Access Granada The last kingdom, and the hill it held.
The Patio de los Arrayanes in the Nasrid palaces
GRANADA · ANDALUSIA

The emirate here outlasted the rest of al-Andalus by 250 years, and spent the difference on one hill.

Córdoba fell in 1236 and Seville in 1248. Granada paid tribute, kept its head down and lasted until 1492 — and built the Alhambra while it did. What that leaves you is one enormous timed appointment on a hill, and a city underneath it where most of the good things are free and all of them are uphill.

Photograph by the author

Granada in brief

CountrySpain — Andalusia, in the province of the same name
PopulationAround 230,000 in the city, roughly half a million with the metropolitan area
LanguageSpanish. English is common in the old city and thins fast outside it
CurrencyEuro
Getting around⭐ On foot, but it is steep — the Albaicín and the Alhambra hill are both climbs. Small buses run up both
ArrivingThe high-speed line reaches Madrid; Córdoba and Seville are doable for a day out. The airport is west of the city
⚠️ SummerJune to September the middle of the day is genuinely hostile. Plan around it
⚠️ Corpus ChristiGranada's fair week, in late spring, fills the city. Best time to come, hardest time to get a bed
1013Granada becomes a capital
1238the Nasrids arrive, and the Alhambra
1492the last emirate falls
1527Charles V's palace is begun
1829Washington Irving moves in
3,479 mMulhacén, mainland Spain's highest

Start here

Ten sections. The city is small enough to walk in a morning and layered enough to take three days, so these are ordered by what people actually come for.

THE FULL HISTORY OF THE HILLThe AlhambraA fortress that became a palace city, survived the kingdom that built it by five hundred years, and was saved by tourists.THE LAST MUSLIM KINGDOM IN IBERIAThe NasridsHow a small tributary emirate outlasted al-Andalus by two and a half centuries.TWENTY PLACES, ONE PAGE EACHLandmarks & SightsEverything in Granada worth your time, with the walk from the cathedral and what it costs you.THE TWO HILLS OPPOSITEThe Albaicín & SacromonteThe old Moorish quarter and the cave houses beyond it — both free, both uphill.BY HOW LONG YOU HAVEItinerariesHalf a day to four, built around the one appointment that cannot move.MOSTLY ON FOOT, AND MOSTLY UPHILLGetting AroundThe centre is walkable. The bits you want are above it.THE TAPA COMES WITH THE DRINKFood & DrinkGranada still gives you food with your drink, and it is not a gimmick.THE MOUNTAIN AND THE COASTDay TripsGranada has a 3,000-metre range behind it and the sea an hour away.GRANADA IS NOT ONLY THE HILLThe City BelowWhat is worth your time once you come down from the Alhambra.

All twenty sights

The AlhambraThe AlhambraPalacios NazaríesPalacios NazaríesPatio de los LeonesPatio de los LeonesGeneralifeGeneralifeAlcazabaAlcazabaPalacio de Carlos VPalacio de Carlos VAlbaicínAlbaicínMirador de San NicolásMirador de San NicolásSacromonteSacromonteCatedral de GranadaCatedral de GranadaCapilla RealCapilla RealMonasterio de la CartujaMonasterio de la CartujaMonasterio de San JerónimoMonasterio de San JerónimoAlcaiceríaAlcaiceríaPlaza Bib-RamblaPlaza Bib-RamblaCarrera del DarroCarrera del DarroEl BañueloEl BañueloCorral del CarbónCorral del CarbónPaseo de los TristesPaseo de los TristesHuerta de San VicenteHuerta de San Vicente

We do not book anything. Access Granada is a guide: it does not sell, book or reserve anything and handles no payments. Some links lead to travel companies, and some of those are affiliate links that may earn this site a commission at no extra cost to you. Any booking you make is between you and that company, under its own terms, and this site is not a party to it.