Granada (city) - Granada (stad)

Granada is the capital of the province of the same name Granada and is located in the region Andalusia in the southeast of Spain.

Info

Arrive

By plane

Although Granada itself has an airport about 17 kilometers from the city, it is easier and often cheaper for departures from the Netherlands or Belgium to Malaga to fly. Iberia flies to Granada (with transfer in Barcelona or Madrid). Cheap airlines that fly to Granada are Ryanair and Airmonarch (from London) and Vueling (from Barcelona and soon Madrid).

If you fly to Malaga, Granada is fairly easy to reach by bus. This takes about 2 hours.

By train

Granada has a train station. However, this is mainly used by commuters from the region. Only local trains stop that do not run regularly. The nearest high-speed rail station is in Cordoba. The line from Granada to Algeciras that via Ronda drives is very nice and highly recommended.

By car

Granada is very easy to reach by car. It is located on the A92, the highway of Seville nasty Almeria. This highway is best known for being the route from Northern Europe to Algeciras, where the ferry goes to Morocco leaves is. There is also a connection to Madrid.

By bus

In Andalusia, the bus is the most used means of transport between the cities. Granada has a large bus station from where buses cover the whole region. Most buses run approximately every hour between 08:00 and 20:00.

Connections include in:

• Granada-Madrid
• Granada-Seville
• Granada-Malaga
• Granada-Algeciras
• Granada-Cordoba
• Granada-Almeria

By boat

Granada cannot be reached by boat.

Travel around

To look at

Alhambra - Granada's top attraction. This also translates into the queues, which can be very long, especially in summer. (Three hours of waiting is no exception). The most important thing, however, is that only a limited number of people are allowed in per day and that waiting three hours is no guarantee for a ticket. It's best to go online to order tickets. Note: these are at a certain time, stick to it! If you have visited the Alhambra, it is certainly worth visiting Generalife. Generalife was the summer palace of the Nasrid sultans of Granada. Now it is also the summer garden of Granada.

Palacio Nazaries is also part of the Alhambra. It is one of the most beautiful Islamic buildings in Europe and is the showpiece of the Alhambra.

The cathedral, with the tombs of Catholic Kings Ferdinand and Isabel, and the Museum of Antiquities located in the Old Courthouse on Plaza Nueva.

Basilica of San Juan Dios is also worth a visit. It is a Gothic basilica and the largest in the area.

However, the charm of Granada lies not in looking at the buildings from the inside, but in walking around. The Albaycin, the old Moorish quarter, which sits on a hill opposite the Alhambra, is beautiful, with old Moorish houses and viewpoints, from which a sunset is one of the most beautiful things you can experience. The even higher district, Sacromonte (Holy Mountain), is also nice to walk through. Although it is not recommended to walk there in the dark.

Furthermore, the center is not very special, but it is nice to stroll or grab some terraces. The nicest place to sit on the terrace is Plaza Nueva, but also the slightly further one Plaza de Tristes is very beautiful. (Ordinary Plaza Nueva walk down and follow the river and you will get there by yourself). Another good spot are two squares on either side of the cathedral. Although the large rectangular square (Plaza Bib-Rambla) dotted with restaurants that are in every tourist town.

To do

The Semana Santa is very special. this is the week before Easter, when statues of Mary are carried through the city in many different processions. Although Seville is better known for this phenomenon, Granada is also a central point in this celebration. People cry when she comes by and the music is very theatrical and sad. For northerners it is not completely understandable and there are far too many (if you have seen one you know them all) but for the locals it is very important. That alone makes it very special. The best moment is on Maundy Thursday (the Thursday before Easter) in Plaza Nueva at 12:00 noon. Everyone is then completely silent and the streetlights are off. Don't miss it, really very special.

Another typical thing is the feria. In Granada it is at the beginning of June. Again, the one in Seville is much bigger and more special, but unlike Seville, it's much easier to get in. A big funfair and lots of bars are present and it doesn't close until 4pm. If you want to see people in traditional costume, it is highly recommended. The feria site is near the bus station, so outside the center. But special buses run from the Gran Via de colon day and night.

