Location: Province of Granada
Top Things to do in Province of Granada
10 Points of Interest & Landmarks in Province of Granada That You Shouldn't Miss
There’s an Arabic inscription that captures the essence of Granada in a few words: “There is nothing so sad as to be blind in Granada.” The perspicacity of this declaration becomes obvious as soon as you penetrate the austere walls of the Alhambra and take in the full majesty of the architecture, carvings and fountains of the Nasrid palaces. Your ticket (which should be bought well in advance following the instructions on the attraction’s website) also affords entry to the Renaissance Palace of Carlos V and to the exquisite gardens of the Generalife. If you are celebrating a special event, or are in the market for a splurge, you can stay in the lovely Parador, right on site. Make your way down into the city via the atmospheric old quarter of the Albaicin, with its tiny craft shops and restaurants, and head for the Cathedral and Royal Chapel. Also plan a visit to the crypt for the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, the instigators of Spain’s imperial adventures to the New World and beyond. It’s worth making the short journey out of town to visit the Monasterio Cartuja, a fabulous Carthusian monastery in the baroque style. Admirers of the poet Lorca should make the effort to visit the Casa-Museo Federico Garcia Lorca in Fuente Vaqueros, about 11 miles from the city centre.
Restaurants in Province of Granada
1. Ceramica Alcaller Alfareria Municipal - Historical Pottery Center
2. Las Penas De Los Gitanos
3. Carrera del Darro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 2,795 reviews
Reviewed By shoestrung - Liverpool, United Kingdom
Picturesque cobbled street running alongside the Rio Darro, lined with some lovely little bars and restaurants. Well worth a meander.
4. Puerta de la Justicia
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 126 reviews
Reviewed By Mairwen1
There are 2 main entry points to the Alhambra but this is the best one if you already have a ticket and you are walking. We walked up from Plaza Nueva, following the Cuesta de Gomerez uphill, through the Alhambra Forests. This brought us right to this gateway. The walk was lovely. It was a steep but steady walk through shaded greenery and took about 15 minutes. By using this gate, you also avoid the crowds because the buses drop people off at the other main entrance. This imposing gateway is one of the original gates, built in 1348 by Yusuf I (who built the beautiful Court of Lions built around the same time). It consists of a set of keyhole shaped arches, built into a defensive tower. Above the arch you see the Hand of Fatima (Mohammed's daughter) carved into the keystone. The key to the Islamic paradise is on the other side. There are numerous conflicting stories about the symbolism of this but most agree that the 5 fingers represent the 5 pillars of Islam and that it was likely to be placed there as a charm against the evil eye. The Virgin and Child were of course a much later addition, placed there by the catholic monarchs. As you pass through the arch, you'll be forced to do a couple of strange L-shaped kinks. This was a security measure to slow down any potential invaders and prevent a flood of attackers from storming straight through. It’s surprisingly exciting to pass through such an ancient gateway. It's strange to be following in the footsteps of those who used it more than 670 years ago. The keyhole arch gives you the sense of passing through a secret door and because we were there very early and there was hardly anyone else around, there was a sense of timelessness as we passed through the darkened passageway under the arches.
5. Ermita Del Tajo De La Cruz
6. Plaza de San Nicolas
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,269 reviews
Reviewed By paulwL4646YD
This is like Mallory Square in Key West- musicians, "hippies", locals and tourists mingle and watch the colors play on the Alahambra as the sun sets. Great vibe.
7. Fundacion Rodriguez Acosta
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 436 reviews
Reviewed By GandG16 - St. Albans, United Kingdom
We came here purely because it was a joint ticket with our Alhambra entrance and although we have been fortunate to go there a number of times over the years we had never been to the Fundacion.Our visit turned out to be a “private and personalised “one(around 50 minutes)as apart from a separate educational visit by a Spanish group we were the only visitors and had an excellent visit with “William “who spoke perfect English and was extremely knowledgable.The building,gardens and underground tunnels coupled with information about the artist’s life and culminating with an all too brief visit to the art collection is definitely worth the trip.Surprisingly few people seem to have cottoned on to this.
8. centro de artesanos alhama de granada
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 13 reviews
9. Paseo de los Tristes
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 1,002 reviews
Reviewed By iluvholibobs
Another area you can view the Alhambra from below. It's a nice area with seating and restaurants that do menu of the day for €12 euros. There is a bakery nearby if you are feeling peckish but don't fancy a full meal or tapas. From this area you can walk on with the wall/river to your right and the road bends to the left and goes uphill. Just as you walk up there is a nice garden on the right Palacio de los Cordova and further on to the right you can walk up to Museo de Las Cuevas which also gives a good viewpoint of the Alhambra. Tip: wear sensible shoes as you do a lot of walking in this city and most is either up or down hill.
10. Ruta de los Pilares
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By siouxsy - Tustin, United States
We were planning on going to the higher villages but due to car sickness from one of our party members left us in this little town before heading down. Tiny little town. Must, must by the local jamon and jamon iberico here!!! So good and cheap. We hit up 3 jamon shops before heading down. We also got some bread at the Galician bakery and produce and honey at the local stores. Everything we purchased there was fantastic. Regretted not buying more of everything..especially the jamon iberico which out of the 3 shops we went to only one at the far end sold sliced.
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