Wonders of Al-Andalus

Granada was the last major city of Al-Andalus and would be the home to all the Muslims fleeing from the Christian conquests of Reconquista. During this time, it was the only Muslim-controlled region and only Arabic was spoken here. Granada has the best-preserved monument built by the Muslims.

 

What to see:

Alhambra palace (link)

• Calle Real de la Alhambra, s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain

• A grand collection of palaces and gardens. It was built under the order of the sultan who was named Al-Ahmar ('the Red'- due to his red hair). The Alhambra palace combines a breath-taking blend of human artistry with natural beauty.

• There are 4 mains sections to Alhambra. Alcazaba (fortress), the Palace of Carlos V (with museums), the Generalife (gardens) and finally the amazing Nazrid Palaces.

Nasrid Palace

• Within the Alhambra, there are the Nasrid Palace rooms. This complex is a combination of palaces, patios and gardens built to dazzle the viewers by its beauty. Each room here contains spectacular decorations, arches, domes and stunning craftsmanship. There are about 10,000 Arabic inscriptions, of which 1000 are Quranic verses. Throughout the palace, the phrase و لا غالب إلا الله (there is no Overpowering Being besides Allah) is echoed over every wall.

• You need a ticket to visit the Alhambra and Generalife Gardens. Please pre-book as soon as possible as people book 2 to 3 months in advance. (The number of admissions per day and hour is limited to protect the monument, and tickets usually sell out before the day.) Each ticket has an allocated entry time for the Nasrid Palaces and can only be visited at that time. If you miss it, you won’t be allowed in to see this stunning complex of buildings. The Nasrid palace can be up to 30mins walk from some entrances of the Alhambra, so please be wary of timings.

• 'Individual Tickets' cost 14.00€ (plus 1.40€ if paying by card) per adult from the Alhambra ticket office.

• oThe general visiting hours for the Alhambra are as follows:

• 15 Mar to 14 Oct: Morning session: 8:30-14:00, Afternoon session: 14:00-20:00, Night session: (Tue to Sat) 22.00-23.30.

• 15 Oct to 14 Mar: Morning session: 8:30-14:00 hrs, Afternoon session: 14:00- 18:00, Night session: (Fri and Sat) 20.00-21.30.

Albaicin/Albayzin

• Is the old Muslim area with narrow street and lots of shops and restaurants. A good way of viewing it is to put the Masjid as your destination, allowing you to enjoy the walk through Albayzin.

Mirador de San Nicolas

• Calle Espaldas a San Nicolas s/n, 18009 Granada, Spain

• This is situated very close to the Masjid in Granada. It is a popular place to get an amazing evening/night view of the Alhambra.

Grand Mosque of Granada

• Plaza de San Nicolás, s/n, 18010 Granada, Spain

 

(Note: driving in the Granada city centre is not permitted between 07:30 and 22:30.)

 

Where to stay:

There are two options for where to stay in Granada. The first is to stay in the city centre. This will be ideal for when you go shopping for souvenirs, food, dessert and will be in a generally livelier place. However, car parking may be a problem. The second option is to stay close to the Alhambra Palace, as we did. It will obviously be closer to Granada’s main attraction and will be easier to access via car. Also, you could park the car in the Alhambra car park (€19 a day). However, it will be a long (20mins) walk to the city centre, or a 5/10 mins taxi ride (€5-€7).

We took the second option and stayed at:

Hotel Alixares (link)

Paseo de la Sabica, 40, 18009 Granada, Spain

This 4* hotel is situated around 8 minutes from the Alhambra. We used their Booking.com link. The rooms were lovely and it was a pleasant stay. Once we parked up, the chauffeur took our keys and parked the cars in their car park. Parking cost €19 per day. The car park is small, but if it's full they recommend the Alhambra car park, which costs the same. The hotel was approximately 20 minutes walk from the city centre.

 

What we did: Day 3 - Saturday 22nd February

Once again, we woke up early for the buffet breakfast at the hotel which cost €11. We did consider other cafes, but it was a long walk and we had to reach Alhambra early. We had purchased the Alhambra tickets well in advance and chose the entry time of 9am. This meant we would go straight to the Nasrid Palaces. After checking the tickets, we were let into the rooms. The rooms are breath-taking with the Arabic inscription all around will stun the viewer. There are many rooms and small gardens with fountains. You can just imagine how this was the pinnacle of worldly pleasures for the Muslims rulers of the time. After the rooms, the visitors are led towards the gardens. We spent a little time there and then headed for Palace of Carlos V. This is a circular building with an open courtyard in the middle. After spending 20 minutes there, we headed for the last of the attractions, the Alcazaba fortress. We climbed on to the roof of this castle-like building and enjoyed the 360-degree views of the Granada city and the amazing mountains behind it.

Once we finished, we returned to the hotel for around 11:30 and got ready for the 12:00 checkout. Once checking out, we asked reception if we could collect the cars later. We were told that the roads will be close from 3-5pm for that day only due to a cycling event. So, headed out on foot to the city centre with a plan of a 2pm return. We went to a baklava shop called ‘Natura Morisca' (Calle Calderería Vieja, 12, 18010 Granada). The shop owned by the very friendly brother called Abdul Fattah has the most delicious baklava in various flavours. However, we did find it to be a little expensive. Once we purchased some to take home, we went to a restaurant for lunch and then returned to collect our cars.

We then set off for the south coast and beach area around the Malaga province. It was a 2.5hrs drive and we first went to the Marbella area. We went directly to the beautiful King Abdul Aziz masjid, pray Zuhr and Asr. We then went to the beach and concluded the day with some food and a drive to our hired villa near Fuengirola.

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