2 Days in Granada: A Perfect Itinerary for First Timers

How Many Days Do You Need in Granada?

We wanted to start here and explain why we think Granada is worth AT LEAST two days of your time.

We’ve seen many itineraries recommending one night (or even a day trip) to basically just do the Alhambra and move on, and we think that would be a mistake. 

As you can probably tell (and you’ll certainly be able to tell by the end of this guide), we really like Granada. It’s tied with Madrid as our favorite place in Spain. 

We went back and forth on whether we think two or three days is the right amount of time, and given the amount of time most of our readers have to dedicate to a trip to Spain, we think two days is the right balance to see the city, get a level or two deeper than surface level, and walk away amazed at the amount of history on display. 

Two days will give you plenty of time to split up the two main activities where you’re going to get a lot of information and do them on different days so that you’re not overwhelmed and exhausted going into the second activity. 

Those two activities are a tour of the Alhambra (we did this guided tour and loved it), and a walking tour of the Albaicín (we highly recommend this walking tour with Fede) which, combined, will give you a comprehensive look at how Granada came to be, and the countless ways it has influenced modern-day Spain. 

We would absolutely not be opposed to a third day in Granada if you have the time.

It’s a lovely place to just…be, and a third day will allow you to tackle the city at an even more relaxed pace. 

We have ideas for things to do with more and less time below the main itinerary. 

A Perfect 2 Day Granada Itinerary

And now, with those logistics out of the way, on to the itinerary itself. 

Obviously you’re going to have to massage this itinerary to fit your particular trip, but we’re giving you the building blocks to move around for your own particular timeline and interests. 

We’ve set things up this way because, particularly on day two (which features the Alhambra), you’re going to be getting A LOT of information and after 4+ hours of exploring, you’re going to be ready for a siesta (especially if it’s hot out). 

Day 1: The Royal Chapel, Tapas, and a Sunset Walking Tour

On your first day in Granada, you’re going to lay the historical and cultural groundwork to set yourself up for a deeper, richer experience at the Alhambra (which we strategically placed on your second day). 

Start with a visit to the Granada Cathedral and Royal Chapel (both of which are far grander than they have any right to be given Granada’s size, which we’ll talk about), grab lunch, and then embark on a sunset walking tour through the Albaicín, the original settlement when the city was under Muslim control. 

But First, Coffee (and Churros?)

Matt is a big coffee nerd, and he spends a lot of time searching out coffee shops in various cities we’re visiting. 

We like to start all of these guides with a section on coffee because, if you’re like me (Matt here, the main writer in this corner of the internet), the first thing you need in the morning is caffeine, usually delivered through a cup of coffee. 

Granada has quite a few nice options for coffee, though it should be noted that many of them do not have much seating, so if you want to linger over coffee and pastries, your options are going to be somewhat more limited. 

You can, of course, stop into any traditional bar and grab an espresso or latte, but there are a few places that go above and beyond and serve some really nice specialty coffee in Granada. 

Despiertoo: The best cups of coffee I had in Granada came from this modern coffee bar (which has two locations in the center of Granada, both right around the Cathedral). They have nice milk drinks, plus a selection of filter coffee options (batch brew and pour over). 

Sur Coffee Corner: A tiny little coffee bar in Centro that serves Nomad Coffee, perhaps the best coffee roaster in Spain (they’re in Barcelona). Takeaway only, so not a great place to sit and linger, but they make a really solid cup of coffee and have pastries for breakfast. 

Another option here is to go grab some churros and chocolate for breakfast. 

In Andalucía, churros are a breakfast food! However, you should know that the churros are a little different from what you’d picture based on experiences in the Americas. 

They’re not coated in sugar, they’re simply just fried dough, which makes them decidedly more savory (until you dunk them in chocolate).

The spot that we had recommended to us (definitely not gluten free, though, so we skipped it ourselves) and have seen multiple other people recommend is Café Fútbol, which is just southeast of the Cathedral in the more modern part of Granada. 

After you’re fed and caffeinated, time to get exploring!

The Royal Chapel & Cathedral

Granada’s Cathedral (and attached Royal Chapel) is where we’re going to have you start your exploration of Granada because it’s an important piece of the city’s history for a couple of reasons. 

