Granada was the Capital of Moorish Spain and is best
known for one of the most beautiful monumental complexes
in Europe, the Moorish Palace, La Alhambra and the adjacent
Generalife Gardens. It is advisable to buy tickets in
advance online: http://www.alhambradegranada.org/guias/alhambraentradas_en.asp
If you are in Granada you can buy the day before from the
BBV bank or make an early start and join the queue
to buy one of the 30% of tickets that go on sale
on the day. The red Alhambra bus will take you
up the hill to the ticket office, you can catch
it on Gran Via by the Cathedral
Granada is also the place where Cristopher Columbus
set out for America, a statue depicting him with
the Catholic Monarchs is situated at the end of
Gran Via by Plaza Nueva. The tombs of the Monarchs
themselves can be found nearby in the Cathedral,
a mixture of Renaissance and Baroque styles and
a lovely place to escape from the heat of the
day.
Granada's most famous personality is the poet
and playwright Federico García Lorca. You can
visit his home, now a museum and public park:
http://www.huertadesanvicente.com.
If you keep walking down Recogidas you will find
it but check opening times first.
The writer Ian Gibson has won
many awards for his books on Lorca, including
his investigation of Lorca's Death and one of
my favourites a Guide To Lorca's Granada, which
features walks around Granada taking in places
of interest in Lorca's life and work. I've also
included here my favourite Lorca plays, poems
and music.
The Albaicín is a must see, declared a site of
cultural importance by Unesco, it is a warren
of cobbled streets and old Moorish houses and
Monasteries. Starting out from Plaza Nueva follow
the River Daurro down the picturesque narrow road
lined with Rennaissance and Baroque buildings
and the 11th century Moorish baths. You can even
buy cakes from the convent further down opposite
the Church of San José. This road ends at the
Paseo de los Tristes where it opens out into a
lovely square with open-air bars at the very foot
of the Alhambra palace. If you go right, cross
the last bridge and up Cuesta Los Chinos you will
end up at the Alhambra. Turn left up Cuesta Chapiz
to get to the heart of the Albaicin or to take
a stroll up the Camino de Sacromonte to see the
Gypsy caves.
The red Alhambra bus leaves from Plaza Nueva,
you can also catch it on Paseo de los Tristes
if you don't fancy the steep walk. This will take
you up to the Mirador San Nicholas where there
is a panoramic view of the Alhambra set against
a back-drop of the snow covered Sierra Nevada
mountains. After that the best way to enjoy the
Albaicín is to stroll around discovering the hidden
bars and plazas, every corner you turn offers
tantalising glimpses of the Alhambra and fantastic
photo opportunities.
My favourite Albaicín bars include :
La Higuera, hidden round the back of Plaza Fatima, it has a wonderful shaded inner patio and great food.
La Parrona, Plaza Larga, where you can sit on the Plaza itself and enjoy watching the locals shop. Don't forget to have a look at their great photo collection inside the bar, including many flamenco stars and Bill Clinton with the locals.
La Torcuato, Calle del Agua, this is where you find the locals, great atmosphere, great tapas.
El
Yunque, San Miguel Bajo, this is my regular eating place
and nothing beats sitting enjoying a long lunch in the
sunshine. Fantastic food. Try the grilled fish platter.
Vegetarians should try fried aubergine, papas a la pobre
and the fried green peppers if they are getting fed
up of tortilla.
The red Alhambra bus also stops in San Miguel
Bajo and carries on back to Gran Via past the
Cathedral and to its starting place in Plaza Nueva.
Plaza Nueva has many bars where you can sit out
and watch the world go by, a common pastime here
in Granada but it is also where you will find
the Tourist office right next door to the Church
of Santa Ana. Pass by and pick up a free map.
Hidden away behind the church are the Arab baths.
http://www.hammamspain.com/granada/index_en.html
There are simply too many bars to list around
the Plaza Nueva area so again I will mention my
favourites :
Castañedas,
Almireceros, 1, just a short walk down calle Elvira
on the left, is a wonderful old bodega, good wines,
and cheese and meat platters, can be busy, noisy and
only a few tables for those ordering food. Stand at
the bar and you get a free tapa with every drink.
