Granada, I’m falling under your spell and if you could speak, what a fascinating tale you would tell of an age the world has long forgotten of an age that weaves a silent magic in Granada today

The chorus rang in my head as the Alhambra appeared on the horizon, framed by the snow-clad Sierra Nevada mountains. As country homes turned to Art Nouveau façades, my memories of the compact and radiant Andalusian city washed over me.

Few films capture Granada’s elusive beauty, but Abid Khan’s Granada Nights does it justice. The film trails a young Erasmus student discovering the duende, the soulful, ineffable spirit of Granada. The opening scenes are everyday shots around the city scored with a guitar rendition of Isaac Albéniz’s Granada, conjuring nostalgia for a place at once mysterious and yet eternally beloved by its visitors.

Someday, I’ll return to Granada for more than a weekend. Its magic deserves more than a few days. If you’re visiting, stay at least a week – and should you crave variety, day trips to Ronda or Málaga are easy to arrange.

History and the Alhambra

Granada’s past is intricate, woven with grandeur, conflict, and enduring beauty. Three moments in history, in particular, continue to shape its character.

The first: 1492. That year, the Catholic Monarchs, Los Reyes Catholicos, conquered the city, ending centuries of Islamic rule under the Nasrid dynasty. Though the years leading to the Reconquista were tense, Granada had long thrived as a centre of coexistence. Jews, Christians, and Muslims collaborated in a flourishing age of scientific, architectural, and philosophical innovation. That cultural golden age was fractured by the Inquisition, which ushered in forced conversions and religious persecution.
Yet Granada remained irreducibly itself. Cultures lived shoulder to shoulder for centuries, and their influence remains etched into the fabric of the city. The result is a mosaic of Moorish and Catholic architecture, customs, and cuisine – one that feels uniquely, unmistakably Granadino.

In 1829, writer Washington Irving travelled Andalusia and took up residence in the Alhambra, inspiring his famous collection of stories, Tales of the Alhambra. This book helped turn global attention toward the crumbling palace-fortress and inspired Spanish architect José Contreras to launch its restoration. Over generations, his son and then grandson continued the work, rescuing the Alhambra from decay and securing its future.

The Tales of the Alhambra is a romanticisation of Moorish times and a wonderful book to read before your trip or as you explore Granada. There are tales you’ll hear on your guided tour of the Alhambra and some stories you wouldn’t learn unless you spoke with a local. Today, as you climb past the Puerta de las Granadas, just behind the statue of Columbus kneeling before Queen Isabella, you’ll find a monument to Irving. It stands as a kind of spiritual gatekeeper to the Alhambra, whose gardens and palaces await above.

Step through the Puerta de la Justicia and arrive at the Renaissance Palace of Charles V – an Italianate insertion among Moorish masterpieces. While the Alhambra’s core was built in the 13th century, this palace reflects the aesthetic ambitions of Spain’s post-Reconquista rulers. Touring the Alhambra early in your stay is essential. From the Alcazaba (citadel) to the Nasrid Palaces – the Court of Myrtles, the Court of the Lions, and beyond – each step reveals secrets carved in stucco and verses from the Qur’an inscribed into walls.

As you learn the history of the city through the Alhambra, stories and facts will stay with you as you dine and shop in the city below. Honestly, you may be so entranced that you’ll want to return for a second visit before departing.

A more recent event also shaped the city’s soul: the Spanish Civil War. Granada fell quickly to Franco’s regime due to its conservative stronghold and religious institutions. The war, which claimed around 500,000 lives, was followed by a national Pacto del Olvido – a Pact of Forgetting – meant to promote reconciliation by avoiding accountability. Only in the past two dEcades have efforts to confront the era’s injustices gained momentum.

One of its most tragic losses was Federico García Lorca, the beloved poet and playwright, murdered at the war’s onset. His legacy lives on in the city – in his home, now a museum, in murals and graffiti, and most vividly, in his work. His death symbolised repression across artistic Granada and is still considered a catalyst for remembrance for the many victims who ‘disappeared’ at the hands of Nationalist forces. Lorca is a patron spirit of modern Granada: melancholic, musical, unflinching.

The Albaicín, or the Albayzín

The Alhambra has overlooked Granada throughout history, only being towered over by the picturesque Sierra Nevada mountains. As you stand looking through an arched window of the Generalife Palace connected to the gardens of the Alhambra, you will look beyond onto the white-washed buildings of the Albaicín, the old Moorish city.