First, as you’ll undoubtedly notice, this cathedral is absolutely gigantic relative to the size of Granada.

Which is an important emblem of Granada’s importance to the Spanish Crown in the late 15th and 16th Centuries. 

Allow us to begin the history lesson here.

The story of Spain is a fascinating one, and it’s one we basically learned nothing about in school in the United States (other than “in 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue”, which leaves out several really important historical events of that year that, coincidentally, took place in Granada). 

We’re not going to give you all the details, because you will no doubt hear them from your guides in Granada, but the key thing to know is that Granada (and most of southern Spain and Portugal) was ruled by a series of Muslim rulers who crossed the Strait of Gibraltar from the Middle East and then North Africa in 711 C.E. and conquered almost the entirety of the Iberian Peninsula within five years. 

“Almost” because they left a small band along the northern coast of Spain where groups of Christians had settled and were protected by difficult geography (and supported by other Christian kingdoms in Europe). 

Slowly (it definitely took more than five years), as the unified Muslim kingdom split and became a series of city-states, the Christians built an army and started moving south, taking cities in northern and central Spain and Portugal and pushing further and further south. 

This event is known as the “Reconquista”, but it’s worth noting that the term, while widely accepted, is kind of a misnomer because the Christians in northern Spain had little connection to the people in southern Spain, and thus they weren’t really “reconquering” so much as “conquering for the first time.” 

Fast forward to 1492 and the map of Spain looks very different. The two main independent kingdoms – Castile and Aragon – had united through the marriage of Ferdinand and Isabella (more on them in a second), and had their eyes set on Granada, which was the last bastion of Muslims on the Iberian Peninsula. 

Cut off from the sea (and thus escape or support) and surrounded by a larger, more powerful army, the Muslim ruler of Granada surrendered on January 2, 1492, and Ferdinand and Isabella unified the majority of what we now know as Spain and declared it a Catholic kingdom. 

Why is this history important in this context, you ask? Two reasons. 

First, Ferdinand and Isabella, who married to unify the kingdoms of Castile and Aragon to form Spain, are buried in the Royal Chapel here in Granada (along with their daughter, Joana, and her husband Phillip). 

Second, the reason the Granada Cathedral is so massive is to act as a symbol of the power and righteousness of the Catholics in a historically Muslim city.

It’s built on the site of a mosque (which is also the case for nearly every church in the city), and it’s huge because the Spanish royals wanted it to be a symbol that “we’re here now, and we’re RICH and powerful.”

This is as good a place as any to start learning about that history, though we’ll fill in the gaps in the early history of Granada as a piece of a broader Muslim kingdom (and then the capital of it) later in the day. 

There are separate entrance fees and tickets, and we’d start with the Cathedral and then do the Royal Chapel, which is where you’ll find the ornate tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella (along with their daughter and son-in-law).

No need to buy tickets in advance, you can buy them onsite. 

There were two things that stood out to us about the Royal Chapel. Since there are no pictures allowed inside that particular building, our words will have to do. 

The first thing that was unique was the grills (or gates?) inside the chapel. 

They’re ornamental and meticulously detailed with all sorts of symbology. For example, you’ll find scenes from Christ’s life, scenes from the lives of the royal family, and the crests of Isabella and Ferdinand, all crafted out of metal. 

The second thing is the massive altar with the scenes from the life of Christ, including a depiction of the beheading of St. John the Baptist that appears to be anatomically correct.

Before exiting, there’s a mini museum with pieces of the Royal Family’s collection of art, including some impressive Flemish paintings (our favorite part of the Prado Museum in Madrid). 

More information, like hours and special exhibitions, is available on their official website. 

A Self-Guided Tapas Tour

The food of a place tells you so much about the culture, history, and influences that have shaped it, and exploring a city through its food scene is a unique perspective that a lot of people don’t even consider. 

In Granada, the food of choice (or the general category) is tapas. And we think that’s what you should do for lunch. 

Remember that in Spain, lunch is the big meal, and Spaniards generally eat lunch sometime between 1pm and 4pm, depending on the person.

