Granada Info
History of Granada
The name "Granada" is ancient and mysterious. It may mean "great castle" after a Roman fortress that back in time stood on the Albaicin Hill or it may have been named by the Moors after the Jews who lived here – Garnat-al-Yahud – which means Granada of the Jews. Today, the word "granada" means "pomegranate" in Spanish and you will see this symbol all around the city in the fountains and ironwork and in its coat of arms.
According to archaeological research, people from the Stone Age were living in the province of Granada as long as 400,000 years ago and you can see an interesting collection of artifacts in the Archaeological Museum. However, the more reliable records date back to the tenth and fourth centuries BC when the coastal stretch of Andalucia was populated by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Greeks, who established trading states and exploited the vast mineral deposits and excellent fishing. There are not many traces of Greek culture, but the Romans left their mark by conquering the Iberian city of Ihverir, situated in the valley of the River Darro, where the Albaicin is today and renaming it Illiberis. In turn, the name changed to Ilibira and when the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula they renamed it Elvira.
The invasion of the Moors took place in 711 where according to legend, King Roderic seduced Count Julian's daughter and in retaliation, Count Julian invited the Arabs and Berbers from North Africa to invade and defeat Roderic. The North African army was led by Tarik bin Zayid and he crossed over at Gibraltar, thus giving the rock its name. King Roderic tried to escape on two white mules, but unfortunately the weight of his robes and the gold he had stuffed in the pockets weighed him down, and whilst crossing a river, he drowned. The Moors went on to conquer the rest of Spain within a period of 7 years and even got as far as Poitier in France before being repelled and continuing their 700 year rule of the Iberian peninsula.
Elvira was destroyed in the year 1010 and the inhabitants moved to the Albaicin and in 1013, Zawi bin Ziri founded the Ziri dynasty which allowed Granada to become an independent kingdom. This dynasty reigned until 1238 until Yusuf ibn Nasr founded the new dynasty of the Nasrids and started on the building of the Alhambra. The Nasrids reigned until 2nd January 1492 when the Catholic monarchs – Isabel of Castille and Ferdinand of Aragon - conquered this last remaining stronghold of Moorish Spain. The keys of the city were handed over by Boabdil who, legend says, on leaving, turned to look at Granada for one last time with tears in his eyes. His mother, obviously not impressed with his behavior said to him "You do well to weep like a woman, what you could not defend as a man".
Despite promising that things were not going to change in Granada, Isabel and Ferdinand issued a decree that all Muslims should convert to Christianity and all Jews must be expelled from the city. Mosques were converted into churches, Muslim religious books, poetry and art were burned and the Inquisition was in full flow. The converted Muslims, now called Moriscos, held an unsuccessful rebellion in 1568 under the leadership of Aben Humeya - a colourful character who abducted a widowed cousin and made her his mistress instead of marrying her, an act that invoked jealousy in one of his fellow Muslims who subsequently strangled Humeya. After the rebellion they had to flee to the Alpujarras mountains where they continued to revolt, burning churches, ransacking villages and murdering Christians, before being expelled completely in the 17th century.
As the Renaissance and Baroque periods developed, Granada slowly started to lose its Arabic roots and this Golden Age left a great legacy of intense artistic activity of a great number of buildings, churches, facades and sculptures.
Peace returned to Granada until the Napoleonic Wars when Napoleon installed his brother Bonaparte on the Spanish throne in 1808, not a popular decision. The Alhambra, which over the years of Moorish rule had been embellished and extended, was in a bad state of disrepair, home to vagabonds, thieves and beggars and during this time, the French army took it over for their barracks. During this period, they blew up parts of the Alhambra and many works of art were stolen from the city. When the French left, things didn't get much better and revolutions and revolts were a daily part of life, continuing to destroy the city until the end of the 19th century. The city then suffered a building boom where yet more historic sites were destroyed to make way for streets and a crisis in the sugar refineries, a blight on the sherry crop and the unstable political situation all took their toll.
Granada was "rediscovered" in 1829 by Irving Washington, an American writer who took up residence in the neglected Alhambra and three years later published his "Tales of the Alhambra", a blend of myths, stories, legends and history. It's a great book to read, although a little romanticized and overblown in places, he has the knack of bringing alive the building that we see today.
