Granada & Sierra Nevada
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Footprint Granada & Sierra Nevada n Extensive coverage of the best- and lesser- known places, from the mighty Alhambra and bustling Pradollano to the isolated valleys of La Alpujarra n Expert author Andy Symington knows Spain Granada & Sierra Nevada inside out, having lived there for over a decade n Inspirational colour section and detailed maps to help you plan your trip GRANADA n Authoritative advice and recommendations to ensure you find the best accommodation, tapas bar and outdoor activity n Comprehensive information to immerse you in Granada’s pervasive history and culture n Footprint have built on years of experience to become the experts on Southern Spain ‘Footprint is the best – engagingly written, comprehensive, honest and bang on the ball.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES ‘Sets the pace for the rest to follow.’ MICHAEL PALIN Footprint Handbook Travel: Europe / Spain UK £7.99 2nd edition USA $11.99 ISBN 978 1 910120 24 8 Granada & Sierra Nevada footprinttravelguides.com ANDY SYMINGTON Planning your trip. .2 Granada city. .9 La Alhambra. .10 Plaza Nueva to Sacromonte. .21 El Albayzín. .24 The Catedral and around. .26 University district. .29 In Federico García Lorca’s footsteps. .31 Sierra Nevada. .45 Pradollano. .46 La Alpujarra. .49 Western Alpujarra. .50 High Alpujarra. .53 Southern Alpujarra. .60 Northeastern Alpujarra. .62 East from Granada. .66 Guadix. .67 La Calahorra. .69 Gorafe. .70 Baza. .71 La Costa Tropical. .73 Almuñécar and La Herradura. .73 Salobreña. .76 West from Granada. .78 Montefrío. .78 Alhama de Granada. .79 Background. .80 Practicalities. .114 Footprint Handbook Granada & Sierra Nevada ANDY SYMINGTON Granada The city that became the last outpost of Moorish Spain rules over a spectacular and mountainous province encompassing remote uplands as well as the snowy Sierra Nevada and the dry but fertile valleys of the Alpujarra. What draws visitors beyond all else, however, is a single monument: the Alhambra. This palace and fortress complex above Granada city is simply magnificent. But Granada is no one-hit wonder; you could happily spend weeks pursuing the spirit of Federico García Lorca, one of Spain’s greatest poets, pacing the quiet streets of the Moorish Albayzín district, investigating the Renaissance buildings erected after the Christian conquest and enjoying the classy free tapas in the city’s bars. Overlooking the city is the lofty Sierra Nevada, a protected zone offering year-round outdoor activities. Mulhacén, the peninsula’s highest peak, can be climbed in summer, and in winter there’s decent skiing. On the south side, the range drops into the valleys of the Alpujarra, where there’s great hiking between charmingly compact villages. Further south, the province has a short coastline known as the Costa Tropical. Although getting more developed, the beachy towns of Almuñécar and Salobreña make tempting stops. The towns to the east of Granada still have inhabitants who live in caves dug into the rocky hillsides. One of these, Guadix, boasts a fine cathedral; nearby is one of Andalucía’s most memorable castles at La Calahorra. On the other side of the provincial capital, the spa town of Alhama and the craggy olive community of Montefrío are excellent places to experience authentic Andalucían pueblo life. Andy Symington Best of Granada Best of Cambodia top things to do and see 1 The Alhambra 2 Cave dwelling One of Europe’s premier sights, this Living in caves has traditionally been a stunning Moorish palace is memorably set common solution to coping with Granada’s over the town against a stunning backdrop chilly winters and scorching summers, of the Sierra Nevada. There’s a lot to see and several towns have whole barrios of here, but it’s the exquisite courtyards and troglodyte residences. Sacromonte in stucco work of the Nasrid palace complex Granada is the most famous, but Guadix that lingers longest in the memory. and nearby villages also have extensive Page 10. quarters. There are several options if you want a cave of your own for a night or two. Pages 21 and 67. 3 The Albayzín This Moorish quarter is a romantic maze of alleyways, courtyards and unsuspected plazas. Its lower reaches are atmospheric with Moroccan teahouses and market stalls, while its upper areas have great tapas and restaurant venues and some magnificent viewpoints to the Alhambra opposite. Page 24. 4 • 6 Sierra Nevada Though ‘we went skiing in the morning, and swimming in the afternoon’ sounds infuriatingly smug, it’s actually easily achieved in Granada province. Spain’s highest mainland peak is here, and the ski resort still offers good snow even when 4 Capilla Real the beach towns are beginning to fill. Page 45. By Granada’s cathedral, a chapel sumptuously decorated in late Gothic style houses the mortal remains of the couple who changed the face of Spain and the world: Fernando and Isabel, the Catholic Monarchs. The tombs are fine marble works, and the adjacent museum has intriguing royal items. Page 26. 