That timing is quite a bit different than at home in the States, and throws us for a loop every time. 

What is a tapa, you ask? Good question, because it’s a little different than what you’re probably used to. 

Traditionally, a tapa (the singular form of “tapas”) is a small plate of food that is served to you when you order a drink. 

Elsewhere in Andalucía, this phenomenon has sort of gone by the wayside, and in places like Sevilla you’re often ordering from a menu when you go out for tapas. 

In Granada, the traditional version of tapas is alive and well, and we’d suggest embracing it.

Which does mean that the best approach is a bit of bar hopping where you move from place to place, getting a drink and a free tapa (and ordering anything else that looks intriguing to you). 

Here’s how it works, more or less: you go to the bar, order a drink, and along with your drink you are served a small plate of food (that you do not get to choose, most of the time).

When you go up and order another drink, you get another plate of food (often they will switch it up with each drink). 

Repeat ad-nauseum and you are both a little drunk and pleasantly full. 

An important note at the top here: Matt has Celiac Disease, which means the way we experience a city’s food scene is almost certainly different from the way you will. 

If you also need to eat gluten free, here’s our gluten free guide to Granada, which has lots of great options. 

If you don’t, we wanted to take a second to link you to resources we’d use to figure out what to eat and where to eat it. 

First, we loved reading this guide to food in Granada, which has all sorts of personal anecdotes to go with the recommendations and has a hefty list of different places to check out. 

Another place we like to look for food recommendations is Reddit threads, mostly because on Reddit, you’re usually getting crowd-sourced information from locals or fellow travelers who have actually experienced the things they’re mentioning. 

Take a read through this thread and this thread as a starting point. 

For lunch, we’d do a little crawl of 2-3 different places to get a feel for how it all works. 

For the highest concentration of places that have been recommended to us (though they don’t always work for Matt), we’d head to Plaza de Bib Rambla just southwest of the Cathedral (here on Google Maps). 

Around this plaza, there are a couple of chains that started out with one location and now have several – Los Diamantes and Los Manueles – that would be a good place to start.

A walking tour guide also recommended Provincias Bib-Rambla on that square to us, and with those three spots you have a great start to a self-guided tapas tour. 

Remember that you want the tapas portion of the restaurant (rather than ordering from the set menu in the more formal dining room). 

We do want to cover a fairly important topic here: what NOT to eat in Granada.  

Most people don’t fully appreciate this, but Spain is a big country, which means that the food culture is highly regionalized because the raw ingredients that exist in, say, Barcelona and Granada, are wildly different. 

As much as possible, you should try to eat the local specialties in the place you’re in, rather than trying to seek out the most famous Spanish dishes.

Which brings us to paella. Paella is a rice-based dish that, aside from being so clearly influenced by cuisine from North Africa, comes from Valencia, a city up the coast towards Barcelona. 

We have one golden rule in Spain that we have broken a few times (including in Granada) and regretted it: do not order paella in a restaurant that is not specifically Valencian or specifically known for paella (often called an “arrocería”). 

There are, I’m sure, exceptions, but ordering paella out at a random restaurant is usually not going to be good, speaking from experience. 

Another example is sangria. As far as we can tell, sangria is a completely made up concoction designed for tourists. Which doesn’t mean it’s bad, necessarily, but we believe that you should try to drink what the locals drink, and that’s not sangria. 

Instead, when you’re in Andalucía, you should drink wine, beer, vermut (we love Spanish vermouth!), or sherry (Manzanilla is the dry version). 

A Sunset Walking Tour of the Albaicín

The main pillar of today is a walking tour through the Albaicín, which is where the city of Granada began and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

The original city of Granada is not on the hill where the Alhambra sits, but on the hill across the valley, with whitewashed houses sprawling up the hillside with narrow alleys and excellent views in all directions (perfect for defending the city). 

While some people walk up to Mirador San Nicolas, the most popular viewpoint in the neighborhood, and call it an evening, we have done several walking tours through the Albaicín, and loved one in particular that will give you the historical overview you need to have a deeper, richer understanding of what you’re seeing at the Alhambra tomorrow. 

