runs down channels carved right into the tops of the handrails — a little reminder that the Nasrids were engineers as much as artists.
From the Generalife, follow the signs back to the main entrance. Or, better yet, take the path down the northern slope, the Cuesta del Rey Chico. It's a pleasant walk down through the woods of the Alhambra grounds, and you'll pop out down on the Darro River near the old town.
The Cathedral & Royal Chapel
Within a few years of the conquest, the Catholic Monarchs set out to give Granada a Christian heart, right on the spot where the Great Mosque once stood. The two buildings that came of it stand side by side in the lower city. Visit them together — they share a history, but they belong to two completely different worlds.
The Royal Chapel (Capilla Real)
Isabella chose Granada as her final resting place, and in 1504 the monarchs founded the Royal Chapel. It was built between 1505 and 1517 in the late Gothic style the Spanish call Isabelline. In the center, behind a towering wrought-iron screen, lie the white marble tombs of Isabella and Ferdinand, carved by the Italian sculptor Domenico Fancelli. Beside them rest their daughter Joanna and her husband Philip. Then head down the steps to the crypt beneath the tombs. There, all four monarchs lie in plain lead coffins. After all that marble, it's a surprisingly humble sight. The sacristy museum holds Isabella's own art collection, including Flemish paintings, along with her crown and scepter.
Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:30, and Sunday 11:30 to 18:30. Admission is €7, including an audio guide app. No photos inside. Allow about an hour.
Granada Cathedral
Work on the Cathedral of the Incarnation started in 1523 and dragged on for nearly two hundred years. The foundations were laid for a Gothic church, but then the architect Diego de Siloé took over and changed course. He turned it into one of the first great Renaissance cathedrals in Spain. Step inside and you'll see what I mean: a huge, bright interior of white columns, with a round chancel under a soaring dome. The front, with its three great arches, was designed in the 1600s by the Granada-born artist Alonso Cano, and his paintings and sculptures fill much of the church. Look for the 16th-century stained glass up in the chancel, the two Baroque organs, and Cano's Immaculate Conception in the sacristy.
Open Monday to Saturday 10:00 to 18:15, and Sunday 15:00 to 18:15. Admission is currently €10, including an audio guide app. Both buildings close to visitors during services. The Archdiocese of Granada sells a combined ticket covering the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, and four other church monuments, including Sacromonte Abbey.
The Albaicín
The Albaicín is Granada's oldest neighborhood and, for many people, their favorite. It spreads across the hill facing the Alhambra and still follows the street plan of the medieval Moorish city: narrow, twisting lanes, whitewashed walls, and little plazas that appear out of nowhere. Many of the grander homes are cármenes, walled villas with terraced gardens hidden from the street — you'll catch glimpses of lemon trees and bougainvillea spilling over the walls. After the Christian conquest, this was where the Muslim and later Morisco families lived, and many of its churches stand on the sites of old mosques. My advice? Put the map in your pocket, walk uphill, and get lost, which I've done many times, especially after an evening of Sangria and vinos. You can always pull the map back out to find your way home.
Carrera del Darro & Paseo de los Tristes
This little lane follows the Darro River from Plaza Nueva, right beneath the walls of the Alhambra, with small stone bridges hopping across the water. It ends at the Paseo de los Tristes — the "Promenade of the Sad Ones" — named for the funeral processions that once passed this way to the cemetery. Don't let the name fool you. Today it's lined with cafés, and it's a wonderful place for a drink, especially in the evening, with the Alhambra walls lit up above.
El Bañuelo
You could walk right past this one. Behind an ordinary-looking doorway on the Carrera del Darro is an 11th-century bathhouse, the oldest and best-preserved Arab bath in Andalusia. So how did it survive? After 1492, the Christian authorities took a dim view of bathhouses, and most of Granada's were torn down. This one was saved because a house was built right on top of it and the baths were put to work as a laundry. Inside, the vaulted rooms are lit by little star-shaped openings in the ceiling. It's cool, quiet, and a welcome break from the crowds up the hill. El Bañuelo is included in the Andalusi Monuments ticket sold by the Alhambra, along with several other Moorish buildings around town.
