The best places to see in Granada. The essential thing to visit
Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in Spain. In addition to being the city where the impressive Alhambra is located, there are many more places to see in Granada, some unknown, that are worth visiting.
In every corner you will find something special to see in Granada and here we make a list of what you will find in this Andalusian city. Without a doubt, the Alhambra is the best-known monument to visit in Granada and the one for which it receives the most visits.
In this article you will discover which are the main neighborhoods to visit in Granada so that you can organize your visit well.
Routes through Granada for days
Granada is a small city but with many very interesting places to visit, each of them with a special charm. Everything revolves around the Alhambra but there is also much more to enjoy. To make your visit easier, we have organized some tours that depend on the number of days you have to visit the city.
And if you are traveling with the little ones, do not miss our article with the best things to do in Granada with children.
If you also have more days or want to know the surroundings, we tell you the best excursions to do from Granada.
The best places to see in Granada
The Alhambra and the Generalife, the essential visit
Surely you expected that the first on the list would be the Alhambra, logical since it is the main monument to see in Granada.
To visit the Alhambra, you will need a full morning because it is a fairly large enclosure that you can also get to know on a guided tour, something that we recommend.
Discovering the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces, with the Patio de los Leones, and the Palace of Carlos V will be a pleasure for your senses. In the same enclosure is the Generalife, some beautiful Muslim gardens, one of the best things to visit in Granada.
The albaycin
This is the quintessential Muslim neighborhood to see in Granada.
The first Muslims in the city settled here and it is a network of white houses between narrow alleys that hide interesting secrets and where you will discover things in every corner every time you go.
The Albaycin is separated from the hill where the Alhambra is by the River Darro and you can get the best views of it from the Mirador de San Nicolás, which we recommend going up at sunset, one of the best things to do in Granada..
The Historic Center of Granada
When you have already visited the Alhambra, it is time to enjoy what Granada offers you and nothing better than touring its historic center, a place full of history, monuments and very lively streets.
The main monuments of the historic center are the Cathedral of Granada, ordered to be built by Isabel II after the conquest of the city, and the Royal Chapel, where the Catholic Monarchs themselves are buried.
But these are not the only places you can find in the historic center. It is enough to take a walk through its streets and squares, such as the Plaza Nueva, the Paseo de los Tristes or the Carrera del Darro to surprise you.
And you will discover monuments and buildings as interesting as the Church of Santa Ana, the Arab baths of El Bañuelo or the curious Corral del Carbón, some of the main places to visit in Granada.
In this area there are also the Basilica of San Juan de Dios and the Monastery of San Jerónimo, one of the monasteries that we can visit in Granada, next to the Monastery of La Cartuja, the latter located to the north of the city.
Sacromonte
Another of the curious neighborhoods to visit in Granada is Sacromonte.
Throughout history, different ethnic groups have lived in Sacromonte, from Arabs to Jews, passing through gypsies who built their homes in caves, which were built from the 18th century on the slopes of the mountain.
These caves are next to some ravines forming a kind of streets. The best known are the Cuevas de Las Zambras where you should go if you like flamenco.
Without a doubt, it is one of the neighborhoods that you must visit in Granada.
The Realejo
Another interesting neighborhood to visit in Granada is the Barrio del Realejo, located at the foot of the hill where the Alhambra is located.
The Barrio de El Realejo is the old Jewish quarter of the city, which lived with the Muslims in the city until their expulsion after the Christian conquest of Granada. The neighborhood was destroyed then and part of it has not survived to this day.
Among the places you can visit in El Realejo are the Plaza de Campo del Príncipe, the Torres Bermejas or the Church of Santo Domingo, founded by the Catholic Monarchs.
The Science Park
The spectacular Science Park was inaugurated in 1995 and is today an international reference center for scientific dissemination, being the first interactive science museum that we can see in Andalusia.
Whether you go with children or not, it is one of the best visits to do in Granada. It is a very complete museum both for its permanent exhibition and the temporary ones that usually exist.
It stands out for its planetarium and its observation tower, with beautiful views of Mulhacén.
If you want more information about what to see in Granada, you can visit the city ‘s official tourism page.