That tour is Fede’s walking tour of the Albaicín. 

Fede is as expert as it gets – he grew up in the area and still lives there – and he’ll take you on a journey through history, pointing out that the multicultural history that shaped Granada and Spain as we know it today is on full display in the Albaicín. 

Aside from the route of the tour, which takes you to places you’d either never find on your own or points out something in a popular area that you’d never notice on your own, there are two key elements we liked about the content Fede covered. 

First, I liked how intentional Fede was with definitions, making it clear that the words we use matter. 

Like Fede, I’ve seen plenty of people (and I’ve done it myself in the past) refer to the Muslim kingdoms that ruled Spain for centuries as either “Moorish” or “Arabs”, the first of which is a fairly offensive word (the Spanish equivalent is a slur) and the second of which is wrong (virtually nobody came from Saudi Arabia to Spain). 

They were Muslims from North Africa (mostly), and Fede had a nice little preamble about how that’s what we should call them that I really appreciated, and clearly took to heart here.

There was a similar exploration of the word “gypsy” (also very offensive in the wrong context) and Flamenco, but I won’t spoil those here. 

Second, I appreciated Fede’s willingness to tackle complicated topics (often critical of Spain’s history) head-on, like the persecution and expulsion of the Jewish, Muslim, and Romani (commonly called “gypsies”, though that’s a somewhat derogatory term in English) communities by the Spanish Crown through the Inquisition. 

I’m a big fan of historical narratives that don’t pull punches (which is why I always balk at the way many Spaniards lionize Columbus, who was by most accounts both a horrible person and bad at his job, believing the Americas were India until he died).

Fede delivers just that; an overview of the history of Granada and the broader Iberian Peninsula and all its messiness. 

We do want to note that Fede’s tour is fairly heavy on historical details, which we’re very into.

However, we can totally see a scenario where that might not be something you’re interested in. 

In that case, we’d recommend this slightly shorter walking tour (which we’ve actually done twice now and, somewhat hilariously, we are featured in the photos of the tour – don’t worry, we paid for it ourselves both times), which covered the same history at a higher level with a slightly shorter walk through the Albaicín and Sacramonte.  

Day 2: The Alhambra, Tea Time, & Sunset +Flamenco 

After spending your first day laying a great foundation for understanding Granada’s unique cultural and historical story, it’s time to tackle the two most important elements of Granada: the Alhambra and Flamenco. 

Marvel at the Majesty of the Alhambra

We have now been to Granada twice in the past five years, and we feel like we can’t visit Granada without a trip up to the Alhambra.

So, we’ve experienced the magic of the Alhambra twice, including on our trip earlier this year (at the time of writing). 

The Alhambra is a rich tapestry of beautiful intricate, intentional architecture and design that tells the story of Granada (and arguably Spain as a whole). 

First of all, we have the Alhambra here at the beginning of the day because that’s our preferred time to visit the monument, before the crowds and big tour buses arrive (which we’d say is around 10am). 

Generally, we’d do your best to try and visit either first thing in the morning (the complex opens at 8:30am year round), or later in the afternoon if those slots are sold out (the complex closes at different times in different seasons, so check the official website). 

The Alhambra is either the first or second most visited attraction in Spain, so there are always going to be people around, but those times are going to be the least crowded. 

Which is important because there is so much incredible detail in the design, particularly of the Nasrid Palaces, that is hard to appreciate when you’re in a big crowd and can’t move as freely. 

Second of all, you want to book your tickets as far in advance as possible.

As soon as you know when you’ll be in Granada, go and buy your tickets for the Alhambra. They sell out. 

Technically, there are tickets available the day of, but you’ll need to get to the ticket office several hours before it opens at 8am, and even then there’s no guarantee you’ll actually get them. 

Here is the official ticketing portal for the Alhambra. There are several sites at the top of Google that look official, but are just resellers. 

The name “Alhambra” is a sort of bastardization of the Arabic word “al-Ḥamrāʼ,” which translates roughly to “the red one.”

Which, from the jump, alludes to the intertwined nature of modern Spain and the Muslim kingdoms that ruled the majority of its territory for hundreds of years. 

