 Granada
The city of Granada, located on one of the foothills of the
Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, was a stronghold of the Nazeri
Dynasty,
the
last great Moorish kingdom in Spain. In the 14th century its
monarchs built the so-called "Red Castle"- La Alhambra
- an incredible palace of refined, expuisite beauty with large
arcaded courtyards, slender halls and splendid gardens, beautiful
fountains and tranquil ponds like those of the Generalife.
How to get there
Aviaco flies to Granada every day from Madrid and Barcelona,
and three times a week from Valencia. Passengers departing
from any other airport can use the network of the Iberia Group,
which includes Aviaco, to connect with a Granada flight.
By road, 432 km from Madrid, 126 km from Malaga and 256 km
from Seville.
By train, 6 hours from Madrid and 4 hours from Seville.
Climate and location
Granada, the capital of the province of the same name, lies
at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains, in the Autonomous
Region of Andalusia. It has an extreme climate, with temperatures
above 40 degrees in summer and below zero in winter.
Hotels in Granada
Parador Nacional de San Francisco. Tel: (958) 22 14 40. One
of the loveliest hotels in the Parador network. Located within
the precinct of the Alhambra, its gardens and views are literally
priceless.
Carmen. Acera del Darro, 62. Tel: (958) 25 83 00. Situated
in the center of Granada. It has a comfortable terrace.
Washington Irving. Paseo del Generalife, 2. Tel: (958) 22
75 50. This hotel, superbly situated for the Alhambra and its
surroundings, stands between the summer and winter palaces
built by the Arabs.
Alhambra Palace. Pena Partida, 2. Tel: (958) 22 14 68. Located
on the same hill as the Alhambra, it has excellent facilities
and unbeatable views over the city and its surrounding plain.
Reina Cristina. Tablas, 4. Tel: (958) 25 32 11. Centrally
located near the cathedral, this cozy hotel has three floors
full of Andalusian flavor. Once the home of the poet Luis Rosales,
Federico Garcia Lorca was arrested here.
Los Angeles. Cuesta Escoriaza, 17. Tel: (958) 22 14 24. An
inexpensive hotel with a pool, at the start of the climb from
the city center to the Alhambra.
Granada Center. Avda. Fuente Nueva, s/n. Tel: (958) 20 50
00. Modern and functional.
Cuisine
The typical dish of Granada is the Sacromonte omelet, made
of eggs, vegetables, brains and bull's testicles. Visitors
should order gazpacho in the summer, and potatoes a lo pobre
in winter.
Ruta del Veleta. Sierra Nevada Road, 50. Cenes de la Vega.
Possibly the Best restaurant in Granada. Good locally-produced
ingredients, magnificently cooked.
Alhacena de las Monjas. Plaza Padre Suarez, 5. Tel: (958)
22 40 28. Delightful dining rooms with vaulted ceilings in
a 15th century house. Recreates the old recipes of Al Andalus.
Las Tinajas. Martinez Campos, 17. Tel: (958) 25 43 93. A classic
establishment in the city center. Good local cooking and rustic
decor.
Mirador de Moraima. Pianista Garcia Carrillo, 2. Tel: (958)
22 82 90. In the heart of the Albaicin district, with gardens
overlooking the Alhambra and the city. One of the leading lights
in the drive to retrieve the cuisine of Al Andalus especially
its famous sweets.
Casa Juanillo. Camino del Monte, s/n. In Sacromonte, with
views over the Generalife and the Alhambra. Flamenco artists
and other personalities meet here. Unassuming food and reasonable
price.
Velazquez. Emilio Orozco, 1. Tel: (958) 28 01 09. Situated
in the very center of Granada. It has a good wine cellar.
Worth visiting
The whole city is a monument. Apart from the Arab edifices
and walls, many of the churches still bear the traces of the
mosques they once were, and there are countless other buildings
of historic and artistic interest.
The Alhambra and the Generalife. The Royal palaces of the
Nasrids are one of the wonders of the world. The magnificent
Palace of Charles V is also worth a visit.
Sacromonte. A legendary area of hillside caves inhabited by
Gypsies, with characteristic flamenco shows and beautiful views
of the Alhambra.
Albaicin. The oldest quarter, once inhabited by Iberians,
Romans, Visigoths and Arabs. The Plaza Larga, San Miguel Bajo
and San Nicolas are not to be missed.
El Realejo. The former Jewish quarter. Of special interest
are the gardens of Campo del Principe and the so-called "Casa
de los Tiros".
Casa de Castril. It is a pleasing Renaissance palace that
houses the Archaeological Museum.
Cathedral. A renaissance building by Diego de Siloe, with
statues by Alonso Cano, who also designed the facade. In the
Royal Chapel is the tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella.
The Charterhouse. The crowing masterpiece of Spanish Baroque.
Well worth seeing is the sacristy, whose intricate decoration
took fifty years to complete.
La Alpujarra. A rural area stretching from Sierra Nevada to
the sea. It contains over a hundred Moorish villages, whose
houses have flat roofs made of slate and gray clay.
Sierra Nevada. The many attractions of these mountains, 30
kilometers from Granada, include magnificent skiing facilities
as well as the highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula, Mulhacen.
World Ski will take place here in 1996
Montefrio. Small town picturesquely situated, has a ruined
Arab castle, an old church designed by Diego de Siloe and a
pacemaker of Spanish neoclassical architecture Ventura Rodriguez.
Shopping
Fajalauza is one of the loveliest varieties of pottery in
Spain; its primitive technique and forms and its blue, green
and purple glazes are of Moorish origin. another traditional
handicraft is taracea, which consists of inlaying wood with
ivory, mother-of-pearl, sea shells and bone. Along the steep
Cuesta de Gomerez, there are a lot of shops selling pottery
and taracea. Also worth visiting is the Alcaiceria, an old
Arab market. La Alpujarra produces superb woven cloth and patchwork.
Nightlife
The busiest area at night is the area of Pedro Antonio de
Alarcon, which has a fair number of bars. There are good flamenco
shows at Los Jardines de Nepturno, Los Tarantos, Reina Mora,
and the caves of Sacromonte, which are very popular with tourists.
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