GRANADA
Area: Cities
Country: Spain


Location:
SE Iberian peninsula, 40 miles from coast at Motril, 80 miles Cordoba, 150 miles Seville. 10 miles E of airport.

Telephone code from UK:
34

Website:
http://www.spaintour.com/granada.htm

Position:
Set in the fertile lowland plain formed by the confluence of two rivers, with the Sierra Nevada mountains as a dramatic backdrop.

Description:
Moorish for almost 800 years (711-1492 AD). The most conspicuous relic of those times is the fortress and palace, the Alhambra. Despite widespread urban destruction over the past 30 years, the city retains some of its rich architectural heritage. Northerners visiting for the first time are surprised by lively street life which goes on through the night till breakfast time. There are discos here which do not open their doors till midnight! At 2,000 feet, it's freezing in winter (its ski resort, Sierra Nevada, 18 miles up the mountain, attracts increasing numbers of British skiers) and, though oven-hot in midsummer, usually cool enough at night to require a jersey even on the hottest days.

Suitability:
A worthwhile stop for anyone with a minimum of interest in things cultural. This university town offers lots of student nightlife, making it a natural draw for young people.

Accommodation:
A wide range of hotels and pensions for all tastes and pockets. Pensions to 5-stars.

Shopping:
Opportunities are extensive, though most prices are quite high compared with the UK. The most interesting items are local handicrafts: hand-made guitars, weaving, basketry, leather goods, ornate Moorish-style lamps and ceramics. Many can be bought directly in the little workshops. Also a number of antiques and clothing shops as well as the usual Spanish chains.

Entertainments:
Daytime: sightseeing, the Alhambra and lovely Generalife gardens, cathedral and monastery. Nightlife: the traditional local tourist entertainments are flamenco shows or "zambras" in the caves of the Sacromonte quarter. A couple of nightclubs which stage local folklore shows, and lots of discos. The town hall and the provincial government sponsor extensive year-round programmes of cultural events including theatre, jazz and music and dance festivals, so on any given day there is usually something on.

Eating:
The principal entertainment in Granada, though not an outstanding restaurant town by any stretch of the imagination. Probably the most interesting option here is the local version of the pub crawl. (Andalucia has more bars than the rest of the European Community combined!) Granada is one of the few places left in Spain where the bars offer "tapas", little hot or cold snacks along with the drinks at no extra cost. Mediocre Chinese restaurants abound, as do mediocre pizzerias. Some of the best dining, and the best value for money, are the country inns or "ventas" which abound in the villages round the fringes of the city.

Public-transport:
Limited to buses and taxis, locally, and trains and planes for longer trips.

Local-excursions:
Beaches and the Sierra Nevada ski area. The latter is 25 miles outside city via one of Europe's best ski-area access roads. Site of the 1995 World Alpine Ski Championships, the area has undergone considerable development.