Granada, Spain: A Weekend Trip💫
Welcome!
Welcome to my hometown: 📍Granada, Spain
So you are planning on visiting this city or you are there already? Look no further than for the quick and actionable tips in this guide.
Questions? Don't hesitate to reach out xx
Contents
🗺️ Worth Seeing
🍴 Worth Tasting
💫 Worth Experiencing
🎁 Bonus: Albayzín and City Centre Tour
🚀 Some Last Tips
Worth Seeing
Alhambra
The Alhambra is a must when visiting Granada!
Make sure to get your tickets in advance as it’s Spain’s most visited destination (yes, even more than Sagrada Familia in Barcelona!).
On the website you can find different tour options. I would recommend the General Day Visit, but the Night tour is also impressive. You can check more information here: https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/
Albayzín (Old Town)
The old Arab quarter of the city, with many spots that offer an impressive view of the Alhambra. Scroll down to the bonus section of this guide to find a route for the best areas!
Sacromonte
A very interesting neighbourhood by the Albayzín, where you will find a variety of ethnicities - Arabs, Jews, Spaniards and gypsies. Sacromonte is famous for its cave houses. Many of them offer Flamenco shows.
Worth Tasting
Restaurantes La Carmela
A classic one in Granada. They have 4 restaurants, each specialising in a different cuisine. Great quality and a favourite for locals.
🥘 La Auténtica Carmela (authentic Mediterranean food)
🥄 La Cuchara de Carmela (traditional Granadian cuisine)
🐟 El Pescaíto de Carmela (specialised in fish dishes)
🍝 La Piccola Carmela (Italian cuisine)
Rollo
A hip bar in front of the Cathedral. If you can, grab a table outside to enjoy some good people watching. Perfect for comfort tapas and good sangría.
Los Manueles
Stylish restaurant for Andalusian specialties. Good service and big terrace outside.
Humo El Origen
Fashionable restaurant next to the botanical gardens serving cocktails & traditional dishes with a twist. Good option for meat dishes.
Los Italianos
Room for dessert? Make sure to save some space for ice cream. This is an all-time favourite ice cream store in the city. Don't dare to tell a true Granadian that their ice creams are not good! Try Cassatta, a piece of ice cake in a cone. Take it to go and enjoy in front of the cathedral.
Cafetería Alhambra
Get some churros and hot chocolate here. Important, churros are traditionally eaten either for breakfast or for "merienda" (i.e. a snack eaten around 5-6 pm). This place is popular, so it will probably be crowded. If it’s full, you can find similar cafés in the area.
Top 3 Cafés
La Finca
Oteiza
Baraka
Worth Experiencing
Hamman Al Andalus
Night Out - Some Good Spots
You will find plenty of clubs and bars in Granada where you can enjoy a fun night out. Specific establishments keep changing often, therefore I would recommend to instead go to the main lively streets and find a spot you like.
Bonus: Albayzín & City Centre Tour
Come follow me on a walking tour around the old town and city centre. This will take you approximately 1.5-2 hours, depending on how many stops you make.
1. Make your way to Mirador de San Nicolás to take the perfect picture of the Alhambra.
2. Visit the mosque next to it for a different angle of the Alhambra.
3. After that, make your way down through Plaza Larga, and then continue down through Cuesta del Chapiz.
4. You will arrive at the end to Paseo de los Tristes, where you can see the Alhambra from a different perspective and what we call Casa Maleta (“luggage house”): an old abandoned hotel that looks like a suitcase from the distance ;) There are many restaurants in Paseo de los Tristes but they are quite touristy, so I would instead go to the center (also touristy, but you’ll find more locals).
5. From Paseo de los Tristes take the river down and arrive to Plaza Nueva.
6. Check out the nearby Cathedral and Capilla Real (royal chapel) – the Catholic kings from the XV century are buried here!
7. Cross through the historic street Alcaicería, full of little souvenir shops. Continue down through Calle Reyes Católicos to see the center of the city and the main shopping area.
8. From there, you can either keep going down to see more of the shopping area and the river next to Paseo del Salón.
Some Last Tips
Absolutely visit the Alhambra
Even if you are not a fan of museums, please save a half day to visit the
Alhambra. You won't regret it. Get your tickets in advance online, they will likely be sold out on the same day
Reserve already some restaurants
Granada has become super popular in the last years, therefore reserving in advance is becoming necessary in many places. A must if you would like to eat at La Carmela.
In summer, avoid the outdoors between 2pm and 4pm
You will boil under the sun and only find tourists around you. Instead, use that time to have lunch (remember, lunch is Spain is eaten at around 2pm), or engage in indoor activities with AC.
Interested in More?
Keep an eye out for my upcoming guides on the south of Spain and other parts of the world I have lived in.
For any feedback, please feel free to reach out or find me on instagram (@mariadm100).
Thank you for reading - I hope you will have a wonderful time in Granada!
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