The ancient Moorish capital city, Granada, is a most unique city to visit. It literally has something for everyone with combining both big city vibe and peaceful rural areas away from the hustle and bustle all within very close proximity to each other.

The main shopping area winds through an intricate network of narrow streets offering all manner of high street shops. From a cultural point of view, Granada provides stunning architectural features such as its Cathedral and Royal Chapel, majestic mansions lining the tree filled avenues along the "Paseo del Salon", the whitewashed Moorish quarter of the "Albaicin" and of course the commonly referred to 8th wonder of the world, the Moorish Royal Palace of the "Alhambra" perched above the city amidst the splendid "Generalife Gardens".

The city is also renowned for the musical arts with an abundence of schools & colleges dedicated to all forms of music and hence attracting students from all around the globe.

The atmosphere in the city is typically relaxed with a youthful aire to it due partly to the huge student population found here. Attractrive plazas are dotted all over the city with perfectly prepared gardens, plenty of cafes, bars & restaurants catering for all tastes, pleasant river walks and friendly locals all adding soothing touches to any city bustle and thereby creating a wonderful experience.

The city itself is compact and the main areas can feasibly be covered during a day's visit including time for shopping and lunch without feeling pressured into getting everything in on time!

The bus terminal on the edge of the city is served by a very efficient circular bus route and even the taxis are reasonably priced. Buses from the main terminal here provide frequent links to all major towns and cities in the area. The main bus company operating longer distance journeys is Alsina Graells.

Among many things, Granada has perhaps one thing that no other city in Spain offers in quite such intensity....it's Tapas scene. The tradition of the Spanish "Tapas" originates in Andalucia back to the times prior to refridgeration and climate control. The locals are traditionally very fond of a nice glass of sherry or brandy whether it be at 7am, midday or at night time.
The old tradition of placing a slice of bread on top of the glass to prevent flies and other bugs taking a plunge soon evolved into a slice of bread with, say, a piece of cured ham. The Spanish verb "Tapar" means "To Cover" and so the tradition of "Tapas" was born. Granada is very much the capital of Tapas whereby in any typical bar you visit, your drink will always be accompanied with a small plate of food, FREE!!. This is called a "Tapa".

Beforehand, you had to buy an alcoholic drink to recieve a tapa, but more liberal thinking and less people drinking alcohol are changing this in many establishments where even your children will get a tapa with their orange juice.

Simple yet effective systems in the bars mean that for your second, third, fourth or however many rounds you have, you will always recieve a different tapa. Some establishments have a menu for you to choose the tapa for yourself.

In most cities within Andalucia, you will find this to be the case although perhaps more restricted to the typical and traditional style bars. In the rest of Spain, you will normally find Tapas but will have to pay for it!!

Some Essential Things to See & Do in the City Include the Following:

A visit to the Old Moorish Quarter, "El Albaicin", (also spelt "Albaizin"), including the romantic viewpoint balcony at the St Nicholas Church for panoramic views over the Alhambra & Granada with the Sierra Nevada mountains behind, (sunset time is particularly beautiful).

*The Alhambra Palace (pre-booking is highly recommended: CLICK HERE)
*The Cathedral and Royal Chapel
*The shopping zone and the main high streets of "Calle Mesones" & "Calle Alhondiga"
*The "Plaza Bib-Rambla" and the tight streets of the "Alcaiceria" leading off towards the Cathedral
*A stroll alongside the river and the "Paseo de los Tristes" from Plaza Nueva at the base of both the Albaicin & Alhambra.
*A stroll through gardens alongside the Genil river at the "Paseo del Salon".
*Evening Tapas around Plaza Nueva.
*Tea and cakes in the Arabic Tea shops near Plaza Nueva.
*Central city stroll along "Gran Via" to the "Plaza del Triunfo" returning along "Calle Elvira".
*Look out for street shows, exhibitions and pigeon feeding in "Puerta Real" and then pop into the ever popular "El Corte Ingles" department store en-route.