GRANADA GUIDE

GRANADA GUIDE

1. IMPORTANT

2. TRANSPORT

2.1. TRANSPORT BETWEEN CITIES

2.2. TRANSPORT IN GRANADA

3. FOOD / DRINKS

3.1. TYPICAL FOOD / DRINK

3.2. PLACES FOR FOOD

4. NIGHT LIFE

5. ROUTES

5.1. ALBAICÍN

5.2. CITY CENTRE ROUTE

5.3. REALEJO

5.4. SACROMONTE

5.5. EXCURSIONS

1. IMPORTANT IN GRANADA

• Book the Alhambra ticket asap! They run out very quickly
• How to organise it: personal recommendation → the day you go to the Alhambra take it easy, as you will be walking a lot (3-4 hours). If you’re not very into walking, try not to do Alhambra and Albaicin the same day (you’ll end up destroyed). 
• Get some cash!! transport and some bars/cafeterias don’t accept card

MAP with stuff (Google Maps)

2. TRANSPORT

2.1. TRANSPORT BETWEEN CITIES

• Alsa: bus company in spain. Also needed if you go to the beach or far villages in Granada. You can buy the ticket online (up to 2-3 hours before the trip if the ticket hasn’t run out) or at the station
• Trains: kinda pricey
• Blablacar: car ride share (ppl sharing car). 
• Most of the times cheapest option, very usual between students. More variety of times to travel. 
• Need to sign up for free
• Paying before through the app. If the rider cancel the journey, you get it fully refunded

2.2. TRANSPORT IN GRANADA

• Most places in Granada are within walking distance (max 20-30 min)
• Urban buses: 1,40€ / one way ticket, cash only. 
• You get the ticket inside the bus. 
• You might need them for viewing places, Alhambra, Sacromonte or so.  You can get a 10€ ticket – 12 tickets (0,80€/ticket), by
• Tram – metro: not very useful for touristic places. Only if going to the bus station, the train one or the commercial centre “Nevada”. 1,35€ / one way ticket 
• Taxi: within the places you might visit Granada, price will be 5-7€ for sure. So, if traveling 3 or more ppl it might be the cheapest option. 
• Not always you can pay by cash
• Stops Map → common places: Gran Vía Street, Einstein Square, Gran Capitán, Recogidas
• Uber: not very common, same rates as taxi.

3. FOOD / DRINKS

3.1. TYPICAL FOOD / DRINK

• Breakfast: 

• • Churros con chocolate: traditional spanish breakfast. Top places: Alhambra cafeteria, Café Futbol
  • Tomato, olive oil toast (you can add cheese and ham) → andalusian brekkie. Kinda any cafeteria have them. Twitter thread with top cafeterias
  • “Suizo” with butter: typical brioche. Top place: any “Bernina” cafeteria or “Ysla”, there are many
  • Tapas: Granada is one of the only places where you get food for free with the drink. 
  • Typical Andalusian / Spanish food, a must!
  • Salmorejo / gazpacho: tomato soup, mainly in summer. From cordoba
  • Berenjenas con miel: fried aubergines with honey, especially in Cordoba
  • Croquetas: fav
  • Tortilla española: potato omelette
  • Rabo de toro: bull’s tail cooked, especially in Cordoba
  • Fish: there’s big variety of fish

• Typical food from Granada, a must!

• Sacromonte omelette: potato omelette, with brains, green beans, ham
• Remojón granadino: cod and orange salad. It’s really good
• Habas con jamón: green beans cooked with ham. Super typical 
• Olla de San Antón: only in January. Chickpeas pot with loads of meat
• Plato Alpujarreño: fries, eggs, chorizo, morcilla (cooked blood), ham…
• Pionono: typical cake. Typical places: Ysla,  Bernina (there are many of this two), Rey Fernando
• Drinks → Alhambra beer!!! a total must: there’s the normal one, then Alhambra Especial, Alhambra 1925 (amazing), Alhambra Roja (red one). 

Some places have also the craft Alhambra ones, that are topp → Siete Gatos

3.2. PLACES FOR FOOD

Personal recommendation: try at least one (typical) restaurant, so you can try all the typical food, and then have tapas (you can try couple of bars for a meal)

Cafeterías:

• Twitter thread of cool ones
• Favourite: Cafetin (my top cafeteria, normal stuff but I love it), Bernina

Tapas areas: 

These are the most common streets, but there are bars everywhere. You can have a couple of beers and they will come with a tapa each; or you can ask for a ración (dish to share)

• Elvira Street → Babel World Fusion (world dif food), La Riviera, Bodegas Castañeda (one of my favs), Los Manueles , la Trastienda, Casa de vinos
• Pedro Antonio Street → El vinillo, Tita Paca, La Hispaniola
• Plaza de toros area (where the bullfighting): Tendido 1, El Nido del Búho
• Navas Street: a bit more touristy, but with some local ones → Diamantes

Restaurants, top recommended:

• Poetas Andaluces in Pedro Antonio
• Alacena de las Monjas
• Huerto Juan Ranas, near Mirador de San Nicolás

Vegetarian places: 

