Granada · ES
Granada: Old Town & the Darro Highlights
From a Moorish silk bazaar and the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs to the most beautiful street in Spain, beneath the walls of the Alhambra.
What's the walk about?
Welcome to Granada, the last and most romantic stronghold of Moorish Spain, a city crowned by the incomparable Alhambra and steeped in the melancholy beauty of its history. On this gentle loop through the old town, we explore the Granada that lies at the foot of that famous palace: a labyrinth of Moorish silk bazaars, the grand Christian cathedral and the chapel where the Catholic Monarchs who took the city lie buried, ancient Arab baths, and the enchanting Carrera del Darro, often called the most beautiful street in Spain, which winds along the river beneath the Alhambra's walls. Wherever you look, the red towers of the great palace rise above you. Let us discover the city that cradles the jewel of Al-Andalus.
What you'll see
-
1
Plaza Bib-Rambla
Square
A cheerful square ringed with cafes and flower stalls, the lively old heart of Granada, whose Arabic name recalls the Moorish gate that once stood here before the Christian conquest.
Read the full story → -
2
Alcaicería
Bazaar
A warren of narrow lanes lined with colourful little shops, the restored remnant of the great Moorish silk market that was once the richest bazaar in Granada.
Read the full story → -
3
Catedral de Granada
Cathedral
A towering masterpiece of the Spanish Renaissance, begun in 1523 over the city's main mosque, with a dazzling white domed sanctuary and a facade by the great artist Alonso Cano.
Read the full story → -
4
Capilla Real
Chapel
The Royal Chapel, a jewel of late Gothic architecture built to hold the tombs of Ferdinand and Isabella, the Catholic Monarchs who conquered Granada, united Spain and sent Columbus west.
Read the full story → -
5
Corral del Carbón
Monument
The oldest Moorish building in Granada, a rare surviving fourteenth-century caravanserai, a fortified inn and warehouse for merchants, entered through a magnificent horseshoe arch.
Read the full story → -
6
Plaza Nueva
Square
The oldest square in Granada, paradoxically called the New Square, built in part over the covered river Darro and overlooked by the grand Renaissance facade of the old royal law courts.
Read the full story → -
7
Iglesia de Santa Ana
Church
A graceful sixteenth-century church at the edge of Plaza Nueva, built over a former mosque, whose beautiful brick-and-tile bell tower was once the minaret from which the faithful were called to prayer.
Read the full story → -
8
El Bañuelo
Historic Baths
One of the oldest and best-preserved Arab bathhouses in Spain, dating from the eleventh century, with vaulted chambers lit by star-shaped skylights and horseshoe arches on ancient reused columns.
Read the full story → -
9
Carrera del Darro
Street
A narrow, cobbled street following the river Darro between the old Moorish quarter and the hill of the Alhambra, lined with Renaissance mansions and ancient bridges, often called the most beautiful street in Spain.
Read the full story → -
10
Paseo de los Tristes
Promenade
A broad riverside promenade with cafe terraces, famous for its spectacular view straight up to the Alhambra, dramatically floodlit at night, and named for the funeral processions that once passed this way.
Read the full story →