5 Federico García Lorca One of the 20th century’s great poets, Lorca was intimately connected with Granada, his hometown. Read some of Lorca’s poems while you are visiting the city, take a tour of the house where he spent his summers, then visit the site where he was murdered and the Fountain of Tears. Page 31. • 5 7 La Alpujarra 8 La Calahorra South from Granada, these valleys This little village is overshadowed by a preserved their Moorish culture for long dramatic and unusual castle that looks after the Reconquest. Today, their utterly rather grim and foreboding from the gorgeous white villages make wonderful exterior but has an elaborate Renaissance bases for walking, and have rustic, interior. From here you can hike over a secluded, accommodation options and spectacular pass to the Alpujarran valleys. earthy local restaurants serving typically Page 69. hearty traditional cuisine. Page 49. 9 Gorafe This little-known village is well off the tourist beat but offers a picturesque canyon and an amazing series of Neolithic tombs to explore. Ask at the modern visitor centre for some good background information, then grab a map and plot a path around the prehistoric necropolis. Page 70. 0 La Costa Tropical Granada’s short coastline has great appeal, with the laid-back, likeable towns of Almuñécar and Salobreña providing a good mix of decent beaches and coves, waterside relaxation, decent eating options and characterful old quarters. Page 73. • 7 Granada city Granada city Most of the popular Western images of Moorish culture – courtyards with delicate fountains, archways sensuously sculpted with arabesques, secluded galleries once paced by viziers and concubines – owe much to the Alhambra, which stands above the city of Granada like a fairyland that might only be accessed by stepping through a wardrobe or by the caprice of a djinn. It’s a place that imposes itself on the visitor’s psyche; as well as time spent within its walls, the wanderer in Granada’s streets is constantly confronted with a new and unexpectedly sublime view of the fortress and palace, backed (if the weather favours you) by the ridges of the Sierra Nevada. The Alhambra imbues Granada with a tangible romance that this traditionally reactionary city would otherwise struggle to attain. But while granadinos are complaining about the new North African ‘invasion’, visitors pace the hilltop streets of the Albayzín, discovering atmospheric remnants of Muslim hegemony and Christian conquest. Further into the city, which is studded with bars that lay on free tapas, is some breathtaking Renaissance and Baroque architecture, the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, as well as the spirit of Federico García Lorca, a giant of 20th-century literature and victim of the thuggery perpetrated away from the frontline of the Spanish Civil War. Granada Granada city ● 9 La Alhambra a magical closed world of Moorish palaces Hwww.alhambradegranada.org, daily 0830-2000 (1800 Nov-Feb; closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). Ticket office open 0800-1900 (1700 Nov-Feb). You’ll be assigned either a morning ticket (up until 1400) or an afternoon ticket, and an additional half-hour period during which you must enter the Nasrid Palace complex (although you can stay there as long as you choose). It’s best to buy your ticket in advance at www.alhambra-tickets.es, or at the La Caixa bank – visit any Spanish branch (Mon-Fri 0830-1400) or T902-888001 from within Spain or T+34- 934-923750 from abroad. Choose the day and time you wish to visit, and then pick up your tickets from any La Caixa cash machine (full-price tickets and kids’ tickets only), from the machines at the Alhambra ticket office or from the ticket office itself, though expect to queue. If you just turn up at the ticket office, there are long queues, which you can bypass by buying entry at the machines (€1 extra). Expect long waits until your entry slot or a ‘come back tomorrow’ in busy periods. Tickets cost €14, with a surcharge of €1.40 for prebooking. Seniors and students €9, 12-15 year- olds and disabled visitors €8, under-12s free. If you want to visit the public areas of the Alhambra as well as the extensive gardens around the Generalife, this costs €7. Night visits, Mar-Oct Tue-Sat 2200-2330 (ticket office open 2130-2230), Nov- Feb Fri-Sat 2000-2130 (tickets 1930-2030) can be booked in the same way as other tickets and cost the same, or €8 for just the Nasrid Palace complex. If the moon is up and shining into the courtyards, this is an unforgettable experience. There’s not a lot of information posted about the place, so you may want to consider the audio guide for €3 (though it seems to clash with full appreciation of the palace).