• Cafeterias: Mimimi, I need
• Tapas / restaurants: AlLaurel, Wildfood (hipster place), El Tablón Verde, Hicuri Art Vegan

4. NIGHT LIFE

Pubs areas: 

• Pedro Antonio Street: super student street, pubs everywhere!
• Lemon Rock Bar: live concerts, food, coffee. Really cool place
• Sonora: one of my favourites, with rock and really nice vibes
• Marisma: for a beer, kinda a must. Super unique. We’re really dirty ppl im sorry
• Porrones: go for a “porrón” (weird bottle to share drinks). it’s only 5€, you will have to leave your id so they know you don’t steal the bottle. Next to it, there’s a shots place called Algaida. 
• Chupiteria69: shots place, extremely cheap
• Rock Places → La Cuneta, La Rocka
• Rock / pop → Sonora, Playmovil
• San Matías Street: a bit fancier pubs street (not too much, you can wear whatever) → Habanero, Check in (cocktails), Pub KuVeé
• Ganivet Street: similar style to San Matías, and quite close to it. → Perragorda, Paripé, Sarao, 
• Lgtb pubs → La Sal, Six Colours, El Granero

Clubs: 

• Indie / electronic-ish: Booga, Planta Baja, Vogue → You can get tickets to enter for free at Playmovil Pub and many others (entering before 2:30 am). 

• Rock style: RocknRolla
• Reggaeton: Mae West (most famous club), Granada 10, Granero 

Unique places / my favourites:

• Bohemia Jazz Cafe: really unique cafeteria. Great coffees, cocktails. 
• Opening times: 3 pm – 2 am. Piano concerts on fridays and saturday nights
• Chocolates are incredible (bohemia, siesta) and cocktails (piña colada, moe)
• Concerts for free: Lemon Rock (good tapas and atmosphere), Huerto del Loro (great views)
• Flamenco bar: Mercantil → cheap red wine, flamenco music and pool. 

5. ROUTES

5.1. ALBAICÍN

Arabic quartier, Map routes (from a web)

• Personal recommendation: visit in the afternoon, trying to match the sunset with “Mirador San Nicolás” (A viewing point). 
• Time: around 2-3 hours

**You can start by going to San Miguel Alto (highest viewing place), bus N9 / walk / taxi, and start the route at point 4 – final 3.

Recommended route: 

1. Go to Plaza Nueva: here there is the Andalusian Court, you can check the inside from the door (but I think you can’t go inside)
2. Cross Paseo de los Tristes: this is a place that ppl like a lot, the river it cross the city under the streets, and it’s the same one that appears at the Bridge. It’s only a stream, but ppl like it a lot. 

• Huerto del Loro: great place for coffee, beer
• On the way there are are several churches, and the arabic baths.
• Careful with the buses and taxis, they don’t stop so you really have to go to the edge
• There’s a square at the end where you can see the Alhambra from the bottom.

1. Visit several Miradores (places with views) get ready to walk up hill!! 

• Carmen de la Victoria: nice place to get a coffee, it’s owned by the University. 

• Plaza Victoria

• Mirador San Nicolás – absolute must!! there are normally ppl playing music, specially pretty to check it during sunset. You can see the Alhambra, at the back there is Sierra Nevada (highest mountains in Spain), and the whole city. There’s a restaurant under it, very recommended

At this point you can also check: Arco de las Pesas, 

• Mirador de Carvajales: place that ppl from Granada go at night to have a beer. Really cool one, my favourite as there are not that many ppl. 
• You can visit more Miradores (El Ojo, San Miguel Bajo), San Miguel Bajo (nice square to get smth to eat/drink). 
• Palacio de Dar al-Horra, Convent of Isabel

1. On the way down, there are several routes you can take: 

• Make your way to get to Arco de Elvira. Recommended if then you wanna visit Hospital Real → University Main Site and Library. You can visit it for free, from 9am until 8pm week days. 
• Make your way to get to Calle Candeleria Nueva: quite unique place, full of arabic tea places. At the bottom of the street, there are amazing bar places to go for tapas. 

Food places: 

• Huerto Juan Ranas: really good restaurant, not too expensive, with great views.
• Bars at San Miguel Bajo.

Typical thing from this place → snails (“caracoles”)

• Bar Aliatar Los Caracoles: also nice tapas place, above San Nicolás
• Bars at San Miguel Bajo: Bar Lara, El Yunque

5.2. CITY CENTRE ROUTE

1. Plaza Bibrambla: nice square
2. Catedral de Granada: it’s actually one of the biggest in the world, but it’s surrounded by buildings, so cannot see it that well. I’d say it is a must

• Price I believe it’s around 3-4€, for free on Sundays. Check opening times
• Nice to sit on the square in front of the Cathedral. The bar on the corner has nice coffee (Rollo)
• There’s a painting on the wall of the building where the stairs, with one of the mottos of the city (“Dale limosna mujer, que no hay en la vida nada como la pena de ser ciego en Granada)

