How to See Granada in A Day

It's really great because not only are you transported back in time, but you get to be in the moment. I'm in the moment that I'm constantly reading about. I'm putting my phone away. There is no laptop. There aren't any ambient sounds. It's just the sound of the running water and me relaxing. This is Granada in a day. I'm trying to look sexy. From the stunning Alhambra Palace to the romantic winding streets of the Albaicin neighborhood, Granada offers a sensory experience that is unmatched in Spain. Join me as I explore the city's rich multicultural traditions from its world-renowned flamenco dancing to a traditional Moorish tea house. On this trip, I'm joined by my good buddies, Brandon and Sean, and we drove to Granada to discover one of the most underrated historic cities in Europe. Today, I'll give you the formula of how to have an epic day and be swept away by the beauty and charm of Granada, Spain. Granada is in southern Spain, located in the region of Andalucía at the foot of the Sierra Nevada mountains. The city was a former royal seat of power and once the most powerful city in Spain. Getting to Granada is pretty straightforward because there are many transportation connections. In the unlikely event that you want to fly into Granada, it does have an airport with connections to major cities in Spain and a limited amount of flights to and from Italy, the United Kingdom, and France. If you're already in Spain, you can easily reach Granada by train. From Madrid, it's only a three-and-a-half-hour high-speed train ride. From Sevilla, it's two hours and 20 minutes and one hour and 17 minutes from Córdoba. Driving in Spain is relatively easy and the best way to explore this region. Highways are smooth, well-marked, and there are no tolls in this part of Spain. From Madrid, it's a four-hour and 20-minute drive to Granada. It's two hours and 50 minutes from Sevilla and two hours and 20 from Córdoba. So once you're in Granada, getting around is pretty easy. Even though Granada is a sprawling city, all of the main sites and everything we're doing today are within a 20-minute walk from Plata Nueva. Taxis and minibuses are also available if you need them. We created the perfect route and plan to get you from A to Z. Check out the blog for more great information on how to maximize your time and increase your fun. Before we get started with our day, hook me up with a subscribe so we can keep bringing you great content. I'm starting the day by having a quintessential Spanish breakfast in a well-known cafe. And then I'm checking out the 16th century cathedral before heading to the Alhambra Palace Complex. I'm Angel Castellanos for the Tour Guide and we are getting our day started properly here in Granada by having churros and chocolate at one of the most local cafes in town, Cafe Football. They've been doing this since 1922 and basically you order a portion of churros just like this and then you dip it into your chocolates. Look at how luxurious and silky that chocolate is. So basically the churro is the vessel for the chocolate. So good. Another good option for breakfast is a place we discovered right in front of the cathedral. I take a lot of joy in planning these trips and it takes weeks of hard work but we sometimes have to deviate from our restaurant recommendations that are already on our blog to recommend new restaurants. And that's what we're doing this morning. In 711, the Moors, North African Berbers who had converted to Islam, crossed the Strait of Gibraltar to invade Spain. By 714, they had conquered Toledo and by 718, most of the Spain that we know today was annexed by the Damascus-based Caliphate as a dependent emirate known as Al-Andalus. For almost 800 years, Spain was a predominantly Muslim society and an Islamic state. It's that era that shapes most of our sightseeing today. The gradual push south by the Christians to reclaim Spain is known as a Reconquista and lasted for several centuries. In 1248, Sevilla fell, setting the stage for the last Islamic city-state, the fortified city of Granada, to eventually be reclaimed by the dynamic duo of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492, uniting Spain under one kingdom. Our first stop, the Granada Cathedral, is their final resting place. We are walking the mean streets of Granada and we're headed to the cathedral, which is historically important because it has one of the main relics here in Granada, the tomb of the stars of the show, Ferdinand and Isabella, uniters of modern Spain, the conquerors of the New World. The cathedral opens at 10 a.m, so we got here a little bit early to take the opportunity to just walk around and see the exterior of the cathedral with our eyes first, discuss that. Right in front of me is the Capilla Real, which is definitely something you should consider visiting because it houses the most important relic in Granada, the tomb