Hostelworld Guide for Granada
The Essentials
Nestled close to the towering Sierra Nevada, and overlooked by the Alhambra, one of the world's most
famous Moorish palaces, Granada in the Spanish region of Andalucia is unique in comparison to other
Spanish cities. Sure, it has its tapas bars and locals enjoy their siestas every afternoon, but stroll around
the city and you'll find Moorish quarters with an abundance of tea houses and restaurants where Arabic
delicacies are their specialty. It is also a big student city, so whether you arrive in the middle or at the end
of the week you'll find somewhere to suit your hedonistic needs.
Getting There
By plane: Granada has an airport which is 16km
from the city centre, and serves mainly domestic
flights from other Spanish cities.
By train: Granada Train Station is located on
Avenida de Andaluces, about 1.5km west of the city
centre. It has good connections with other Spanish
towns and cities.
In this Guide...
Useful Information
After Dark
Places to Eat
Top Attractions
Budget Tips
Where to Shop
By bus: Long distance buses travelling to Granada
terminate at the bus station on Avenue Jaén which
is 3km northwest of the city centre. If you are
travelling here by bus you may need to take a taxi
or bus to your accommodation.
Getting Around
On foot: Granada's city centre is extremely
compact and covering it on foot is no problem.
Some places of interest are high up hills though so
to reach these you may need to use public
transport.
By bus: There are 26 bus routes in operation in
Granada, all run by Transportes Rober. Some of
these are small mini-bus services going to the
Alhambra and the Albaicín neighbourhood.
By taxi: If you need a taxi during your stay the best
place to get one is at Plaza Nueva in the city centre.
Useful phrases
Hello: Hola
Goodbye: Adios
Please: Por favor
Thank you: Gracias
You're welcome: De nada
Yes: Si
No: No
Of course: De acuerdo
Excuse me: Perdona
How are you?: Como estas?
Open: Abierto
Closed: Cerrado
What is your name?: Cual es tu nombre?
My name is...: Mi nombre es...
How much?: Cuanto Cuesta?
May I have the bill?: Me puede traer la
cuenta?
Hostelworld Guide for Granada
Climate
While it is extremely close to the Mediterranean
coastline, Granada is 685m above sea level
meaning it enjoys Mediterranean summers but also
has cold winters. Between January and February
frost can be seen in the mornings, but by March
things begin to heat up a little. By the time summer
arrives it can get extremely warm, while things begin
to get cooler, and wetter, in late October and
November.
Good to know...
Language: Spanish
Currency: Euro
Electricity: 220 Volts, AC/50Hz
Telephone Codes: +34 (Spain), no area code
Emergency Codes: Ambulance 061 / Fire 080 /
Police 091
Time Zone: Central European Time (GMT +1)
Central Post Office: Puerta Real
Main Tourist Office: 10, Plaza Mariana de
Pineda
Embassies / Consulates
USA: +34 95 421 8751**
UK: +34 91 714 6300*
Canada: +34 91 423 3250*
Australia: +34 91 353 6600*
South Africa: +34 91 436 3780*
Ireland: +34 95 469 0689**
Germany: +34 91 557 9000*
Italy: +34 91 423 3300*
New Zealand: + 34 91 523 0226*
France: +34 95 429 3200**
*Embassy in Madrid
**Consulate in Seville
© Image under 'Don't Miss' courtesy of Oasis
Hostel, Granada
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Cheap Eats
Bodega La Antigualla, Calle Elvira 2, Albaycín
Thanks to a huge selection of sandwiches, Bodega
La Antigualla is a compact little bar with a perfect,
pit-stop menu. Choose from 'bocadillos' and
'montadites', or 'fajitas' if you're feeling that extra bit
peckish. Open daily from 12.30pm-2am.
Bodegas Castaneda, Calle Almireceros 1 y 3,
Albaycín While you can treat yourself to free tapas
in most bars once you buy a beer, sometimes you
may not wish to down a cold one in order to receive
some free scram. When this is the case, this is one
of the most traditional tapas bars in the city. Allow
cured ham, sardines and other tapas to tickle your
taste buds. Open daily from 11.30am-1am.
