Weekend in Granada

If you are thinking of going on a short break to a Spanish city Granada is an excellent choice. It has an abundance of culture, historical tourist sights, great eateries, and a ski resort on the highest mountain range in Spain. Granada is very commutable by car for the weekend from both the Costa Almeria and the Costa Blanca.


Throughout the winter season many ex-pats travel to the Sierra Nevada ski resort for weekends, and enjoy the clement sunshine back home on the neighbouring coastlines. The Sierra Nevada ski resort has 37 miles of slopes, 46 piste and 6 off piste routes. There are a couple of cable cars, and several chair and ski lifts. Suiting all levels and abilities. The atmosphere there is quite electric and if you are simply visiting for the day the views are spectacular. We rented a sledge out for our son (for 5 Euros), ate a very substantial lunch, of homemade pasta fit for someone who had been skiing all morning! Rode in a cable car, and took in the breathtaking scenery at the peak of the Sierra Nevada.


Also not to be missed in Granada is the Alhambra Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The huge Moorish Palace covers 142, 000 m² and was home to the Muslim Kings. I recommend buying tickets in advance during the summer. You need to set aside the majority if not the whole day for the Alhambra Palace, the art, space, gardens, architecture is something to behold.


A bus tour is a must in Granada city, the open top bus is fun and cheap. You can view all the tourist sights in a few hours, getting on and off as you please. You are given earphones that talk you through each sight as they pass. One of the tourist sights the bus tour passes is the magnificent bull ring has an extraordinary restaurant.


An evening stroll through the windy cobbled streets in old town Granada popping into the unusual Arabic shops, picking up some souvenirs, stopping at a cosy tea room, you can smoke traditional Arabic tobacco through pipes, which stand a few feet tall and are quite ornate. Other possibilities in the evening are to visit a restaurant that has a Flamenco dance show with traditional Spanish cuisine. Or the really brave could have a flamenco dance class!


But above all else the one thing that makes me adore Granada is the free tapas! Each and every time you buy a drink in a bar you receive a full plate of tapas, ranging from good quality cured ham, olives, bread, nuts, seafood, meatballs to name but a few. You can while away hours relaxing, people watching with a glass of house red wine and several plates of complimentary tapas!

Granada Tourism