Granada
Where Moorish Spain still breathes
Cradled beneath the snow-capped Sierra Nevada, Granada is Andalusia at its most romantic. You'll climb cobbled Albaicín lanes to the hilltop Alhambra, lose hours in Moorish palaces, and end the night with free tapas and flamenco echoing from Sacromonte's cave bars.
How long to stay?
Two days: book ahead for the Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces, wander the Generalife gardens, then catch sunset over the citadel from Mirador de San Nicolás with the snowy peaks behind.
Bohemian, atmospheric and steeped in Moorish romance. A student town with a free-tapas tradition, hippie corners, North African flavor and flamenco soul — all under the Alhambra's watchful, floodlit silhouette.
The Albaicín for whitewashed lanes and Alhambra views (steep, but magical). Realejo, the old Jewish quarter, is central and lively with tapas bars. Centro near the cathedral is convenient and flat for first-timers.
Order a drink and you'll get a free tapa with it — a beloved Granada tradition rare elsewhere in Spain. Bar-hop for dinner. And book Alhambra tickets weeks ahead; they sell out fast.
Spring and autumn are ideal — warm days, fewer crowds, gardens in bloom. Summers scorch. Winter brings the surreal combo of skiing Sierra Nevada in the morning and tapas in shirtsleeves by afternoon.
Granada's small airport sits 15km west with bus links to town. Most travelers fly into Málaga (about 90 minutes by car or bus) or take the high-speed AVE train from Madrid in roughly three hours.
Currency is the euro. Spanish is essential outside tourist spots; English is patchy. Life runs late — dinner after 9pm, siesta midday. The Albaicín's hills are steep, so pack comfortable shoes.