Mirador de San Nicolás
The little plaza in front of the Church of San Nicolás has the classic view of the Alhambra: palaces and fortress stretched along the ridge, with the Sierra Nevada rising behind. It's free, open at all hours, and best around sunset, when the walls glow red and gold. Mind you, you won't have it to yourself. Expect crowds, street musicians, and folks selling souvenirs. For something quieter, keep climbing to the Mirador de San Cristóbal. The C31 and C32 minibuses stop nearby.
Calle Calderería
Two steep little lanes, Calderería Nueva and Calderería Vieja, run uphill from Calle Elvira. This is Granada's "Little Morocco," packed with tea houses (teterías), leather and lantern shops, and North African bakeries. It's busy and lively in the evening, and a great place to stop for a glass of mint tea and a sticky pastry on your way up or down the hill.
Sacromonte
Past the Albaicín, the hillside of Sacromonte is honeycombed with caves dug by hand into the soft rock. Who lived in them? The cave homes are thought to have been settled after 1492, when Gitano (Roma) families — along with Moriscos and others pushed to the edges of the new Christian city — made their homes here. Over the centuries, Sacromonte became the heart of Granada's Gitano (Gypsies) community and the birthplace of the zambra, Granada's own style of flamenco. Many caves are still lived in today. They're whitewashed at the entrance and surprisingly cool inside, and several now double as small flamenco venues.
Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte
This hillside museum keeps a group of caves just as they were lived in, with displays on the daily life, crafts, and music of the families who called them home. Add in the gardens and a terrific view back across the valley to the Alhambra, and it's well worth the climb. And it is a climb — the path up from the road is steep and uneven. Open daily 10:00 to 20:00 in summer and 10:00 to 18:00 in winter. Admission is €5, and children under 10 get in free. Take the C34 minibus and allow about an hour.
Flamenco in the Caves
An evening flamenco show in a Sacromonte cave is one of Granada's classic experiences. The caves are tiny, so you're only a few feet from the dancers, close enough to feel the stamp of their heels. That said, quality varies, and some places cater mostly to tour groups. Book directly with a well-reviewed venue rather than through a hotel package, and check whether the price includes a ride back down the hill.
Abadía del Sacromonte
At the very top of the hill stands Sacromonte Abbey, and it comes with a great story. In the 1590s, lead tablets inscribed in Arabic turned up in the nearby caves, apparently telling the story of early Christian martyrs. It was a sensation! Pilgrims flocked in from all over Spain, and the abbey was founded in the early 1600s to honor the find. Then, in 1682, the Vatican declared the "Lead Books" forgeries. So who made them, and why? Most historians believe Moriscos wrote them, hoping to find common ground between their Islamic heritage and their new Christian faith. Admission is €7, and the abbey is included in the Archdiocese's combined ticket.
The Alcaicería & City Center
Down below the Albaicín, the flat streets around the Cathedral are the commercial heart of Granada, and they still follow much of the layout of the old Moorish lower city. Plaza Nueva, at the foot of the Albaicín, is everyone's meeting spot and the starting point for the Carrera del Darro. A short walk south of the Cathedral, Plaza Bib-Rambla is a lively square of flower stalls and café tables — the natural place to begin exploring the center.
The Alcaicería
Back in Nasrid times, the Alcaicería was the city's silk market, a gated maze of workshops and stalls next to the Great Mosque, locked up at night and watched over by guards. The original market burned down in 1843, and what you'll wander through today is a rebuilding in the Moorish style. Today it's all lanterns, ceramics, and tea sets, and very commercial. But squeeze through those narrow alleys and you still get a good feel for what a Moorish souk was like.
Corral del Carbón
Just across Calle Reyes Católicos stands one of the best-preserved Nasrid buildings in the lower city: a 14th-century inn and warehouse where traveling merchants stored their goods and bedded down for the night. The horseshoe-arched entrance is framed in delicate carved plaster, topped by a honeycomb vault. After the conquest, it served as a theater, and later as a coal store, which is how it got its name — carbón means coal. The courtyard is free to enter, and you'll only need a few minutes.
