√ Granada (Spain): information on the city, what to visit and what to do in Granada?

Granada

Population: ~ 240.000

Time difference to London - Time zone GMT/UTC: 1 hour (+/- changes due summertime/daylight saving)

Climate, weather: 6ºC - 13ºC (45ºF - 57ºF) from November to April, 25ºC - 32ºC (76ºF - 89ºF) from May to October with most of the precipitation falling in the winter and nice sun throughout June, July and August.

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Granada is the ideal city of dreams, place at the base of the great Sierra Nevada Mountains. The wondrous Alhambra and the Generalife gardens alone make Granada a city worth studying and learning Spanish in.

The constant ring of water gives Granada a musical accompaniment. In the cities center are the Carmenes (the typical Grenadine construction) of the Albaicín (former muslin silk exchange) and the Albayzín (old Muslim quarter). The religious buildings of the Cartuja the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, along with the city's palaces, add to the rich and diverse architecture.

Granada (Spain) - Things to See:

• Alhambra
• Generalife
• The Albaicin
• Capilla Real and Cathedral
• Casa de los Tiros

Granada (Spain) - Local Fiestas and Festivals:

• Corpus Cristi (End of May)

FESTIVALS AND TRADITIONS

The “Día de la Cruz” is a popular tradition of Granada and its province. On the 3rd of May, balconies, patios, streets, squares and houses are decorated with flowered crosses and traditional utensils. Around the cross the people meet to eat, drink and dance.

The “Feria del Corpus” festivity dates back to the conquest of Granada. The city celebrates this event for a week.

Alhambra

The Alhambra was so called because of its reddish walls (in Arabic, («qa'lat al-Hamra'» means Red Castle). It is located on top of the hill al-Sabika, on the left bank of the river Darro, to the west of the city of Granada and in front of the neighbourhoods of the Albaicin and of the Alcazaba.

Discover the unique arab medieval citadel, probably the best preserved in the world, that is also the highest tourist atraction in Spain!

Visit the gardens and yards, like the Partal or the Generalife Gardens, the fortress and the dungeons and, of course, the palaces of the sultans, like the Palace of the Lions or the Palace of the Throne.

You´ll feel the atmosphere of the moorish culture surrounded by the perfums of the flowers and the murmuring of the water.

Salsero Mayor - latin dance club in Granada

Strap on your dancing shoes, put on that flashy red shirt and take it to the dance floor at the Salsero Mayor, Granada's premier latin dance club.

The club has two floors, each with its own bar. The ambience of the place feeds the eye. On the television screen they play Calle 54 and on the wall are murals of latin musicians.

The place does not only just look good, it sounds good; the music switches off between Salsa, Merengue, Latin Jazz and even a little Samba, a tasty variety.

How to choose the right tapas bar around Plaza Nueva

When you order a drink in Granada you get the tapas for free, but in the center around Plaza Nueva it is quite difficult to choose. So if you are very hungry and want to satisfy your hunger with bocadillos, we recommend 'La Antiguaia' – no one known ever managed to eat more than 3 in a row.

If you prefer an authentic bodega, you shouldn't miss 'Las Bodegas Castañeda' with more typically tapas, like Montadito with jamon serrano. In case you don't like smoke, go to the 'Taberna Salinas' at calle Elvira, one of the few places in Granada where smoking is really forbidden.

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