Travel Guide To Granada, Spain
Surrounded by the Sierra Nevadas, lies Granada… an enchanting, mystical city known for the jaw-dropping palace, the Alhambra. While the Alhambra is a *must* when visiting Granada (+ one of the best sites in all of Europe IMO) there’s a lot that makes Granada so special: tapas, gypsy caves, cobbled streets, street art, white houses, stunning Moorish architecture, tea houses... not to mention a unique history.
While in Granada, I found myself constantly wondering “Where I am?” It truly is such a unique city with Muslim + Spanish culture that I highly recommend visiting!
Coffee + Cafes
- Sur Coffee Corner — takeaway coffee shop with breakfast options
- Note Coffee — cozy coffee shop with small bites
- La Tienda de los Unicornios — cute cafe for brunch
- La Finca Coffee — coffee + pastries
- Caravan Coffee + Tea Shop — Arabic tearoom (around this area there are *so* many tearooms — try them all!)
Restaurants
- Betula Nana — This spot looked *amazing* but it was totally booked up when we tried to go. Make reservations!
- Restaurante Palacio Andaluz Almona — Moroccan restaurant (our fav)
- Restaurante Amazonia Fine Food — very cute vibe + atmosphere!
- Restaurante Libanes Samarkanda — Lebanese restaurant
- Bueno Bar Granada — casual salads + tapas
- Manigua Bar — cozy restaurant that we really wanted to go to… has awesome reviews!
Wellness
#1] Hammam Al Andalus — *MUST. Traditional Turkish bath house. This was such a fun experience! Highly recommend.
#2] Take a workout class — On our list was Pilates Granada (pilates) + Centro Kali (yoga)
#3] Explore the Sierra Nevadas! Check out this guided tour.
#4] Walking Tour: *MUST. We did a walking tour through Airbnb Experience, however I’m sure that there are a lot of amazing ones! Granada has such a rich history + is a very walkable city… so I highly recommend taking a walking tour to start your Granada adventure!
Explore
#1] Alhambra: *MUST. Prepare to be WOW’ED. The Alhambra is a magnificent palace with beautiful gardens. You can easily spend a full half day here. Buy tickets in advance! I wish we would have done a walking tour while we were inside Alhambra to learn more about the history.
#2] Wander Albaicín: Start at the bottom of the hill + climb the hill, wandering around to your hearts delight through narrow cobbled streets + white houses!
#3] Window shop Alcaicería: Yes, it’s touristy, but I still really enjoyed seeing the colorful clothes, spices, silk, + more in the markets. There’s also a lot of teahouses nearby that I’d recommend having a drink at.
#4] Wander Sacromonte: Known for the gypsy caves + now flamenco performances, in my opinion — this area is best done with a guide, so that you can learn about the history! The walking tour I linked up went through Sacaromonte.
#5] Take in the view at Mirador San Nicolás: This is the best view of the Alhambra + a fun experience… you’ll see people playing music, buzzing crowd, + an outdoor market. I highly recommend doing for sunset (even thought it’s crowded) because the way the Alhambra lights up at night is truly stunning.
#6] Cathedral + Royal Chapel of Granada
#7] Flamenco Show: We didn’t go to a flamenco show in Granada (since we saw one in Seville!), but I’d recommend going if you haven’t yet!
Pro Tips:
- Best time to travel? May-June or September-October. We were there late November + it was cold + rainy! We still had fun though ; ), but I wish we were there in nicer weather!
- How many days? 1–3 days
- It doesn’t matter where you stay, since the area is so walkable!
- Highly recommend pairing Granada with other cities in Andalusia, like Seville! Check out my Seville Guide here.
Enjoy the magic of Granda!
Love,
Elisabeth