CITY BREAK: 48 HOURS IN GRANADA!
Don’t let the cold keep you at home… Our 48-hour city breaks are back!
This week at Boutique Hotels Spain we suggest a visit to Granada, the ancient capital of the Arabic Nasrid kingdom. Considered to be one of the most beautiful cities in Spain, you can find history hidden away in its every corner. So get ready, the journey is about to begin… 48 hours in Granada!
GRANADA CITY BREAK: Things to do in Granada.
Video: www.andalucia360travel.com
DAY 1:
We start off in one of the most picturesque areas of Granada, the barrio del Albaicín or Albaicín neighbourhood. The best way to get to know it is to simply lose yourself in its streets, discover what awaits you around every corner. White washed houses, a maze of streets, beautiful gardens, vantage points and squares, offer you an impressive perspective of the Nasrid Granada. Walking through its streets and squares you cannot miss the Mirador de San Nicolas, which offers impressive views of the city’s most emblematic monument, the Alhambra.
We couldn’t call our visit to the Albaicín complete without a stroll along calle Calderería Nueva, better known as “the street of tea-rooms” or the “Zoco”. Along its length you will find dozens of shops and, of course, tea-rooms where you can enjoy a great cup of Moorish tea.
Next, we recommend visiting the Paseo de los Tristes, a cobblestone street along the banks of the river Darro skirting the foot of the Alhambra. It has a romantic and poetic feel that captivates all who follow it and appropriately leads us to the most authentic district in Granada, Sacromonte.
This area, of houses and caves which is the highest in the city, was for centuries the home of Flamenco artists and gypsies. Today you can visit these cave-houses (now museums), known by the name of “Zambras” and enjoy the best flamenco shows. Crowning the hill of Sacromonte you will find the Sacromonte Abbey. If you decide to visit it, make sure you wear comfortable footwear as a long but well worthwhile walk lies ahead of you to reach it.
After a busy morning in the charming beauty spots of Granada, we have reserved the best until last. The time has come to visit the jewel in the crown… The Alhambra!
Surrounded by gardens and palaces it crowns the city of Granada with its majesty. This ancient Arabian complex, is a small town within the city, composed of various parts all of which can be visited: the Generalife, the Nasrid Palaces with their famous Patio of the Lions, the Medina, the Rauda, the Alcazaba and the Palace of Carlos V, where you can find the Museum of Fine Arts.
As the day comes to an end it’s time to relax… and for that reason we recommend that you stay at a charming hotel, which is on a par with all that we have seen during the day. Our Boutique Hotel La Almunia del Valle is an oasis surrounded by nature, perfect for switching-off and recharging your batteries. Only 8 km from the Alhambra, located in Monachil, it is worthwhile letting yourself go and enjoying all that Patricia Merino, our hostess, has prepared to make your stay a pleasant and memorable one.
DAY 2:
We know that there is still much left to see in the city of Granada, but, being in the middle of the ski-season and in the heart of the Sierra Nevada mountain range… We couldn’t let the opportunity pass us by to hit the slopes. The ski slopes of the Sierra Nevada are only 18 km away, so it’s the perfect plan to take advantage of a day enjoying outdoor activities.
In addition to its reputation for providing high quality snow, the Sierra Nevada National Park is characterised by having one of the best climates in Europe. Its altitude of between 2000 metres in the town of Padrollano and 3393 metres at the top of Pico Veleta the third highest mountain in Spain, provide the perfect conditions for top-quality snow.
If you love skiing or snowboarding, you can enjoy more than 100 km of snow and 131 ski-slopes for all levels. However, if you don’t have much experience or this is your first time, don’t worry, you are able to book classes with an instructor, so you can get started and learn a bit, or at least have some fun in the snow.
If none of the above is quite your thing, you can enjoy other outdoor activities such as snowshoeing routes, excursions in snow-cat machines, impressive routes by sled or simply enjoy the beauty of nature and the spectacular views offered by the Sierra Nevada.
And that’s just about all the adventure for the weekend… A perfect mix between urban tourism and outdoor adventure to enable you to discover Granada. Here at Boutique Hotels Spain we highly recommend that you enjoy this experience and we’ll be waiting for you on the next 48-hour getaway!