Granada, Spain

Granada is Europe: small streets, eclectic coffee shops, tapas at every doorstep, open markets, beautiful facades, interesting stories, and wedding cake cathedrals. This is the Spain that I was expecting to visit.

Because of our rather sudden change in plans, we weren’t able to book tickets at Alhambra (to visit you need to book 3-months in advance). However, we were in Granada for four days and were certainly able to experience many of the other wonders that the city has to offer… including nightly Semana Santa celebrations.

General Information: I found the tourist centres in Granada less than helpful. They won’t make bookings or recommendations… only show maps. All the information I found about things to do in Granada came from the internet.

Hotel: Hotels are aplenty in Granada. It’s easy to find hostels, short term stay apartments and full-meal-deal hotels. We went with the Meliá Granada. I’ve used Meliá in the past and know exactly what to expect. Not surprisingly, they were cheaper than our hotel in Torremolinos.

Communication: With an unlocked cell phone it’s easy to get a sim card in Spain (multiple providers). For €12 we got voice for a month with data capabilities. To add data you can pay as you go.

Getting Around: Park your car and walk everywhere. You can easily get to most locations on foot… even Sacromonte. If you don’t feel like walking up the hill, there is a bus that runs to Sacromonte every half hour.

Other: The Spanish siesta daily. Most shops close between 1-4pm but stay open until about 8-9pm. Tourist sites remain open and some clothing stores, but for the most part, expect to not be able to access shops during this time. I don’t recall if restaurants were ever closed.