Spain and Granada, however, had still not reached a peaceful period and in 1936 Civil War broke out and the mainly Republican province of Granada suffered thousands of casualties, one of them being the outstanding local poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca.
Granada has remained a relatively prosperous administrative capital of a fairly backward agricultural province until fairly recently. It is now an important cultural reference at international levels. The city's language schools and 475 year old university have attracted thousands of foreign exchange students and the historic sights and charm of the city attract up to 1.6 million visitors a year. It is now a modern city that blends and preserves its incredibly rich historical and artistic heritage and as you walk around, it is easy to imagine yourself living in an earlier and more exotic time.
There is an average of around 300,000 people in Granada, rising to 450,000 once the transient population of students and periphery areas have been included. At 686m above sea level, protected by mountain ranges on three sides and with a constant supply of water from the melting snows, the valley itself is incredibly fertile and a variety of fruits and trees flourish including olives, oranges, lemons, figs, almonds and pomegranates with sugar cane, avocadoes, bananas, dates and mangos growing along the Costa Tropical.
Places to See
Granada can be divided into four main districts –
- The Centre
- The Albaicin
- Realejo
- Sacromonte
The Centre
This has been the city's main religious and commercial centre since the 14th century and offers a good mixture of shops selling clothes, homeware, gifts, artesan products, shoes etc. Plenty of cafes and restaurants border flower-filled plazas, and souvenir shops can be found mainly in the Alcaiceria. Specialist delicatessens selling local produce are interspersed around a number of plazas and side streets. The Cathedral dominates the skyline and provides a good reference point if you happen to get lost! The main streets, Gran Via de Colon and Calle Recogidas are the focal points for the parades. The hub of the city, Plaza Nueva is located a stone's throw from one of the streets that leads up to the Alhambra (Cuesta Gomerez).
The Albaicin
Declared a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1994, this is one of the most perfectly preserved Moorish quarters in Spain and a pleasant afternoon can be spent exploring this medieval maze. The cobblestone alleyways lead up and down, past secretive carmens (villas with enclosed walled gardens where in the 12th - 15th centuries, wealthy Arabs sought to protect their privacy and hide their prosperity), through squares with tinkling stone fountains and along streets so narrow you can touch the walls on either side. In summer, a profusion of bouganvillia spills over the whitewashed walls and in spring, the scent of orange and lemon blossom makes for a heady mix. Tucked away amongst the cuestas (slopes) are miradors (viewing points), market squares, restaurants and cafes.
Realejo
A labyrinth of streets characterises this neighbourhood which is said at one time, to have been the Jewish quarter. In 1497, having expelled the Jews and to honour the marriage of the son of the Catholic Monarchs, great sections of the Realejo were flattened to form the Plaza Campo del Principe. Unfortunately, six months later, the son had a riding accident and died. The plaza is lined on one side with restaurants and cafes and during Semana Santa, thousands of people come here to visit the stone cross on Good Friday, as legend says it will grant three favours. To the south of the plaza, where the terrain is flat, the streets have a more orderly layout; however, to the north, it looks very much like the Albaicin with steep cuestas and whitewashed houses.
Sacromonte
Known as Granada's cave and gypsy quarter, the name means "Sacred Mountain" and there is an abbey sitting atop catacombs that legend says held the mortal remains of St Cecilio and Saint Tesifon, the patron saints of Granada. In the 1960s a torrential rainfall washed out many of the caves and the gypsies were moved to housing elsewhere in the city. Since that time, a lot of the caves have been re-populated by foreigners, artists and hippies as well as being converted into entertainment venues where you can see traditional performances of flamenco music and dancing.
Things to do
You're never short of things to do in Granada, it seems that every time you step into the street, something is going on, from free music concerts to street entertainment to international dance and film festivals. Planned and impromptu events are usually advertised on posters displayed around the city. It's worth having a notebook and pen to hand to jot down information when you go out.
