Granada isn’t only the Alhambra! Here’s a taste of some other parts of the city that we enjoyed.
The Sierra Nevada
On the approach to the city of Granada, this snowy mountain range emerged ahead of us.
This is the Sierra Nevada, or Sulayr, Mountain of the Sun as it was called by the Muslims. This compact massif contains fifteen peaks of over 3,000 meters / 9,800 ft, including the Mulhacén (3,482 meters / 11,400 ft), the highest point on the Iberian Peninsula.
The snow cap gave us a lovely view which we hadn’t expected. We hadn’t known that Granada sits at a higher elevation than the other Andalusian cities we visited. This situation translated to cold nights (at freezing) and chilly but sunny days in late November. (We had to wear all the layers we had brought with us to sunny warm southern Spain!)
Those mountains and that snowcap were important ingredients in the prosperity of Granada in Muslim times and after. Muslim engineers brought water from the snowmelt into the city via an extensive network of channels and viaducts. The region of Granada is climatically very dry, so the mountain waters made extensive agriculture and beautiful fountains possible.
The Cathedral
We’ve commented before about our “another bloody cathedral” inner commentary (thank you, Jim). Sorry, churches aren’t our number-one attractions. There are a lot of churches in Spain! After the monumental cathedrals of Tolédo, Córdoba, and Seville, we were cathedraled out. Or so we thought. With the attitude of “oh, why not, we’re here,” we stepped into Granada’s Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of the Incarnation. And that was a very good choice! We loved this beautiful church.
As was the pattern in Andalusia, the Christians built a new cathedral on the site of the Muslims’ Great Mosque. Again, as a statement of the Catholic Monarchs’ completion of the project to eliminate Muslim rule on the peninsula.
Fortunate for us today, separate from all that political and religious complexity, the Renaissance cathedral is a light-filled white and gold masterpiece.
The cathedral offers an audio guide that you download onto your phone. Nice British voices tell you about every golden chapel, every saint, and every archbishop. And there are a lot of saints and archbishops!
Mostly, we enjoyed the icecream-cake-like spaces.
The Alcaicería, or Souk
Today, around the corner from the Cathedral, the visitor wanders into a little shopping district of narrow streets — full of tourist-focused souvenir shops.
During the time of the Emirate of Granada, this was the Silk Souk, a closed, guarded bazaar reserved for high-value goods, especially raw and woven silk, precious textiles, silverware, and luxury clothing. The bazaar thrived even through Christian times, all the way up until the mid 19th century when a fire destroyed almost all the historic district.
Albaicín
This picturesque village neighborhood across the Darro River from the Alhambra predates the Alhambra. This is where Iberians, Romans, and eventually Muslims first settled.
The next neighborhood further out from city center, Sacromonte, is the traditional home of the Roma community. This is where flamenco developed and thrives in Granada. We enjoyed another flamenco performance in a small theater in Albaicín.
Albaicín is also famous for views back up to the ramparts of the Alhambra. Here is the view from one evening after dinner in the neighborhood.
Columbus!
Chris shows up everywhere. Here he is with Queen Isabella, presenting her with his proposal for his westward voyage. The sculpture was commissioned to honor the 400th anniversary of Columbus’s first sailing.
This tribute is particularly appropriate. It was in Granada that Isabella finally accepted Columbus’s proposals on 17 April 1492.
The best place for chocolate and churros
As is our habit, we took a food-themed walking tour. One recommendation from our charming guide was to make a morning stop at Café Futbol (futbol = football = soccer). Unlikely name, but when we arrived at around ten, the large plaza tent was filled with families and tourists. The chocolate and churros were indeed delicious!
The start of the holiday season
We were lucky that our last evening in Granada coincided with the start of the holiday season. At 8pm on the last Saturday of November, the city switched on all the Christmas lights in the city. Granadans of all ages filled the streets closed to traffic. Lovely festive evening.
November 2025