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Trip Report
Traveling to Spain, specifically Granada and its surroundings
Traveling to Spain, I visited the beautiful Alhambra, watched the sunset at San Miguel Alto, and enjoyed lots of excellent tapas and tinto de verano.
+ 11
EuropeSpain8 days / September - October - November - December 2021
Highs & Lows
Free tapas with every drink!
Cold at night during the winter
Itinerary Overview
I spent a full semester in Granada, because apart from wanting to go on vacation, I also studied in this place, in this way I had the opportunity and the blessing of being able to enjoy this wonderful place for a very long time, thanks to this I had a lot of time to find the best places to enjoy and do any type of activity. I studied every day of the week, but I spent my breaks sitting in tapas bars and weekends exploring new places, no matter if they were near or far. Granada is surrounded by the Sierra Nevada mountains, so in winter you can go skiing and in summer you can go hiking, the versatility of this place is unique. The places I visited while traveling to Spain included Granada Seville, Cordoba, Malaga, Gibraltar and Murcia. I've only mentioned things closer to Granada because I spent most of my time there, but you could easily take a tour of Andalusia if you want to see lots of different places
Monachil Sierra Nevada Good hiking and scenery
4+We arrived at our cave home early in the morning, dropped off our luggage and then set off to hike La Ruta de Los Cahorros. The village of Monachil is very small and quaint, but there are a few restaurants and a shop. You can reach Monachil from Granada by taking the 30-40 minute #183 bus from paseo de los Basilios. From Monachil, we started our hike, which is quite popular so is well sign posted. The hike took most of the day, so it’s definitely best to set off early unless you want to hike in the dark. The route is not too difficult, although there are some parts where you have to crawl under overhanging rocks or hold onto handles which have been hammered into them. Along the way you’ll find some nice red bridges which the route is known for, and amazing views of the Sierra Nevada.
Granada Center The most beautiful, authentically Spanish, city
4+My favourite place in Granada was without doubt San Miguel Alto, the viewpoint in the hills which gives you an amazing view of the Alhambra and the whole city. In the evening, many people walk up to the viewpoint to watch the sun set over the city. I once went with a picnic and spent the whole afternoon there, then went for some drinks (which come with tapas of course) in Albaicin, the old town, after sunset. Beware because the walk up the steps in the summer can get very hot, so wear appropriate shoes and clothes! The obvious suggestion would be to go to the Alhambra, a beautiful palace which will take you around 3-5 hours to visit. I would also recommend going to a flamenco show on an evening for a taste of Spanish culture.
Q & A
What would you have changed?
I wish I had visited Nerja. It’s a pretty beach town in Malaga that many people I know went to and highly recommended it.Restaurant recommendations?
La Buena Vida in Granada for cheap drinks that each come with a free tapas of your choice! My favourite was the croquettas de espinaca (spinach croquettes). In the end you could get three drinks and three tapas for about €6.60.Tips you would give a friend?
Tinto de verano is like a cheaper version of sangria, would recommendPacking tips?
Be prepared for cold nights during the winter in Granada due to the surrounding mountains, but in the summer it's very hot!Transportation Tips?
When visiting Spain, to get to Granada, get a flight to Malaga Airport and then an ALSA bus to Granada. Within Granada use the buses which were about €1.20. Take ALSA buses between cities in Spain.Any surprises?
You can ski there during the winter! It's easy to get a bus to the mountains and spend the day/ a weekend skiing.Booking details?
Didn't use an agency, booked flights on sky scanner and hostels through booking.com and airbnb.
Lodging
Cueva EL FORASTERILLO. We found this place on airbnb, it was such a unique experience because it is a cave! The caves in and around Granada are an important part of the gitana culture, so this is a cool way of exploring that. The lady who runs the airbnb is soso friendly, she even baked us a cake!
El Granado Hostel. A very social hostel, which arranged loads of walking tours, tapas tours, and activities to help you to get to know the city. I spent my first week in Granada there whilst looking for a flat to live in and would highly recommend as I met so many new people!