The local fiestas such as the Cruces de Mayo and the Corpus Christi are especially interesting for the foreign visitor. It seems that the whole of Granada takes to the street to celebrate. Girls dressed brightly in colourful flamenco outfits with flowers in their hair; men in traditional hats and striped trousers riding their high-stepping Andalucian stallions; flower decked gypsy caravans; displays of traditional country dancing and local crafts; candle lit, solemn religious processions led by hooded brotherhoods swinging incense burners. It's a complete sensory overload and a photographers' paradise.
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Eating out and the Tapas Culture
Eating out in Spain is something of a national pastime and according to official statistics, Granada has more bars and restaurants per inhabitant and square kilometre then any other city in Spain. Granada is also famous for being one of the few places left in Spain where there is still a tradition of giving free tapas with every drink. Having done a rather enjoyable survey of bars across the city, it is interesting how tapas can vary from a small bowl of crisps or nuts in the touristy places, to a refined goat 's cheese with onion confit on toasted bread, to a decent sized baguette crammed with pork, fried egg and a dollop of mayonnaise in the outlying barrios or districts.
According to legend, the tapa tradition began when Castile's King, Alfonso the Wise, recovered from an illness by drinking wine and nibbling small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered taverns to serve their guests food along with wine and the tapas became a kind of loophole in the law to allow drinkers to drink.
According to other sources, the original tapas were the slices of bread which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. But soon, enterprising bartenders were putting small snacks on the bread, and the lowly tapa (from tapa derived the verb tapar, "to cover") became as important as the sherry.
Tapa or Tapita – small appetizer served with an alcoholic drink
Racion – large plate of tapa
Media Racion – half the size of a racion
Breakfast has never been a big thing for the Spaniards – usually a coffee and/or pastry. If you like something a little more substantial, then order a tostada (toast) made with a baguette style stick. You can order "tostada entera" (whole baguette) or "tostada media" (half baguette) and to this can be added a combination of oil (aceite), butter (mantequilla), tomato (tomate), jam (mermelada), cheese (queso), chorizo type paste (sobresada), ham (jamon), paté (pate) etc. My favourite is tomato – carefully drizzle olive oil over the toasted bread, spread with fresh tomato pulp, sprinkle with salt and enjoy – heaven! Remember, if you prefer ham, jamon York is closest to our cooked ham and jamon is like Serrano ham.
There seems to be 101 variations of how you can take your coffee, but some of the more popular options are as follows:
- Café con leche – coffee with milk in a cup and saucer
- Café cortado – coffee in a glass with a dash of milk
- Café solo – shot of espresso
- Café doble – double shot of espresso
- Café con hielo – a shot of espresso poured over icecubes – incredibly refreshing when its hot!
If you prefer a large black coffee, then ask for a Café Americano (if they don 't know, ask for a un café solo con agua caliente). However, not all places understand that this is a black coffee topped up with hot water. I've twice been served tea when asking for an Americano!
For tea drinkers, there is usually a good variety of herbal teas on offer and of course, no visit to Granada would be complete without a visit to the Moroccan teashops that serve a bewildering variety of exotic teas.
Lunch is the main meal of the day and restaurants usually open at about 1pm with most granadinos eating at around 2pm onwards. If you 're not sure what to have, the best option is to go for the Menu del dia (Menu of the Day) which is divided as follows:
- Primer plato – first course
- Segundo plato – second course
- Postre – pudding
- Pan – bread
- Vino/agua – wine or water
This costs anything from 5€ to 12€ per person depending on the location and restaurant. If you 're a fan of vegetables and anything green, then be warned! Usually salad is an option at the Primer plato stage, but you are unlikely to find any sort of vegetable accompaniment to your Segundo plato. This has always been a source of puzzlement to me in a country where the markets are overflowing with luscious looking vegetables and fruits. Perhaps the Spanish only like to eat their vegetables in the privacy of their own homes! For those of a nervous disposition, avoid the Tortilla Sacromonte which contains lamb 's brains and testicles!
Dinner doesn 't normally start till around 9.00pm or 9.30pm (although most restaurants open at about 8pm) at the earliest and there are several restaurants in Granada where you can eat overlooking the splendour of the Alhambra lit at night. Most restaurants in Granada will serve typically Spanish food, but there are a small number of Chinese, Japanese, Indian, Moroccan and Italian restaurants in the city. You may notice that your food tastes better in Granada and this is due to the locally grown, freshly picked produce and the traditional methods used to cure meat and mature cheeses.
