Granada is one of Spain's five must-visit cities and the last Muslim capital of Europe, conquered by the Catholic Monarchs in 1492. It is a provincial capital in Andalusia, with around 232,000 inhabitants in the municipality and more than 530,000 in its metropolitan area.
It sits at 700 metres above sea level at the foot of Sierra Nevada, in the plain formed by the Genil and Darro rivers. Its crown is the Alhambra and the Generalife — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — but the city offers much more: the Albaicín neighbourhood with its white streets and viewpoints, the Sacromonte with its caves and flamenco, the Royal Chapel that holds the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, the Renaissance Cathedral, and the Nasrid heritage that seeps through every corner.
Granada preserves two traditions that make it unique: the free tapa that still comes with every beer or wine in most of the city centre's bars, and the living flamenco of the Sacromonte caves. It is a city of students, bohemia and dirt-cheap compared to Madrid or Barcelona.
Two or three days are enough, with time to stay overnight and see the Alhambra at sunset from the Mirador de San Nicolás. The best time to visit is April-May and September-October: in July and August it pushes 40 °C and Alhambra tickets sell out weeks ahead.
