Granada, Spain

Why Granada

Granada is the kind of city that changes how you think about Spain. Where Barcelona and Madrid feel European and cosmopolitan, Granada pulls you somewhere closer to North Africa — the Moorish architecture, the tea houses of Calle Calderería Nueva, the smell of spices in the Alcaicería market. It’s a smaller city with a university-town energy, and it costs a fraction of what you’d spend in Barcelona.

But of course, the main reason people come is the Alhambra — and it absolutely lives up to the hype. There’s nothing else like it in Europe. The Nasrid Palaces are overwhelming in their detail and beauty, and the Generalife gardens offer some of the most serene spaces you’ll find anywhere. What makes Granada more than a one-attraction city is everything that surrounds it: the Albaicín’s cobbled alleys, the free tapas tradition, the Sierra Nevada looming in the background, and a genuine lack of pretension that bigger Spanish cities sometimes can’t manage.

When to Visit

April–May and September–October offer pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. Summer gets very hot (35°C+), though the nights are lovely. Winter is cold by Andalusian standards but sunny, and the Alhambra is far easier to get tickets for. If you ski, winter lets you combine the slopes with city sightseeing.

Getting There

Granada’s airport (GRX) is small, with limited connections — mostly domestic and a few European routes. Most visitors arrive by bus or car from Málaga (1.5 hours), Seville (3 hours), or Madrid (4 hours by car, or 3.5 hours by AVE via Antequera). A direct high-speed rail link to Madrid opened recently.

Where to Base Yourself

Central Granada (around Plaza Nueva) puts you at the foot of both the Alhambra hill and the Albaicín. It’s the most practical base with the best restaurants nearby. Albaicín itself is atmospheric but hilly — great if you’re fit and want to wake up to Alhambra views. The area around Calle Navas is ideal for the tapas-crawl lifestyle.