Drinks
Normally the Spanish will drink una cerveza (a beer) or una copa de vino tinto (a red wine). The following list will help you when ordering at the bar.
- Una caña – a very small beer, about 20cl
- Un tubo – slightly larger beer in a tall glass, about 33cl
- Una jarra – even larger beer, about 50cl (not very typical in Granada)
- Una cerveza sin alcol – beer without alcohol
- Una clara – beer and lemonade
- Una copa de vino tinto/blanco/rosado – a glass of red/white/rose wine
- Un tinto de verano – a mix of red wine and either lemonade (con Limon and quite sweet) or soda (con Casero and less sweet)
- Un cubata – a mix of spirits and coke or soft drink
- Un refresco – a soft fizzy drink such as Fanta
- Agua sin gas o con gas - water with bubbles or without bubbles
- Con hielo – with ice
The Weather
One of the things to be enjoyed about Granada is the variety of the seasons.
Spring (March to May) can be a mixture of sunny days, rain and cloud and at night time, it can be chilly. In April and May, the countryside bursts into life with a profusion of wild flowers, ripening crops and blossoms on the fruit trees. It all looks extremely pretty.
Average daily temperature is 13.5°C or 56°F. Bring an umberella and a jacket.
Summer (June to September) starts to see things hotting up and temperatures can reach 40°C. However, unlike the humid heat of Barcelona, Granada has a very dry heat and as long as you stick to the shady side of the street, drink plenty of water and don 't rush around, you will be fine. There is virtually no rain and the evenings are perfect for al fresco meals and dressing up to stroll the streets along with the Spanish.
Average daily temperature is 23.2°C or 74°F. During the night the temperature drops to ensure a good night 's sleep.
Autumn (October to November) though cooler, still has its share of warm days and cloudless blue skies which provide the perfect backdrop for the spectacular autumn colours of the trees, particularly in the Alpujarras Mountains. The sea retains the warmth built up over the summer, so don 't forget to pack your swimsuit. Some rain in late September and early October, but it rarely lasts more then a day or two.
Average daily temperature is 13.1°C or 56°F.
Winter (December to February) has yet more blue skies and when the sun shines, it is warm. However, temperatures do drop at night and there can be frosts – snow has even fallen on occasions! Clear skies show the snowy Sierra Nevada mountains at their sparkling best and hearty stews and log fires make a tempting end to a day 's sightseeing.
Average daily temperature is 7.6°C or 46°F. Pack layers so that you can peel off if it gets too hot.
Buses, taxis, trains and getting around
Granada is a relatively easy city to navigate and runs an efficient bus system with plenty of taxis. It is also small enough to locate most of the key areas with a day.
Buses – are cheap and plentiful. Pick up a route map at the tourist office to help you plan your journey. A single trip costs 1.20€ but you can purchase a credibús pass from the driver which gives you a discount, so for example 16 journeys for the price of 10€. Buses usually run from 6.30am to 11pm, although there is a Buho or Night Owl bus which runs throughout the night.
If you plan to travel further afield, then the main bus company in Andalucia is Alsina Graells and the number 33 or 3 buses will take you to/from the bus station on Carretera de Jaen to the city centre. Their website is www.alsa.es.
Trains – the train station is located in Avenida de Andaluces, just off Avenida de la Constitución and is fairly central, however, Granada is not on a high speed line. The train company is RENFE and their website is www.renfe.es. Most people tend to travel by bus.
Taxis – taxi ranks can be found in most central streets and squares in Granada, for example, in front of the bus and train stations, Plaza Nueva, in front of El Corté Inglés, Parque de Triunfo etc and you can always flag one down in the street if they have their green light on. Booking ahead for a taxi is not usually possible in Granada, however if you phone for one, you rarely have to wait more then 10 minutes and the simple procedure is as follows:
- Phone 0034 958 280 654 or 0034 958132323
- State where you are
- The operator will find the nearest taxi to you
- An automated voice will then give you the number of the taxi
- The taxi will then turn up and you can check the number and head off to your destination.
If there is no taxi near to where you are, you will just be cut off. Wait 10 minutes just to make sure and then try again.
