Explore a selection of our most popular Granada experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
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“If you were to visit just one city in Spain, it should be Granada”, said Ernest Hemingway. With that first breath-taking glimpse of the Alhambra Palace set against the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountain range, you understand why. Its 13th century palaces are often cited as the greatest expression of Islamic art in Spain. The Generalife gardens a veritable feast of the senses. Lose yourself in the labyrinth that is the picturesque Albaycín neighbourhood. The rasgueo of the flamenco guitar in the distance as you enjoy the great sight from the Mirador de San Nicolás. Down in the new town; the cathedral with its Royal Chapel as the final resting place of the Catholic Monarchs. Granada, like so many Spanish cities and towns is a live tapestry embodied through its people and its rich history.
Explore a selection of our most popular Granada experiences. However long you spend with us, our luxury, expert-led tours will make you feel like a true insider.
Through the Albayzin, the city’s medieval Moorish quarter with its whitewashed houses, Moroccan-style tea shops, and restaurants in traditional Arab carmen gardens. Continue to the gothic-romantic atmosphere of the city’s 16th century Cathedral, which houses the tombs of iconic Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II. Finish with tapas in local taverns.
Originally just a hilltop fortress on Roman ruins, the Alhambra grew into a complex of palaces, gardens, bathhouses, and dwellings that seem to float between the Sierra Nevada mountains behind and the narrow streets below. Today, no-one visits Granada without also seeing the Alhambra, one of the Seven Wonders of the Muslim World.
Madrid-Toledo-Córdoba-Granada-Seville.
Soaring bell towers, intricate mosaics, vivid fields of saffron, fragrant groves of almonds and oranges – travel through the Spanish landscape that still bears gorgeous traces of “Al-Andalus”, the Islamic dominion that once covered most of the Iberian peninsula. An immersive tour with our historians, guides, and insider’s experiences.
OUR INSIDER’S TIPS
BEST VIEW OF THE CITY:
♥ Mirador San Nicolas (viewpoint) in the Albaicín for the best views of the Alhambra.
♥ Ermita de San Miguel Alto for views of the whole city, including the walls of the Albaicín, the Cathedral, and Granada’s hills, meadows, domes & bell towers.
♥ Alhambra, Torre de Vela (Tower of the Candle), a 360º view of the city of Granada!
BEST PLACE TO SEE THE SUNSET:
♥ All the views mentioned above are great locations to watch the sunset but there is a special corner in Granada where the sunsets are that much more magical. For those, head to the hills of Sacromonte, particularly just above the Cave Museum!
PRETTIEST STREETS TO WALK DOWN:
♥ Calle Calderería Nueva, in the Old Town, close to the Cathedral. It’s filled with tea shops and small stands with leather goods, spices, and souvenirs. Go for a henna tattoo or to feel like you’ve been transported to another era.
♥ Paseo de los Tristes (Walk of the Sad), going down to Carrera del Darro, was a walk originally reserved for funerals, but now is a delightful, lush walk with the Alhambra overhead. The trees are especially beautiful in spring!
♥ Camino del Sacromonte. Looking over into a green valley and especially beautiful at sunset! Go for the views… or the flamenco… or the caves!
TOP GRANADINO PRODUCTS TO TAKE BACK HOME:
♥ Fajalauza Ceramics – the most emblematic product from Granada. Thick blue and green brush stroked bowls, plates, vases, you name it. Most made in the Cecilio Morales Moreno factory which was installed over 300 years ago, but can be found throughout the city and region. Stop by Cerámica Miguel Muñoz if you are in the center or purchase pieces online!
♥ Taracea pieces, or the craft of marquetry, has been produced in Granada since the 14th century. Small pieces of mother of pearl, tortoiseshell, bone, exotic woods or stones are cut by hand and placed in geometric designs. Even the Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabella and Ferdinand had the craft decorate religious ornaments, furniture and other everyday objects. Check out Artesania Gonzalez while you’re in the center for some beautiful pieces.
♥ June is great if you enjoy a party atmosphere. Granada celebrates Corpus Christi in a big way throughout the city and on the fairgrounds. There you’ll find flamenco performances in booths, puppet or “chacoline” shows, bullfighting and parades, only to be juxtaposed with solemn processions of Corpus Christi. Another characteristic element of the festival is the “carocas and quintillas” competition. These are cartoon drawings with satirical limericks that make reference to events that have occurred in the city the previous year. Check them out in the municipal contest where they are exhibited in the Plaza Bib-Rambla.
♥ A low environmental footprint is at the forefront of Diego Higueras’ mission. Visit his famous restaurant, “La Cantina de Diego”, located in the town of Monachil, a 20 min drive from the center of Granada. He describes his cuisine as local, affordable and sustainable. “I always respect products and tradition but without separating myself from new technologies”.
♥ Javier Feixas offers traditional and creative cuisine at Restaurante Faralá, located close to the Alhambra, in the same building as Casa del Arte Flamenco, on the top floor. Upon booking you’ll choose one of 3 tasting menus, each with a slightly different focus. If you feel like having your meal downstairs, you can enjoy it while watching a flamenco show in Casa del Arte Flamenco!
MUST-HAVE GRANADINO DISHES & DRINKS:
♥ Real, adventurous foodies, this one is for you. In every corner of Spain you’ll find tortilla (omelette made with egg, potato and usually onion). Sometimes you’ll find different variations of the tortilla and in Granada you have possibly the most unique one. The Tortilla del Sacromonte, as in the hill where you’ll be watching the sunset, has filled their tortillas with various types of casquería (offal, also called variety meats or the entrails and internal organs of an animal used as food), especially ram brains and criadillas (animal testicles), and frequently breadcrumbs, peas and nuts are also added. If you are game to try this delicacy, try any of the Los Manueles restaurants or the not-to-be-missed Casa Juanillo for a slice or two.
♥ Remojón Granadino is a dish of Arab origin, very popular in Granada, but also in Córdoba and Jaén. It consists of a salad made with peeled and chopped oranges, drizzled with olive oil. The variations of the dish can have cod, olives, eggs, onion or spring onions, garlic, vinegar, paprika, potatoes or tomato are added.
♥ Moraga de Sardinas – a typical seafood dish of Granada cuisine made mainly with sardines from Motril. For its preparation, the sardines are placed in a clay pot, bathed in white wine, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, minced garlic, parsley and salt. Then they are placed on heat for about 10min and ready to enjoy.
♥ The pionono cakes from Antequera!
♥ 3 very important indie pop/rock bands who have paved the way for so many more. Chances are high that you’ll catch them at the music festivals all over Spain!
Los Planetas – 5 members, formed in 1993.
Niños Mutantes – 6 members, formed in 1994.
& Lori Meyers, 6 members, formed in 1998.
♥ And of course, flamenco: Enrique Morente – considered one of the great innovators of flamenco. He unfortunately passed away in 2010 but his son, Kiki Morente, is also become a flamenco singer and the Morente legacy lives on.