For the fish lovers out there
El Ladrillo II, Calle Panaderos 13, Albaycín
While this restaurant offers meat and pasta
dishes on its menu, fish is its specialty. Choose
from prawns, cod and more, but if you want a bit
of everything try the enormous 'Barco de
Pescado' which is packed with sardines, squid,
scampi and more. They have another restaurant
on the nearby Placeta de Fátima. Open daily
from 12pm-5pm and from 8pm-12 midnight.
Café Bib-Rambla, Plaza de Bib Rambla 3,
Alcaicería Open since 1919, this café is located on
one of Granada's most picturesque and
atmospheric squares. Best known for its coffees
and ice-creams, they have a selection of tapas and
other dishes. Open daily from 8am-10pm.
Bar Marrakech, Calle Elvira 94, Albaycín No trip
to Granada is complete without trying some Arabic
food, and Bar Marrakech is just the place to try it.
As you sip on your beer you'll be treated to free
tapas, just like in the Spanish bars, as you wait for
chicken with couscous or any of the other mains on
their menu. Open daily from 1pm-2am.
After Dark
La Riviera, Cetti Meriem 7, Albaycín What makes
this tapas bar different to others is that the you can
choose your free tapas. So once you order your
drink you will promptly be asked 'tapas?' Then
simply choose from the tapas they have to offer.
Unsurprisingly, it is extremely popular with students.
Open daily from 12.30pm-4.30pm & from 8pm-1am.
Dolce Vita, Calle Elvira 66, Albaycín This is a
'chupiteria', a bar where beer isn't the main poison
promoted, and instead it's liquor the bartenders deal
in. On the menu hanging on the wall are over 100
shooters and cocktails with amusing names such as
Beetlejuice, Deep Throat and Brain Haemorrhage.
A popular bar to warm up in before hitting the clubs.
Open nightly from 10pm-2.30am.
Granada 10, Albaycín Located in a building dating
back to the 1940s, this old, ornate theatre is now
the city's best-known club. Dancing the night away
to house, hip-hop, Latin and other types of tunes
with the city's offspring in the old theatre
surroundings makes for an extremely enjoyable
night. Open nightly from midnight-6am (till 7am Fri
& Sat).
Olé!
Cueva de la Rocio, Camino del Sacromonte
70, Sacromonte As the Spanish art of
Flamenco dancing orginated in Andalucia,
catching a show is part of the experience here.
Most flamenco clubs are in caves, and here the
dancers specialise in 'zambra', a local variation
of the dance. Shows nightly at 10pm, tickets
vary.
La Fontana, Carrera del Darro 19, Albaycín
Thanks to its pool tables, laid back staff and
rock-influenced soundtrack, La Fontana is one of
the most relaxed places to go for a beer in the city.
They also do particularly good mojitos and
caipirinhas. Open daily from 4pm-4am.
Don't Miss
Alhambra, La Sakiba Looming over Granada from
the hill known as 'La Sakiba', the Alhambra is one
of Spain's most visited attractions. This Moorish
palace and fortress dates back to 9th century and
over the years was home to various dynasties. The
highlight of the visit is Nasrid Palaces, while the
Alcazaba and gardens are breathtaking also. Open
daily from 8am-6pm (8pm summer); admission €12.
Fancy a dip?
Hot springs, Santa Fe Just 11km from
Granada is Santa Fe where you will find natural
hot thermal springs perfect for bathing in any
time of year. Best visited at night, nothing beats
soaking in the hot springs under the stars. For
information on tours/buses to Santa Fe contact
your hostel desk and/or Granada bus station.
Monasterio de la Cartuja, Paseo de la Cartuja
While it's located 2km outside Central Granada, this
monastery is one of the most breathtaking buildings
in the city and is well worth the journey. Built
between the 16th and 18th centuries, the attention
to detail in the sanctuary and other parts of the
baroque monastery building will dazzle you. Open
10am-1pm & 4pm-8pm Mon-Sat; admission €3.50
Granada Cathedral, Gran via de Colon Building
started on Granada's enormous cathedral in 1521
and it wasn't completed until 181 years later in the
18th century. As a result the city's premier place of
worship is a mix of Renaissance, Gothic and
Baroque styles. Open Mon-Sat 10.45am-1.30pm &
4pm-8pm; Sun 4pm-8pm; admission €3.50.