Useful Information
Walking – Granada is quite hilly and the many cobbled streets can become painful to walk on if your footwear is flimsy. Something with a substantial sole like trainers are ideal for sightseeing and a must in the Albaicin; flip-flops are OK if you stick to the main parts of town where the pavements are flat. If it has been raining, the streets can become extremely slippery, particularly on the cobblestones, so you need to take care.
Shops – Large department stores such as El Corte Inglés, Carrefour and Hipercor are open all day, usually 10.00am – 10.00pm, Monday to Saturday. Small shops nearly always close for siesta and so are open from 10.00am – 1.30pm and then 5.00pm to 8.00pm, Monday to Saturday.
Money – Visa or Mastercard can be used at the many cashpoints around town as well as in restaurants and shops. Don 't forget that you will need to show proof of identity ie passport (see below).
Identification – it is actually a legal requirement to carry identification around with you at all times in Spain and for foreigners, this means your passport.
Mosquitos – are not a horrendous problem, but you can be bitten at night in the months of June, July, August and September. Remember to pack some suitable repellent.
Water – the tap water is absolutely safe to drink in Granada as it comes direct from the mountain springs and reservoirs. However, if you don 't want to risk any stomach upsets, all bars, restaurants and shops sell small and large bottles of mineral water, usually from the Lanjaron in the Alpujarras Mountains.
Electricity – Spain uses 240 volts and 2 pin sockets, so don 't forget your adaptor!
Chemist – the farmacia (usually with a green, flashing cross on the wall outside) have the same range of products as most other countries and most drugs have international names. If you have trouble explaining what you want to the pharmacist try writing it down, although most of them (particularly the younger ones) have some spoken English.
Directions
Granada has a small airport located about 16 kms west of the city which runs mainly internal domestic flights. Currently the only UK company flying directly to Granada is Ryannair. Malaga airport offers much more choice in terms of flight times and cost.
Information on getting to/from Granada airport:Access to the airport is via the A92 Seville motorway and there are several bus departures daily from the airport to Granada centre, timed to coincide with the flight times. The journey takes around 45 minutes depending on traffic, costs 4 euros and there are seven stops in Granada:
- Paseo de Violon (next to Bar Ventorillo), near the Conference Centre (Palacio de Congresos)
- Acera del Darro (in front of Hotel Dauro)
- Gran Via de Colon (first bus stop nearest Plaza Isabel la Catolica)
- Parque de Triunfo (bus stop in front of the gardens)
- Avenida Constitucion (last bus stop opposite the train station)
- Bus stop in front of the bus station
- Avenida Andalucia (the corner of Calle Periodista Eugenio Selles)
Taxis can be found outside the airport and on average, the price from the airport to Granada is around 30 euros.
Information on getting to/from Malaga airport:- To reach Malaga airport, you take a bus from Granada.
- Go to the main bus station on Carretera de Jaen where there are 14 buses a day to Malaga (I usually prefer to buy my ticket beforehand to ensure I get a seat on the coach), this costs around 10 euros for a one way trip.
- The journey time from Granada to Malaga is around 2 hours depending on traffic.
- Once at Malaga bus station, you take the dedicated airport bus (approx 1 euro, buy the ticket on the bus) to Malaga airport which takes around 30 minutes depending on traffic.
- To get from Malaga airport to Granada, you wait for the bus outside the arrivals hall of the airport (this is usually very busy and crowded).
- The journey time is around 30 minutes depending on traffic and the cost is approx 1 euro.
- When you get to Malaga bus station, you buy your ticket from the Alsina Graells windows in the main ticket hall (price around 9 euros).
- Journey time is around 2 hours depending on traffic.
- You can take a taxi to and from Malaga airport from Malaga bus station and this costs around 20 euros. I have been quoted quite wildly differing prices for the journey from the airport to the bus station, so make sure the driver sets the meter or you agree the price beforehand.
- On arrival at Granada bus station, you can either catch the 3 or 33 into the centre of town or take a taxi.
Accommodation
Granada has an excellent variety of hotels, pensiones and hostels covering all budgets. Please let us know if you would like assistance or recommendations in finding you a hotel.