As we already alluded to, Granada was the site of the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula that stood until 1492 when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain accepted the city’s surrender. 

A lot of people think that the Alcázar in Sevilla is the same style as the Alhambra because they look similar, but the truth is a little more complicated. 

The Alhambra is a complex that was built by Muslims for a Muslim ruler (or, in this case, a series of rulers as it was continuously expanded over centuries). It is equal parts defensive structure, royal palace, and self-contained city. 

The Alcázar in Sevilla is a complex that was built by Muslim artisans for a Christian ruler using stylistic elements from Islamic architecture because it was en vogue at the time. 

That means that the Alhambra is the most important example of architecture from the Muslim period on the Iberian Peninsula, and despite being abandoned for several centuries after the Reconquista, is in relatively good condition. 

The reason you’re here is to appreciate all of the incredible craftsmanship and meaning that went into the construction of this magnificent UNESCO World Heritage Site, and to learn about the rich history behind its existence. 

Plan on at least 3-4 hours at the Alhambra, and bring plenty of water (you can bring your own water bottle) and snacks, along with comfortable walking shoes. 

We have an entire guide dedicated to visiting the Alhambra, with sections on the history, layout, and exactly how to buy tickets. You should go read that for far more information than we can fit in this guide. 

Important note: You will need to provide passport / identity card information, which must match your tickets to get into the Alhambra. Bring your passport with you for your visit – they will check it! 

Like most cultural sights, the Alhambra is at its best when you have the cultural and historical context and stories to go along with the beauty of the complex itself. 

Which is why we’ve decided to take a guided tour of the Alhambra on both of our visits in the past several years. 

In our experiences visiting big tourist attractions with and without a guide, the two experiences are going to be vastly different. 

The independent visit is a lot of ooooh-ing and aaaaah-ing at the beauty, without the deep understanding of what you’re looking at and its significance that comes with a guided tour with someone who actually knows what they’re talking about.

There is so much historical and cultural context behind the beautiful architecture and design that you’re seeing at the Alhambra. 

Investing in a guided tour of the Alhambra will help you understand the significance of what you’re looking at and lead to a much deeper, richer experience. 

Visiting these big tourist attractions is almost always better with a guide (especially a guide with both a handle on the history and who is a good storyteller), and we try to do guided tours whenever we can to take advantage of that knowledge and to make it more digestible and engaging. 

Because of all the context you need to fully understand the Alhambra’s importance, there is perhaps no other attraction in Spain where we think a guided tour is more important than the Alhambra. 

The Prado Museum in Madrid and the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona are the only two things that come close. 

To prove our point and put our money where our mouth is, we’d like to point out that we’ve visited the Alhambra twice, and done a guided tour both times (and learned plenty on both of them). 

On our first trip, we did this excellent guided tour (which includes tickets) that gave us a great foundation for understanding not only the Alhambra, but Granada and Andalucía more broadly. 

That tour covers the Generalife, Nasrid Palaces, and Alcazaba over the course of three (ish) hours.

It does start midday, though you’ll be starting after the morning rush (which is when many of the big tour groups show up). 

On our latest visit, we did this guided tour and our guide, Nacho, was both charismatic and knowledgeable, and pointed out little details throughout the complex that we didn’t even notice on our first trip. 

It’s worth noting that the second tour DOES NOT include tickets, which means you will still need to buy tickets on your own. 

The three hour tour starts early and spends more time on the Alcazaba and Nasrid Palaces (definitely not too much time, though, it’s a good balance), and leaves you inside the complex at the end to check out the Generalife on your own. 

A Break for Tea & Treats

After a morning spent at the Alhambra, your brain is going to be absolutely fried for at least a few hours.

To relax and recuperate, we’d find a nice sunny patio at a teahouse in the Albaicín, bring a book or a journal, and relax. 

We love good teahouses, known in Granada as teterías.

Especially Alysha, who isn’t a coffee drinker but is a voracious tea drinker at home, when Matt makes her chai extra spicy on mornings where she’s assuming her role as editor of Wheatless Wanderlust. 