To learn

Granada has many language schools. The advantage is that you learn Castilian at these schools and not the Andalusian they speak on the street. The disadvantage is of course that people on the street look at you strangely because of your neater (from Madrid and therefore negative) Spanish. The Centro de Lenguas Moderno of the University is known for its good courses, although they can be a bit expensive. Don Quijote and Proyecto Espanol or Worldfriends are good options. The Language School can always arrange accommodation that is usually close to the school (and therefore centrally located). Beware of accommodation in the Albaycin, although it is beautifully situated, it is usually expensive. And the steep slopes are no longer funny after 5 days.

To work

To buy

Spaniards love to shop and the people of Granada are no exception. The main shopping street is the Recogidas. Here you will find Zara, Bershka and other chain stores. El Corte Ingles, a department store, has everything, even Dutch fried rice, but is very expensive. The side streets of the Recogidas offer space for all kinds of shops but if you need shoes there is no better place than right here. They are not really expensive and there is an endless supply. Banks (and therefore ATMs) and pharmacies are available in such a number that you never have to search for them. After ten o'clock and on weekends, two pharmacies at Puerta Real (near the Burger King, the real center) are always open. You can get almost everything there.

Food

Eating out is therefore not necessary as the hunger is satisfied with tapas. Remember that Spaniards have a different sense of time, people don't go to a cafe until around 8pm and the restaurants are empty before 10pm. A good restaurant, so no bar where you can also eat, but a real restaurant is Botanico, in calle Trinidad. There are also nice bars at Campo de Principe, which is located in Realejo. It seems a bit out of the way, and maybe it is, but the neighborhood is very nice and not as steep as in the Albaycin.

Budget

Average

Expensive

Going out

For the night owls there is much to do in Granada, just like in all Spanish cities. The nightlife is exuberant and goes on for a long time. Granada does differ from cities such as Madrid and Barcelona where there are many hip clubs. In Granada it is a bit more relaxed, even a bit more Spanish. Women calmly wear a traditional dress when going out. And a lot of Spanish music is played. People dance and clap like you see them doing in village squares. But also the latest music is not shunned. The point is to try many places and find out what you like best. The people are always jovial and although not always friendly (people from Granada are known in Spain as the least social people and they call this mala follar), it is always a party. Good clubs are:

• May West,
• opera 4,
• buda bar,
• Subway
• El Tren (for the alternatives)

Many foreigners go to Calle Pedro de Allercon where there are many bars or to the Granero, a bar close to Plaza Nueva. Don't forget to get the tickets the proppers are handing out.

The gay side of Granada is not very big and mainly takes place in the bars: Fondo de Reservado (with Drag show) and Seis Colores. The Gaydisotheque is la Zoo, but as is often the case in Spain, most clubs are mixed and, despite the reserved attitude, it is not really a problem to go to other clubs. Really mixed is the metro where kissing is no problem. Showing affection in a club like Granada 10 could cause problems, but also here: use your common sense.

When drinking always given something to eat, a tapa. And in Granada, unlike many other places, those are actually included in the price. At some bars they have a card where you can choose from different tapas. Other bars just add to it. This can differ between some olives with oil and a slice of ham, to a plate tortellini with a delicious sauce of four cheeses.

Recommendations for tapas are:

• The bars in Calle Elvira, this street opens onto Plaza Nueva.
• Cuatro, off Plaza Trinidad.
• Bar Poe, nearby Plaza de Trinidad. There are always many foreigners and students in this bar, as the owner is an Englishman, the language is not an obstacle.

stay overnight

Budget

Average

• NH Inglaterra, Cettie Meriem, 6, 34.95.8221559 [1]. In the heart of the commercial and historic center of Granada, a few minutes' walk from the Cathedral and only 10 minutes from the Alhambra. [2]

Expensive

Communication

Safety

Granada is a very safe city. The center can even be walked by women alone at night. Because of the nightlife of the locals (even people of eighty are not in bed before 2 a.m.) there are always people on the street. In the suburbs this is less and common sense should be used. A no-go area (except during the feria) is the area around the bus station. Always take a taxi at night, as that is the streetwalking and user zone. A common cry in Granada is that it's the gypsies who ruin it. This is of course not entirely true, but absolutely avoid the gypsy women who offer flowers. Never take anything from them because either your pocket is rolled or you are arguing.

all around

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