Hammam de Granada, Calle Santa Ana 16,
Realejo With three separate pools, a sauna and the
option of paying that bit extra for a massage,
Granada's Arabic baths are the perfect way to begin
a night on the town or end a day's sightseeing.
Open daily from 10am-1am; bath €21, bath &
massage €30.
Mark Your Calendar
January - Fiesta de la Toma This annual festival
which takes place on January 2nd remembers
when the Christians freed the city from the Moors in
1492. The highlight of the day is a religious
procession to the Ayuntamiento (City Hall).
March - International Tango Festival Held in
Teatro Municipal Isabel La Católica and other
venues, this annual tango festival is now over 20
years old. Over the festival's five days dancers from
all over the world entertain thousands.
March - Semana Santa Semana Santa (Holy
Week) is one of the most spectacular festivals to
take place throughout the year. Over the week 32
processions march through the city, each with their
own characteristics.
May - Cruces de Mayo The annual 'Festival of the
Crosses' is an extremely colourful affair, with
different groups decorating crosses to put them on
show in the Albayzín.
May - Aniversario de Mariana Pineda Dancing
and numerous other events commemorate the
anniversary of the death of Mariana Pineda, the
city's political heroine.
May - Andalucia Rocket Festival Staged in the
town of Alhama de Granada, just 50km from
Granada, this 3-day festival is a celebration of life
and alternative culture.
June/July - International Festival of Music and
Dance Staged in breathtaking venues like the
Alhambra, cathedral and the city's monasteries,
traditional Spanish music can be heard in all
corners of Granada for its largest arts festival.
September - Festival of La Virgen de las
Angustias Held on the 15th of September and the
last Sunday of the month, this festival involved a
procession which marches through the city as a
tribute to the Virgin of Anguish.
October - Conmemoración del Descubrimiento
de América As the discovery of America was so
important to the Spanish, a festival is held to
commemorate the occasion. Most of the day's
festivities take place around Monumento de las
Capitulaciones.
November - Hocus Pocus Festival One of
Granada's more unique festivals, each November
amateur and professional magicians talk everything
magic at lectures and workshops around the city.
Hostelworld Guide for Granada
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Neighbourhood Watch
Realejo East of Plaza Nueva in the city centre,
Realejo is a mainly residential area that avoids the
craziness of nearby Albaycín, even though it is so
close. Here you'll find a relaxed neighbourhood,
although one that is still full of bars and restaurants,
many of them found on Calle Pavaneras. This is
largely due to part of the university complex being
in the area, and the students who live close by.
A great bazaar
Alcaicería Once the city's main bazaar,
Alcaicería is a bit of a tourist trap but worth
visiting nonetheless. The area's Calle Oficios
and Calle Alcaicería are where you'll encounter
shops selling tourist kitsch, while here you'll
also meet busking flamenco artists and ladies
handing out dried herbs - both of whom are
looking for your spare change.
Albaycín After a day or two you may begin to
realise that Albaycín is where you're spending most
of your time. This is because this Moorish quarter is
Granada's most engaging area. On Calle Elvira
you'll find endless tapas bars, while Calle de
Caladerería Vieja and Calle de Caladerería Nueva
are lined with tea-houses and shops, while the
smell of incense wisps through the air.
Sacromonte This district overlooking the Durro
River is still regarded by many as 'home of the
gypsies' who live to this day in the area's cave
houses. Its main thoroughfare is Camino del
Sacromonte which is where the city's flamenco
clubs are located.
Sierra Nevada While not a suburb, Spain's famous
mountain range should be visited when in Granada.
The main village is Pradollano, and here you can go
skiing and snowboarding in the winter, or
horseriding and hillwalking in the summer. Buses
depart for Pradollano daily from Granada bus
station.
Hostelworld Guide for Granada
Retail Therapy
Alcaicería The selection of shops in Granada's
Alcaicería is something of a mishmash. Along
narrow streets such as Calle Oficios and Calle
Alcaicería are shops decked out with the tackiest of
t-shirts covered in bulls and Spanish slogans that
one can only imagine are less than amusing,
whereas browsing in the shops along the far wider
Calle Zacatin is far more pleasurable.