Nueva
Bodega, Cetti Meriem, 9, also left off the calle Elvira
this bar has a restaurant where you can sit, the food
is typically Spanish and good value. Free tapas at the
bar can often mean you can skip a main meal.
On the right of Calle Elvira is a street called
the Calderia Viejo and Caldería Nuevo often referred
to by locals as 'La Tetería' due to the large
number of Moroccan Tea houses there. It is worth
a wander up them to see the moroccan shops, buy
moroccan sweets, take tea and generally feel like
you are in Morocco itself. Shwarma take aways
offer good value with a kebab costing only €4
and the falaful option is great for vegetarians.
Another charming area to explore is the Realejo
on the other side of the Alhambra hill. In the
large square "Campo del Principe" you will find
some really good value restaurants where you can
sit outside. There are also swings and slides
for the children to play on. Just walk up Calle
Molinas from the Christopher Columbus statue and
you get there, the square is to the left past
the supermarket Coviran.
It's also worth exploring around the Cathedral,
narrow streets with a wide selection of shops
lead you out to the Plaza Bib Rambla, a square
full of flower sellers and restaurants. The local
market San Augustin is only a few blocks along
and on the Plaza Pescadería you'll find three
more restaurants which I recommend :
Cunini,
Plaza Pescadería, 14 great seafood restaurant,
a bit pricey but worth it, you often need to book
in advance but you can always settle for tapas
at the bar, try the oysters.
Olivers,
Plaza Pescadería, 12, seafood restaurant, medium
priced, booking not necessary, or try free tapas
at the bar.
Cepillos,
Plaza Pescadería, 18, great cheap restaurant, very good
value and great food, try the Menu del Día.
From the Pescadería it's a short walk to Plaza
Trinidad with its palm trees and tropical plants
where you will find Calle los Mesones and the
neighbouring streets with some of the best shoe
and clothes shops. For example Zara has two shops
on the main roads of Recogidas and Reyes Catolicas.
The Post Office is also located nearby where Recogidas
meets Reyes Catolicas. No need to go there to
buy stamps though, easier to avoid the queues
and go to a Tabac, also the selling point for
tobacco, most streets have one.
Further down is Plaza Real with the Teatro Isabel
Catolica on your left. Next door to it is a Gallery
which often has photo or art exhibitions. Right
now they are showing very old and quite fascinating
photographs of Granada. Keep walking and you reach
the big department store El Cortes Inglés next
to the Church of the Virgin de Las Angustias,
the patron Saint of Granada who is celebrated
by a procession on the last Sunday of September.
Cultural Festivals
Holy Week has been officially declared a "Holiday
of interest to the tourist". Timetables are available
from the tourist office which show you the routes
of the processions which are held daily. January
2nd is the Festival of the Reconquest of Granada
by the Catholic monarchs.
May 3rd is the Festivals of Crosses, a very popular
celebration. Crosses made of flowers are placed
in the streets, while courtyards of the houses
are also adorned.
Between May and June the Corpus Cristi Fair, the
biggest festival in the city, is celebrated. Typical
Andalusian dress is worn, horse-drawn carriages
are used, and there is dancing at the stalls of
the fair. Bullfights are also held.
The last Sunday in September is the Festival of
the Virgen de las Angustias, patron saint of the
city. Open-air dances, bullfights and processions
are held.
The Bullring in Granada was opened in 1928 and
is massive , holding 14,000 people. Bullfights
are held in season (March to November) at the
Plaza de Toros on Avenida del Doctor Olóriz 25.
The bullring's ticket office (tel 958 271 950)
or any of the tourist offices has details of upcoming
corridas.
Obviously I have not covered everything in Granada
but for anyone wanting more information I recommend
http://granadainfo.com/english.htm
as a good resource . You can also look at the
other guides on this website for information on
flamenco and music in general and recommended
accommodation.
Finally a list of useful telephone numbers.
Telephone Information
1003
International information
calls to operator and vollext calls
025
International Calls
1005
National calls
1009
Main Post Office
958 22 48 35
International
calls: 00 + country code + area code + number
for national calls: province code then phone number
(code Granada 958)
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