One of the unique things you’ll find in Granada (and other parts of Andalucía, though not nearly as prominently as in Granada), are tea houses, which are a clear example of the influence of the seven centuries of Muslim rule in Granada. 

We had a favorite that we went to multiple times over our time in Granada. 

The reason? The quiet outdoor patio area with a nice view of some of the Alhambra’s towers. 

It’s called La Tetería El Bañuelo (here on Google Maps), and they have a wide variety of different tea blends, from chai and other teas made with milk, to Moroccan-style green tea with mint and sugar. 

We liked the teas that incorporated orange into the blend for a nice hit of citrus!

They also have a nice selection of pastries inspired by the Middle East – I asked about one that looked like it was a ball of string wrapped around some chocolate, and the server mentioned that it was a Jordanian treat (though my subsequent Googling found only Greek recipes – like this one).

Anyways, it’s a really nice place to spend a sunny afternoon, and you’ll likely be joined by one or many cats who descend on the patio as a prime sunbathing spot. 

Trek up to San Miguel Alto for Sunset

Close out your time in Granada with a trip up to what is widely considered the best view in the entire city. 

There’s exactly one thing we haven’t done in Granada that we really wish we had done on this last trip, and it’s the walk up to San Miguel Alto for sunset. 

San Miguel Alto is the white church high up on the hillside above Sacramonte that you can see from various points in the Albaicín.

It’s a great view of the Alhambra and the surrounding landscape, including the rugged Sierra Nevada range in the distance. 

Despite looking like a long walk, it’s only 15-20 minutes from crowded Mirador de San Nicolás up to the relatively quiet viewpoint. It’s a steep climb, but it’s not nearly as far as it looks from below. 

You can also take the bus; the N9 gets you up there from the backside, which picks up at the north end of Calle Gran Vía de Colón (You can pick it up here on Google Maps). 

Experience the Magic of Flamenco

Flamenco is perhaps the most well-known form of music and dance that has come out of Spain, and though the term itself is complex (it’s more of a genre umbrella than a specific kind of music, like saying “rock music”), and seeing a show in Granada is important because Andalucía is the birthplace of Flamenco. 

It’s legitimately a really impressive art form that involves music (usually a guitar along with some percussion) and dance.

It can feel exciting, sad, tragic, and angry, and sometimes all at the same time. 

If you walk out of a show having felt nothing, I really don’t know what to tell you. 

Beyond the art itself, Flamenco is one of the most interesting examples of the cultural mixing of Andalucía, and it’s an even better example of how so many of the things that are “stereotypically Spanish” (we’d say Flamenco fits that definition) are often rooted in that same diversity. 

That cultural diversity is part of the reason we’ve fallen in love with Spain; the history and identity of modern day Spain are so complex and shaped by literally thousands of years of history and different cultures mixing throughout the Iberian Peninsula. 

At its core, Flamenco is the result of the mixing of musical and dance traditions from two of Spain’s historically marginalized communities.

First, Muslims, who were persecuted and forced to the fringes of society during the Inquisition after the conquest of Granada.

Second, the Romani, who migrated from northern India over the course of many centuries and were always viewed as outsiders in Spain because of the incompatibility of their semi-nomadic lifestyle with Catholic ideals. 

What I was most struck by during my first Flamenco show was how much some of the singing (which is in Spanish) sounded like the Muslim call to prayer in its intonations, which completely makes sense knowing what I know now. 

There are several explanations for where the word “Flamenco” comes from, and after reading about them, the most compelling is the one that Fede presented on his walking tour through the Albaicín (which is when I got curious and started to seek out other sources). 

Many Spanish words – including Alhambra and Alcázar – are essentially bastardizations of the Arabic words for the same thing. 

The Arabic term used to describe the Romani people who showed up in southern Spain is “Felah-Mengus” and based on the other words that Spanish has repurposed from the Arabic language, it makes perfect sense to me that the word “Flamenco” came from that Arabic word, which means “wandering peasants.”

Flamenco, it turns out, was the name of a group of people, not a style of music, though in popular culture it certainly now refers specifically to the style of music and dance. 

Given that the origins of Flamenco are in southern Spain, where those two communities came together and created something new, this is where you should see a Flamenco show.