of Ferdinand and Isabella. The front facade of the cathedral reminds me of a Roman triumphant arch. The size and grandeur of the structure symbolizes the Christian triumph over the mosque that stood right here. This is the second largest church in Spain and it's hard not to be impressed by the breathtaking interior as soon as you walk in. Walking down the vast nave of the cathedral, the arches and columns that make up the spacious Renaissance interior give this church enormous space. Since it took 200 years to build, over time Baroque elements were added in. The impressive main altar is covered in gold. The main Christian site in Granada is the Royal Chapel, which has deep historic significance. It's the final resting place of the Catholic monarchs, Queen Isabella I of Castile and King Ferdinand II of Aragon, whose marriage in 1469 laid the foundation for the unification of Spain as a single kingdom. In 1492, they ended a 700-year-old struggle to recapture Muslim Spain and also finance Christopher Columbus. A generation later, their grandson became the most powerful man in the whole world. The Alhambra is the biggest attraction in Granada and with good reason. Events that happen here shape the course of European history. It's a 20 to 30-minute walk uphill from the cathedral or a 10-minute taxi ride. Granada's dominant site is the Alhambra, the last and greatest Moorish palace and one of the top things to see in all of Europe. The mighty palace complex actually sits on a hill overlooking Granada and there are four sights to see within the hilltop. Now, you would expect sun on a spring day, but when we filmed, we had rain, so we only had time to see two out of the four. The Palacio Nazarit is an exquisite 14th-century palace from the Moorish dynasty Nazarit. There's also the Renaissance-era palace of Charles V. We also recommend seeing the Generalife Palace and Gardens and the mighty Alcazaba Fortress. Be sure to purchase your tickets well in advance since this is one of the top things to see in all of Spain. Each palace requires a separate ticket, but combo tickets are available. The Palacio Nazarit actually has timed entries. To make things easy, you can jump on one of our tours which includes tickets to all the main sites and a passionate guide which will make the whole experience memorable and fun. Check the link in the description below. For lunch, I wanted to check out a traditional tapas bar, but thanks to a local, we also ended up at Mercado San Agustín and from there, we headed to the Albaithí neighborhood to stop at a traditional Moorish tea house. Located in an alley near Plata Nueva, Bodega Castañeda is everything you want in a tapas place. Small dark tables, Spanish tiles, paintings of matadors, a bull's head on the wall, and it's full of locals. We came here for lunch because it can get crowded at night. Tapas, which is very traditional here in Granada, you actually do get free tapas whenever you order a drink and this one here are called callos, which are just different parts of the animal. So you might have it here, you might have a nose, a bit of the cheek. So definitely making the best out of the animal and using the whole thing. So we're being organic, right? Sustainable. Very rich and salty and chilly and jiggly. A very nice local named Pepe came over to chat us up and he said if we really love food, we should definitely check out the local market nearby. He even drew us a map of how to get to Mercado San Agustin. Visiting local markets is something we often recommend so off we went based on his recommendation. I'm here inside of the Mercado San Agustin, which is a great place to sort of not only rub elbows with locals, but also purchase local foods. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna go to the fishmonger, pick up my fish there and then take it over to the next stall where they're gonna cook it. So it's time for lunch. Let's do this. Normally they would carry it over for you, but I want the full experience so I'm gonna carry it myself. And I'm gonna show you exactly what I ordered here. All right, so I got my four shrimp here, these four langoustine and these four little local fish there. All right, let's do this. Oh! So he recommends just straight up on the grill, a little bit of lemon, a little bit of garlic, just super simple. We're not gonna complicate this whatsoever. So I'm gonna take a suggestion. We'll look at the drippage to following locals. Exactly. So Don Angel here is showing me his family. So that's his mom up there, his picture when he was younger and his grandfather. So this has been around for 80 years and Don Angel here is kind enough to welcome us with open arms. So Sandra, the fishmonger, is his daughter and his grandfather started this business. So daughter's the fishmonger, dad runs this side of the business and you got a pretty cool operation going. He's the captain of the ship. So I'm