Careful with the women offering rosmarin, and in general in the area

1. Royal Chapel: where the catholic kings are buried. Recommended if you’re into history and so. Quite beautiful building from the outside anyway
2. Palacio de la Madraza: University building, you can check it for free. 
3. Alcaicería: small streets, used to be the silk market. 
4. Gran Vía: one of the main streets. → from here you can access Albaicin, Realejo, take buses and taxis

If you’re during spring-summer, absolute must to get an icecream from Los Italianos → most famous: casatta, picolino. Personal fav: chocolate cake

1. Plaza Isabel La Católica: with statue of christopher colombus and so
2. Corral del Carbón
3. Plaza del Carmen: where the City Hall is, not too special. There are nice pubs and bars near this area
4. Puerta Real: one of the main squares. in this point conveys three of the main streets / shopping streets: Mesones, Recogidas, Reyes Católicos. From this point you can go to the down part

EXTRA PLACES: 

1. San Jerónimo Monasterio: really recommended. Check opening times, it’s 3€ I believe
2. Basílica San Juan de Dios: if you’re interested in churches and so. Difficult to find it open though. 
3. Jardines del Triunfo: beautiful square
4. Hospital Real: University Library, very recommended, it’s for free. 
5. San Miguel Alto: really beautiful viewing point. It’s quite a walk, or you can take the N9 bus. For the way back, you can go by walk, and connect with the Albaicin route

Also you can visit: Monasterio Cartuja (recommended), Plaza de toros (bullfighting place)  Botanical Garden

Churches:

• San Juan de Dios
• Santo Domingo
• Santa Maria – Alhambra
• San Antón

Museums / related: 

• Science museum → with planetarium, butterfly thing
• Royal Chapel
• García Lorca House – Museum: typical place you visit with school
• Archeological museum
• Museums for free: 
• Charles V Palace and Museum of Arts, at the Alhambra
• Casa Zafra at Albaicin //
• Palacio de los Cordova Gardens
• José Guerrero Museum: near the Cathedral, with contemporary art (?)
• Centro García Lorca: near the Cathedral

Cafetería / snack places: 

• La tarta de la madre de Cris: reaaaally incredible cheesecake, near the Cathedral. 
• Cafetería Alhambra → chocolate con churros (for breakfast or afternoon snack)
• Puerta Bernina: one of the most typical cafeterias. You can get here piononos (typical cake) and suizo (granadian brioche)
• La Baraka: newer place, but quite good

Tapas: 

• Los Manueles: one of the most typical tapas bars
• Bodegas Castañeda: really good wine and cheese / different boards. I’d recommend the “tabla caliente” or the cheese one.
• Mesón de Rodri / Pescaito de Carmela: fish places
• Bodega de Antonio: really good restaurant / tapas bar. Recommended the “pig” wine (cerdito), amazing food
• Aliatar: amazing sandwiches, trust me, this is a must. The small ones are around 1,50€, the big ones 2-3€. Favourites: habas, perrito, alcachofas y anchoa (artichokes and anchovies).
• Los Diamantes: super typical, fish one

Other ones: 

• El Bar de Fede: indie place with good food. All the musicians go there.
• La Sitarilla
• Saint Germain
• Los Arcos

5.3. REALEJO 

Jewish quartier. Not a lot to visit around

1. Start at Plaza Isabel La Católica
2. Santo Domingo Church
3. Campo del Principe: nice bars around
4. Go down to the river (Kiosco Las Titas)
5. Roman Bridge: okay, the river is more a stream..but that’s what we have. The area is quite beautiful though

Now there’s a big wheel, price around 4€.

1. Chocolate shop: amazing shop, they have a lot to try for free, and it’s quite cheap. 
2. Iglesia de La Virgen de las Angustias
3. Fuente de las Batallas
4. Puerta Real: now you’re back at the city centre

Food places: 

• Bar Candela: super popular bar
• Papaupa
• Campo del Principe: the ones here

5.4. SACROMONTE

Gypsy quartier. There are caves where ppl live, there’re flamenco shows, nice views

Options to get there: 

• You can take a bus (from Gran vía), 1’35€ i think or like so
• you can walk, it’s a bit intense but not bad, you can combine it with Albaicin route

Camino del Sacromonte

5.5. EXCURSIONS

• Alpujarra: beautiful mountain villages. By bus / car, 1’5 hours. 
• Most famous villages: Pampaneira, Capileira. If visiting by car, you can check Pitres fountains, Soportújar. 
• Food: great ham, red wine, plato alpujarreño
• You can visit it when going to the beach 
• Beach (Salobreña, Playa Granada, etc). One hour by car / bus / blablacar. Great fish
• Sierra Nevada: highest mountains in the Peninsula (over 3.000 m!!). 
• You can do hiking there
• Skiing / visiting: Pradollano
• Hiking: Sacromonte (starting from city centre, great views), Cahorros (with hanging bridges, there are buses)

Elaborado por Cristina González (@cristinagl3) en su hilo de Twitter:

Bueno, me habían pedido recomendación de qué ver en Granada…y se me ha ido de las manos👇https://t.co/a3xz7HeLl4

— Cristina González (@cristinagl3) 3 de enero de 2020