Our trip from Córdoba to Granada took about 90 minutes on a Renfe high speed train. The tourist coach on the train is much roomier than an airline cabin. The seats are more spacious, the windows larger for viewing the passing scenery, and the aisle wider. The entire experience was much more pleasurable than going to an airport and getting on a plane. Noise cancelling headphones, a couple of podcasts, and I was good to go.
Though the Alhambra is the big ticket destination in Granada, it is not the only site worth visiting. Stephanie and I were in town for a week, giving us ample time to see the cathedral, royal chapel, several churches, a monastery, and park. Around the hills of Granada are many designated miradors (lookouts) affording breathtaking views of the Alhambra, the city below, or both.
The Catedral de Granada is a large Renaissance style cathedral, known for extensive stained glass windows in its domed vault and a main alter surrounded by a ring of open spaces (https://catedraldegranada.com/). Its unique design includes seven archways that showcase the main altar as one circles around it. Construction started in the early 1500s with the chapel and continued over several centuries. The bell tower was built in 1588 and the choir section in 1620 (though it was later moved in 1926). In 1704 the cathedral was finally completed.
We spent about 45 minutes exploring the cathedral on a weekday morning. Few other tourists were present. Cultural visits for 5€ per person are available daily, except Sunday morning when services are held and certain religious holidays. This is a small and worthwhile price to pay to contribute to the upkeep of this magnificent cathedral.
After exiting the cathedral, through a gift shop no less, we walked around the corner to the Capilla Real de Granada (the Royal Chapel) (https://capillarealgranada.com/en/). It is the final resting place of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, houses a small museum of items from the 1500s, and is off limits to photos and videos. The Royal Chapel is definitely worth a short 15 to 20 minute visit.
Stephanie and I went to at least one mirador, if not two or three, each day we were in Granada. The most popular is Mirador de San Nicholas, a short walk from our Airbnb. Crowds gather here each night as the view of the Alhambra is spectacular. Naturally there will be at least one person playing a guitar and soliciting money, as well as several folks selling trinkets (jewelry, money pouches). I’ll give some props to the beggars and street vendors in Granada. They’re not pushy at all. I’m not even sure the street vendors want to sell anything. Tip: no guitar players, vendors, or crowds at sunrise.
The Iglesia de San Nicholás, the adjacent church after which the mirador is named, sells tickets to the top of its bell tower for a slightly higher viewpoint over the crowds. Because the bell tower is maybe 40 to 50 feet high and has only a few small windows at the top, we did not bother. It was not difficult to enjoy the views even with the crowd.
Quite a few outdoor dining restaurants are in this area with views that are second to none, and prices to match. We skipped the fancy restaurants in favor of the nearby tapas bars. No views, but more affordable beer.
It did not take long for us to learn that the locals in Granada are very proud of the local tapas culture. Starting with our Airbnb host, several people made it a point to carefully and repeatedly explain to us that in Granada the tapas are free, unlike being charged for them in Seville and Córdoba. There is a sense of pride in Granada that their tapas stand above and beyond what you find elsewhere in southern Spain.
Well … yes and no. Yes, the tapas are great. You’ll be served a decent sized portion of some dish, essentially whatever the cook sends out. At various times Stephanie and I got potato cakes on bread, meatballs, chicken wings, tomato slices, and tiny burgers. All were very good and totally random.
But, no, the tapas are not really free. Drinks in Granada cost twice as much as the drinks in Seville and Córdoba. And in those cities tapas menus exist. Sure you have to buy the small plates, but you can choose what you want and how many. It’s not luck of the draw.
One time we got a few chicken wings for tapas. They were damn good wings and we tried to order more. But either chicken wings are not on the menu or we ran into a major language barrier. Stephanie made it clear to our waitress that we would pay for additional chicken wings. No luck.
Bar Poe, unlike other places in Granada, has a tapas menu. The bar is owned by a married couple. He’s from England and works the bar. She’s South Korean and handles the kitchen. Walking in we instantly knew the bar was a favorite of expats, being greeted with “where are you from, mate?” Everyone spoke English.
For each beer ordered at Bar Poe, you select a tapas from a list of about a dozen. The kicker is that these tapas, with one or two exceptions, are very spicy. The heat level ranges from “wow, I need a sip of beer” to legit hot, as in “I’m downing a beer”. These folks know how to sell beer. Once you are enjoying the tapas, it is damn near impossible to stop ordering more drinks. Bar Poe is highly recommended if you like spicy food.
Granada is a medium sized city (population ballpark 250,000) next to the Sierra Nevada mountains. Our Airbnb is in the Albaicín neighborhood, which is an older area on one of the foothills leading to the mountains. Almost all of the streets in Albaicín are cobblestone, narrow, one way, and steep. If you walk around Albaicín you will get your daily exercise whether you want it or not. It is a great area to explore.
Side note. When we research potential Airbnbs, finding nearby grocery stores is a must. We had one in Granada … at the bottom of a steep hill. I guess in the future we need to look at terrain and elevation more closely. Hauling groceries up a steep hill (see photos below) is not so much fun. Lesson learned.
With the start of football season back home, one major negative impact of being in Spain in clear. We are in the Central European Time zone, seven hours ahead of Central Time. Most live American sports are in the overnight hours, from 12:00 AM to 5:00 AM. I can catch afternoon SEC football games at night in Spain, but prime time sports are right out.
One morning I got up early for some reason and noticed that a PAC-12 football game was still on. That was an odd experience for sure. Although I do not watch a lot of regular season baseball, this is the first year that I missed the entire playoffs and World Series.
On the flip side, Formula 1 races and European soccer games are now in their usual late afternoon and evening time slots, rather than in the morning. It’s nice having a beer while watching European sports, rather than coffee. So that’s a positive.
Granada was a fantastic place to spend a week. Great monuments, nice tapas bars, wonderful overlooks, and cool weather are a perfect combination. From the smallest city on our trip to the largest, we are on the way to Valencia. Catch up with all of our posts about our trip to Spain using the Travel Blog page.
Garrett and Stephanie
P.S. One more photo of La Alhambra from Mirador San Nicolas.
P.P.S. Below are two photos showing the hill up Cuesta del Chapiz to our Airbnb. Both photos are taken from the same location. The first photo on the left is looking uphill. Our Airbnb is a few buildings beyond the red light. The second photo on the right is looking downhill. You can just about see the bottom of the hill.