Calle de los Mesones, Calle del Campo Verde &
Calle Recogdigas, Alcaicería These streets are
the nearest thing to 'high streets' you will find in
Granada. The first two are pedestrianised and
perpendicular to each other and have stores such
as Jack and Jones, and Pull and Bear. Calle
Recogdigas on the other hand is a wider, tree-lined
street with slightly more upmarket stores like
Benetton, Mango and Bershka.
Plaza Larga Market, Albaycín This small market
open every day (not just Saturdays) has a small
number of stalls to tempt those in the area visiting
Mirador de San Nicolas. Here you can choose from
t-shirts or skirts, while if you're not in the market for
some new clothes you can always just treat yourself
to some fresh fruit as you'll find that here too.
All things Moorish
Calle de Caladerería Vieja & Calle de
Caladerería Nueva, Albaycín If you're looking
to pick up something with a Moroccan or Arabic
flavour when in Granada, these are the two
streets in which to pick them up. Scarves,
mini-shisha pipes and rugs are just some of the
things that can be bought in the countless
shops that line both streets.
El Corte Inglés, Carrera del Genil 20-22, San
Matias Every Spanish city has an El Corte Inglés,
and Granada is no different. Everything you can
imagine under the one roof - clothes, electrical
goods and more. Open daily from 10am-9.30pm.
Budget Tips
A Day in Granada...
Don't miss the Alhambra More a general tip than
a budget one, if you're planning on visiting the
Alhambra make sure to note that you should buy
your tickets up to two weeks in advance. If you don't
though, you can still get tickets - all you need to do
is go up to the attraction's ticket office bright and
early on the day you want to go. Once there, make
sure to get in the queue for the credit card
machines, not the regular desks. You have been
warned...
Begin your day with breakfast in one of the cafés
around Plaza Nueva. Enjoy it like a true Spaniard
with an espresso and croissant standing at the
counter - not sitting down.
Chill out in Mirador de San Nicolas No trip to
Granada is complete without spending an afternoon
or evening at Mirador de San Nicolas, the best
known lookout in the city thanks to the view of the
Alhambra. By day flamenco musicians entertain,
while at night students and backpackers alike relax
with their beers and wine, savouring the view.
After seeing Granada's top attraction, make your
way back down to Plaza Nueva and locate Bodega
La Antigualla. Try one of their 'bocadillos'.
Before sitting down in that
restaurant...
Cross Gran Via de Colon, Granada's main
thoroughfare, to Alcaicería. Similar to the Albaycín,
it is full of narrow streets peppered with shops and
restaurants.
Enjoy free tapas Before you go scouring the
streets for somewhere to eat, note that many of
Granada's tapas bars give out 'tapas gratis' with
every beer. Most are around Calle Elvira in
Albaycín, and some let you decide your own
while others don't. So if you're planning on
going for a few beers and a bite to eat, save
spending money on food by visiting the tapas
bars.
Visit Granada's churches Like in many European
cities, many of Granada's most beautiful buildings
are its churches, and all are free to enter. This
includes Iglesia San Miguel (Calle San Miguel) and
Colegiata del Salvador (Calle Charca).
Visit free parts of the Alhambra If you don't
manage to get yourself a ticket for the Alhambra,
don't fret - there are some parts of the ancient
fortress that are free to enter. These include Iglesia
de Santa María de la Alhambra and Palacio de
Carlos V, while both museums are free to enter for
EU citizens. For all other nationalities it's just €1.50.
Visit the jewel in Granada's crown, the Alhambra.
Spend the next three hours walking through the
Nasrid Palaces (below), Generalife and more.
Explore Granada's best-known neighbourhood,
Albaycín. See the Arabic, Moroccan and other
Moorish influences in the shops and tea houses.
Spend the next hour walking through Granada's
breathtaking cathedral. Marvel at the Gothic,
Renaissance and Baroque styles.
Rather than going to a restaurant for dinner, go
tapas bar hopping in Albaycín and enjoy a portion
of free tapas with every beer. You'll be full (and
tipsy) in no time.
Check out La Fontana, a bar along the River Darro.
Enjoy the rock and roll soundtrack and devilishly
good mojitos while shooting some pool.
Finish the day off dancing away in Granada 10, the
city's number one nightclub. Bop away to house,
disco, hip hop and other types of music in very
ornate surroundings.
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