Hi all !!!
I will be arriving in Granada second week in September. To be perfectly honest I don't know too much about the city so far!
Any recommendations of what to see and do? I'll be spending 2 or 3 nights there id imagine.
I'm a fan of trekking & hiking so the Sierra Nevada is ideal? Anyone hiked there before? How far is it from the city?
Thanks a mill,
Cian
The obvious is the Alhambra. If you want to go there (I would) ...you need to book in advance. Or at least, if you don't you might not get in ;-)
Apart from that. ..it's a great city for wandering around. Lots of nice, small streets.
Lots of people go to see Flamenco, if that interests you there are some great venues.
One place I liked, if you go to see Flamenco in the traditional area (Sacromonte) ...up above the flamenco places there is a 'cave museum' showing how gypsies used to live,and explaining the roots of flamenco.
Tapas are free in Granada. Just order a drink and ask for one (in this case, no selection, the house chooses)
The Albaicin (arab quarter) is a great place to visit, especially once the bars and restaurants open, which is quite late. El Ladrillo at 35 calle panaderos is a good place to eat. Placeta de san miguel bajo is a typical albaicin square with a few bars. I like Meson El Yunque. Sometime folks will be playing music in the square.
Many folks go to the quarter just for the views of Alhambra from the plaza de san nicolas.
Plenty to do in Granada for 2-3 days.
Good suggestions above, especially about booking in advance to visit the Alhambra - sold out notices were up around 9am when we went to pick our pre-booked tickets up in March.
Have spent a week walking in Sierra Nevada, but that was back in October 1999 and based in Boubion.
First day out was rather wet. The rain in Spain did not stay on the plain and only two people in the group stayed dry (was an organised walking holiday) - myself and the financial director of a leading outdoor brand.
We both had decent kit, others didn't. Snow prevented an ascent of Mulhacen.
We stayed at White Nest hostel in Granada. Had a room rather than dorm beds and the overnight included a basic breakfast.
There was a group in during our visit and the breakfast stuff disappeared rather quickly on first morning there.
On the second morning we just had some juice and then walked down to Cafe Lisboa and had great coffee plus rather large croissants for breakfast...
If you do decide on White Nest and are going for a room rather than a dorm bed, it may be worth asking if Room 37 is available. Great views of a floodlit Alhambra on a night...
Even in September, inland Spain can be very hot. Take plenty of water and wear a hat and sunglasses when trekking.
The best part of Sierra Nevada for trekking is the Alpujarras on the south side. It is a 2.5 hour bus ride from Granada, 3 buses per day. Bus goes via Bubion mentioned above to Capileira, (the second highest village in Spain from where it is possible to ascend Mulhacen, the highest peak in mainland Spain ) and then onto Trevelez the highest village in Spain. In between there are lots of walking route through the white moorish villages. There is a NP office tourist office in Capileira and a tourist office in Pampaneira , village before Bubion, which should have details of walking routes or just buy a map and google for walk ideas. Alternately contact www.spanishhighs.co.uk walking company.
This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.