Granada City
The Capital city of Granada contains so many magical areas to explore that one visit would never be enough. Granada was under Moorish rule for more than 700 hundred years and tells a story in every street corner or turn you take. Take a trip to the Sacramonte, built on Roman historic structures and encounter Gypsy musicians, live Flamenco shows and cave homes built out of stones. Step back into time and explore the Moorish history of the Albaicin where the oldest part of the city will offer you stunning views of the Alhambra Palace. Built over Granada Mosque at the start of the 16th Century, the Cathedral of Santa Maria de la Encarnacion has become Spain’s second-largest cathedral and Encompasses the marriage between Gothic and Renaissance architecture. Enjoy this incredible city and ensure that you take in everything that it has to offer.
Sacramonte
The Sacromonte neighbourhood is located on the Valparaíso hill, one of several hills that make up Granada. This neighbourhood is known as the old neighbourhood of the Romani, who settled in Granada after the conquest of the city. It is one of the most picturesque neighbourhoods, full of whitewashed caves cut into the rock and used as residences. The sound of strumming guitars may still be heard there in the performance of flamenco cantes and quejíos, so that over time it has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Granada.
The Abbey of Sacromonte was built to monitor and guard the alleged relics of the evangelists of Baetica. Those are of questionable authenticity, but since their finding the area has been a religious pilgrimage destination.
The Abbey complex consists of the catacombs some of which are; the Abbey (17th–18th centuries),theColegio Viejo de San Dionisio Areopagita (17th century) and theColegio Nuevo (19th century). The interior of the church is simple and small but has numerous excellent works of art which accentuate the size and rich carving of the Crucificado de Risueño, an object ofdevotion for the Romani people, who sing and dance in the procession of Holy Week. The facilities alsoincludea museum, which houses the works acquired by the Foundation.
Monuments
Depending on your taste and, of course, on the weather conditions, you may prefer to discover the great outdoors that surround Granada or to spend most of your time indoors visiting Granada’s unique Arabic, Jewish and Catholic cultural heritage. La Catedral, La Capilla Real, La Madraza, La Alcaiceria and El Bañuelo are exciting placed to visit and see. In addition, It is worth finding the Monaserio de San Jeronimo, Corral del Carbón, Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo, and Palacio de los Olvidados where you can find a16th century house and museum displaying torture instruments of the Spanish Inquisition)
Alhambra & Generalife
The “Red One” also known as the Alhambra is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Andalusia, Spain. The complex was begun in 1238 by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir. It was built on the Sabika hill, an outcrop of the Sierra Nevada which had been the site of an earlier fortresses and of the 11th-century palace of Samuel ibn Naghrillah. Moorish poets described it as "a pearl set in emeralds", an allusion to the colour of its buildings and the woods around them. The palace complex was designed with the mountainous site in mind and many forms of technology were considered. The park (Alameda de la Alhambra), which is overgrown with wildflowers and grass in the spring, was planted by the Moors with roses, oranges, and myrtles; its most characteristic feature, however, is the dense wood of English elms brought by the Duke of Wellington in 1812. The park has a multitude of nightingales and is usually filled with the sound of running water from several fountains and cascades. These are supplied through a conduit 8 km (5.0 mi) long, which is connected with the Darro at the monastery of Jesus del Valle above Granada.
Albaicin
The Albayzín (or Albaicín) is a neighbourhood of Al-Andalus origin, much visited by tourists who flock to the city because of its historical associations, architecture, and landscape.
The archaeological findings in the area show that it has been inhabited since ancient times. It became more relevant with the arrival of the Zirid dynasty, in 1013, when it was surrounded by defensive walls. It is one of the ancient centres of Granada, like the Alhambra, the Realejo and the Arrabal de Bib-Rambla, in the flat part of the city. Its current extension runs from the walls of the Alcazaba to the cerro of San Miguel and on the other hand, from the Puerta de Guadix to the Alcazaba.
This neighbourhood had its greatest development in the Nasrid era, and therefore largely maintains the urban fabric of this period, with narrow streets arranged in an intricate network that extends from the upper area, called San Nicolás, to the river Darro and Calle Elvira, located in the Plaza Nueva. The traditional type of housing is the carmen granadino, consisting of a free-standing house surrounded by a high wall that separates it from the street and includes a small orchard or garden.