Not in Madrid. Not in Barcelona. Here in Andalucía, where it all began. 

There are many Flamenco shows in Sacramonte, which is the historic home of the Romani community, and it’s a very unique place to take in a show because you’ll get to see it in one of the cave houses of Sacramonte (rather than a modern theater, which is where we saw a Flamenco show in Sevilla). 

The one that was recommended to us by two separate guides is Cuevas Los Tarantos, which is over on the main street at the base of Sacromonte. 

Though we were also told that just about any show in the caves of Sacramonte is going to be worthwhile. 

We’d probably book in advance to make sure you get to experience Flamenco in Granada, but if you’re traveling outside of the spring, you may be able to buy tickets on site.  

What to Do with More Time in Granada

Here are a few things to do if you find yourself with more time in Granada. 

Tour the Cisterns from the Middle Ages

Our favorite discovery of a recent trip to Granada is the fact that they had a fully operational network of cisterns that was built by the Muslims to supply water to the community living on the hill in the Albaicín that operated for 1,000 years until the 1970s. 

Yes, you read that right. They were only decommissioned in the 1970s after a millenium of use. 

Truly a feat of engineering by the Muslims, who were far more advanced than the Christian kingdoms of Spain in the Middle Ages (which explains why the Spanish were intent on erasing all signs of them so they could claim superiority). 

There is one place in particular where you can spend an hour underground exploring the (now dry) cisterns: The Carmen del Aljibe del Rey in the Albaicín.

This is the largest of the city’s cisterns and is dated back to the 11th Century. 

Unfortunately, these hour-long tours are in Spanish only AND only run for one hour per day (most days of the year) at 12pm.

We couldn’t make it work on that trip, and we weren’t sure we’d be able to understand most of it in Spanish anyway. 

Show up 10-15 minutes early and book in person – it’s free, but there’s a pretty narrow window since the person who manages the front desk also runs the tour. 

Step Inside a Cave House in Sacramonte

As we already covered in the Flamenco section above, the neighborhood of Sacramonte was outside of the medieval city walls of Granada and was the place where the marginalized communities of Granada made their homes as the pressure to convert to Christianity forced them outside of the city walls. 

Chief among these communities is the Romani community who, as we already covered, are thought to be a nomadic group that has made their way from northern India, across the Middle East and Africa, and ended up spread across Europe, going by different names in each place. 

As you head east from the Albaicín past the remnants of the walls into Sacramonte, the houses start to change slightly.

Rather than the elaborate Carmens, which are mini-palaces with lush gardens, you start to get houses that are burrowed into the hillside.

Kind of like a more rustic hobbit hole (which is immediately what came to mind for me as we wandered around one of them). 

Chances are if you do the walking tour with Fede, you may get a chance to do this with him as a guide, which will be much more informative than doing it on your own.

However, sometimes the cave house isn’t open or available on his tour, so we wanted to add a section here to give you the information you need to do it yourself. 

There are two main places where you can step inside one of these cave houses. 

First is the more built out version, the Museo Cuevas del Sacromonte, which allows you to step into a series of caves that have been preserved to show what life is like living in one. There are different rooms for a range of purposes, and it’s very well done and has signage in English. It’s €7 a person. 

It’s pretty far east out into the valley, and to get there from Plaza Nueva you can either walk (25 minutes) or take the bus (12-15 minutes, plus a short walk).  

Second is a more rustic version that we got to go inside with Fede’s walking tour, the Rincón del Corazón Cave House Museum. It’s a small space with just a handful of rooms and costs €1 a person (cash only) to step inside. You can find it here on Google Maps. 

You won’t get the information signage here, but you will definitely get an idea of what life inside a cave house is like. 

What to Do with Less Time

If you find yourself with less time – a day or a day and a half, most likely – we’d shift the flamenco show to the first evening and do the rest of the itinerary as written. 

With just a day trip, you’re probably going to have to choose between the walking tour and the Alhambra to fit with train timing (and we’d choose the Alhambra if you can get tickets). 

Cut the Royal Chapel and Cathedral and do the Alhambra in the morning followed by lunch and tea and a walk through the Albaicín before catching your train back. 

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