Today, the bohemian quarter brims with artists’ residences, boutique hotels, and curated shops like Platonico and Chambo selling art, jewellery, ceramics, leather goods, and more. There are galleries and museums in the area well-worth a visit and dozens of plazas with Andalusian restaurants hosting guitarists who strum to the crowds all evening.

At the base of the Albaicín there are streets leading upwards lined with leather vendors and souvenir shops. Along the Paseo de los Tristes, bordering the Darro River, there are shops like Hamman Al Ándaluz where you can soak in Moorish-style baths that connect modern Granada to its Islamic past. The plaza at the end of Calle del Darro offers some of the best low-angle views of the Alhambra and plenty of restaurants to stop for a snack before making your way up to perhaps the best part of this neighborhood, its miradors.

These miradores, or viewpoints that crown the neighborhood, are scattered along the hill. San Nicolás is famous, but for an experience that feels cinematic, climb higher to Ermita de San Miguel Alto. If you’re able, go just before sunset. I took my family there one evening – we barely made it before golden hour peaked, but the panoramic view from the hill’s crest was unforgettable. I recommend taking a taxi from Plaza Nueva if you are pressed for time.
On your way down, book a flamenco performance in the cave venues of Sacromonte, the neighboring district traditionally home to Granada’s Romani community. There, centuries of rhythm, rebellion, and resilience echo off stone walls in a sensory immersion that will stay with you long after.

Granada’s centre hums with life. Locals often use the main post office, los correos, as a central meeting point, referred to by younger crowds as ‘the Burger King’. Just beside it, you’ll find two of my personal favourite shops: El Tiempo Perdido, a charming bookstore, and 5V Calzado Artesanal, an artisanal shoe shop with handmade bags and hats.

For accommodation, proximity to the Cathedral offers an ideal base. The Victoria Hotel (NH Collection) offers modern comforts and elegance near the city’s best shops and cafés. For opulence and heritage, look no further than Hotel Alhambra Palace or Parador de Granada. Both transport you to another era while keeping you at the doorstep of the city’s greatest treasures.

Evenings in Granada are best spent walking. Let your steps carry you from the university’s lush Botanical Garden (well worth a visit in the daylight), through Plaza de la Trinidad, past the Cathedral, and into Plaza Bib-Rambla. Cobbled alleys and golden lamplight will guide you home. Before turning in, consider indulging in a scoop or a decadent Tartufa, their signature dessert, at Grillo, a beloved Italian ice cream parlor.

Tapas Culture and Meals Worth Savouring

There are very few cities where tapas are still widely free with a drink, Granada is the most well-known and consistent with this practice. Regardless of the type of cuisine, Granada restaurants will serve a tapa per drink, alcoholic or not. At some restaurants, this will comprise a bowl of olives, in others you could receive a whole sandwich. Throughout my year in Granada, I made it my personal mission to seek out the best tapas and raciones available. For the best of Granada’s famously generous tapas culture, here’s a curated list of favourites – and know that there could be at least fifteen more.

Bar Poe
La Bodega de Antonio
Rollo
Om Kalsum
El Bar de Eric
Los Manueles Reyes Católicos
Bultaco Bar
Bar Casa Julio
Los Diamantes
Rosario Varela
Bar Potemkin

For elevated dining, Granada holds its own with a growing list of standout restaurants. Faralá and Albidaya offer contemporary, farm-to-table experiences that blend innovation with regional flair. María de la O, housed in a 19th-century mansion, delivers traditional dishes in a refined setting along the Genil River. Arriaga, with panoramic views, and the intimate Cala round out a city that caters rustic tradition and modern elegance.

After dinner or perhaps a flamenco show, settle into a bar like NOIR, El Rinconcillo, or MEZZE. Whether you crave a vermouth on tap, a darkly stylish cocktail, or a glass of Andalusian wine, Granada has a stool at the bar waiting. For energy and live conversation late into the evenings, Hannigan & Sons is a local favourite. For something more reflective and artistic, order a drink at Bohemia Jazz Café, where every corner has a story from across the world.

Saying Goodbye

Granada is not a city that can be fully explored in one visit. I spent a year here and am still left with a to-do list of tapas bars, hikes, and hidden treasures. But that’s part of the city’s magic, there’s always more to see, more to feel, and more to remember.

Enjoy every minute, explore every hill, and as long as you can spot the top of the Cathedral’s tower or the Alhambra, you’ll never truly be lost – though you may wish you were. One visit, and you’ll fall under Granada’s spell.

As Sinatra sang:
The moonlit Granada will live again,
The glory of yesterday, romantic, gay, Granada.