Irving & Lorca: Granada's Writers
Two writers, a century apart, shaped the way the world sees Granada. One was an American visitor, the other a native son.
Washington Irving
In 1829, the American writer Washington Irving, then working as a diplomat in Spain, moved into rooms inside the half-abandoned Alhambra and stayed for several months. Imagine that! The book that came out of that stay, Tales of the Alhambra (1832), mixed his sketches of the palace and the colorful characters living in it with old Moorish legends. It was an international hit. No other book did more to put the Alhambra on travelers' maps, and it helped spark the restoration that followed. Plaques mark the rooms where he lived, and you'll find copies of the book for sale all over town. Pick one up — it's still a fine companion for your visit.
Federico García Lorca
Granada's greatest native writer, the poet and playwright Federico García Lorca, was born in 1898 in the village of Fuente Vaqueros, out on the Vega, and grew up between the countryside and the city. His work — Gypsy Ballads, Blood Wedding, The House of Bernarda Alba — draws deeply on Andalusian folk culture, on flamenco, and on the Gitano world of Sacromonte. His story has a sad ending. In August 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War, Nationalist forces arrested him in Granada and executed him in the hills outside the city. His remains have never been found. The Huerta de San Vicente, his family's summer house, now sits in a park named for him on the edge of the center. It's preserved as a museum and visited by guided tour. His birthplace in Fuente Vaqueros is open to visitors, too. Check current times and book ahead for both.
Granada Crafts & Cuisine
Taracea (Inlaid Woodwork)
Granada's signature craft is taracea, a kind of marquetry handed down from the Nasrids. Craftsmen piece together tiny bits of wood, bone, and mother-of-pearl into intricate geometric patterns, then inlay them into boxes, chessboards, and furniture. You'll find workshops in the Albaicín and around the Alhambra, and sometimes you can watch the pieces being set by hand. Quality varies a lot, so shop around, and look closely at the finish before you buy.
Fajalauza Ceramics
Granada's traditional pottery is named for the Fajalauza gate, up at the top of the Albaicín, where potters have fired their kilns since Moorish times. You'll recognize it right away: a white glaze painted with blue and green birds, flowers, and pomegranates. Why pomegranates? The Spanish word for pomegranate is granada! It's the city's emblem, and once you start looking, you'll see it everywhere, from dinner plates to the metal posts along the sidewalks.
Free Tapas
Here's something you'll love. Granada is one of the last cities in Spain where a tapa still comes free with every drink. Order a caña (a small beer) or a glass of wine, and a little plate shows up without your asking, usually something different with each round. The locals don't sit down for one big meal. They hop from bar to bar through the evening, a drink and a tapa at each stop. One tip: wait for your free tapa before ordering from the menu, or the waiter may think you want to pay for a full dish. Calle Navas, Calle Elvira, and the Realejo neighborhood are all good places to start, and Bodegas Castañeda, near Plaza Nueva, is a long-time favorite.
Local Dishes
Keep an eye out for habas con jamón, broad beans sautéed with cured ham from Trevélez, up in the Sierra Nevada, and berenjenas con miel, fried eggplant drizzled with cane honey, a dish with Moorish roots. Feeling brave? Try the tortilla del Sacromonte, Granada's most adventurous specialty. It's a local omelet that traditionally includes lamb's brains and other odds and ends, though plenty of bars now make a milder version. In summer, look for remojón granadino, a salad of orange, salt cod, olives, and egg.
Piononos de Santa Fe
Granada's best-known sweet comes from Santa Fe, the town out on the Vega where Ferdinand and Isabella camped during the siege and signed their deal with Columbus. The pionono is a small rolled sponge cake, soaked in syrup and crowned with a dollop of toasted cream. A Santa Fe pastry maker created it in the late 1800s in honor of Pope Pius IX — Pío Nono in Spanish, hence the name. Casa Ysla, the bakery credited with inventing it, still sells them in Santa Fe and has shops in Granada, too. Get two. You'll want the second one.