telling you, man, when you open yourself up to local people, that's when the magic happens. At the foot of the Alhambra, about a 20-minute walk downhill, is the old Moorish quarter called the Albaitheen. We've come to this neighborhood to check out a traditional Moorish teahouse. This neighborhood and experiences like time in this teahouse transport us back in time. One of the top things to do in Granada is to visit a traditional teteria, which is a Moorish teahouse. Here in the historic Albaitheen neighborhood, have some sweet treats. They're going to bring traditional teas over and then we're going to smoke some coca down. This is what I'm talking about, dude. There's a whole vibe in this place. It's the decoration. It's being in the historic neighborhood. It's a traditional tea and the sweet treats. It's a whole package. Yeah, man, that's what it's all about. From the Albaitheen quarter, we headed to another one of Granada's stunning areas called Sacramonte. The Sacramonte neighborhood in Granada is known for its cave houses, flamenco shows and stunning views of the Alhambra. In the shadows of the Alhambra is this compact neighborhood called Sacramonte. This deeply cultural and artistic neighborhood is the traditional home of Roma people. The passion, music and dance of the Spanish Roma people called Gitanos is the basis of the now iconic flamenco, which originated in caves like this all over Andalucía. There is no way we were going to come to this part of Spain without seeing this iconic art form. I asked them what the typical thing to order before a dinner show like this and they both unanimously said sangria. So the Gitano spirit of Andalucía. Should we do a toast to Joshua? I'm going to cap off the day here in the Sacramonte hills in the shadow of the Alhambra by checking out a traditional flamenco show that includes dinner. I already have my welcome drink and I'm excited because this is put on by one of the most established and well-regarded families. Seating for dinner is typically at 8pm and the show follows at 9pm. Hearing the haunting melodies and witnessing in person the dramatic movements is a glimpse into the soul of the people of this region. Flamenco is a passionate and rhythmic style of music, song and dance that originated in southern Spain. Dramatic elements such as hand clapping, foot stomping and intricate guitar playing really reflect the emotional intensity of the music which is now part of the rich cultural heritage of Spain. Our day in Granada is coming to an end. We just finished a fantastic Gitano flamenco show. Now I'm headed to the hamam. After a lively night out, it's time to relax and end our night in true Granada style. We're headed back to the Albaithi neighborhood to experience a traditional spa. Baths are part of Muslim society so it's no surprise that the Albaithi neighborhood is still dotted with some air baths called hamams. These ancient air baths provide a serene and tranquil atmosphere where you can unwind, de-stress and rejuvenate your mind and body. I'm inside of Hamam al Andalus which is housed in a 13th century building. The reason I'm wearing my clothes is because we can't film in here while we're taking a bath. I'm going to go put my robe on here in just a second but I wanted to give you a quick peek before we get started. You can enjoy one of the many treatments on offer or simply enjoy the beautiful architecture, three temperature pools, a steam room and aromatherapy that will make for an unforgettable experience in Granada. One of the things that I'm noticing as I'm walking around is that this isn't just a traditional Islamic experience. What they've done is they've mixed in other bathing cultures like Roman baths which you see behind me. So there's a couple of different pools of different temperatures that you can dip inside of and for a history geek like me it's really great because not only are you transported back in time but you get to be in the moment. I'm in the moment that I'm constantly reading about. I'm putting my phone away. There is no laptop. There aren't any ambient sounds. It's just the sound of the running water and me relaxing. If you're a spa person then visiting a Hamam will be right up your alley. If heading to a spa isn't usually your jam visiting a Hamam is a unique and relaxing experience that offers a glimpse into the city's rich cultural heritage. I think for me they need to come and see Granada because it really dives deep into the soul of Spanish culture and I often wonder where does that passion and that soul comes from and it's definitely Granada because it sort of typifies not only the long diverse history but also the different cultures that have come together over the centuries and you can still experience them today. The day in Granada is coming to an end. I'm Angel Castellanos for The Tour Guide. Don't forget to comment, like and subscribe so you can find our next video.