SPAIN ,,,,*
A Coruña,SCQ,SCQ,,*
Alava,VIT,VIT,,*
Albacete,ABC,ABC,,*
Alicante,ALC,ALC,,*
Almeria - Costa de Almeria,LEI,LEI,,*
Altea,,ALC,ALC-13,*
Asturias,OVD,OVD,,*
Avila,AVA,AVA,,*
Badajoz,BJZ,BJZ,,*
Barcelona,BCN,BCN,,*
Barcelona Airport Area,,BCN,BCN-48,*
Barcelona Surroundings,,BCN,BCN-14,*
Basque Country,PAISVASCO,,,*
Benicassim,,CAZ,CAZ-40,*
Benidorm,BEN,BEN,,*
Bilbao,BIO,BIO,,*
Burgos,BRG,BRG,,*
Caceres,CRS,CRS,,*
Cadiz - Jerez,CAD,CAD,,*
Cantabria,SDR,SDR,,*
Cartagena,,MJV,MJV-20,*
Castellon,CAS,CAS,,*
Ciudadela,,MAH,MAH-20,*
Ciudad Real,CRE,CRE,,*
Cordoba,ODB,ODB,,*
Costa Adeje,,TFS,TFS-84,*
Costa Blanca,COSTABLANC,,,*
Costa Brava and Maresme,LLM,LLM,,*
Costa Daurada,SAL,SAL,,*
Costa de la Luz,LUZ-LUS,,,*
Costa del Sol Area,COSTASOL,,,*
Costa de Valencia,CVA,CVA,,*
Cuenca,CCA,CCA,,*
Denia,,ALC,ALC-24,*
El Arenal,,PMI,PMI-75,*
El Hierro,VDE,VDE,,*
Extremadura,EXTREMAD,,,*
Formentera,FOR,FOR,,*
Fuerteventura,FUE,FUE,,*
Galicia,GALICIA,,,*
Gerona,GRO,GRO,,*
Gijon,,OVD,OVD-20,*
Granada,GRX,GRX,,*
Gran Canaria,LPA,LPA,,*
Guadalajara,GUJ,GUJ,,*
Huelva,HUE,HUE,,*
Huesca,HUS,HUS,,*
Ibiza,IBZ,IBZ,,*
Jaen,JEN,JEN,,*
La Gomera,QGZ,QGZ,,*
La Manga,LMN,LMN,,*
Lanzarote,ACE,ACE,,*
La Palma,SPC,SPC,,*
Laredo,,SDR,SDR-52,*
La rioja,LOG,LOG,,*
Las Palmas,,LPA,LPA-10,*
Leon,LEO,LEO,,*
Logroño,,LOG,LOG-99,*
Lugo,LGO,LGO,,*
Madrid,MAD,MAD,,*
Magaluf,,PMI,PMI-30,*
Mahon,,MAH,MAH-10,*
Majorca,PMI,PMI,,*
Malaga,MAL,MAL,,*
Maresme,MARESME,LLM,,*
Menorca,MAH,MAH,,*
Merida,,BJZ,BJZ-90,*
Murcia,MJV,MJV,,*
Navarra,PNA,PNA,,*
Oropesa,,CAZ,CAZ-60,*
Ourense,ORE,ORE,,*
Oviedo,,OVD,OVD-10,*
Pamplona,,PNA,PNA-99,*
Pontevedra,,VGO,VGO-50,*
Pontevedra - Vigo,VGO,VGO,,*
Pyrenees - Aragón,ARA,ARA,,*
Pyrenees - Cataluña,PIR,PIR,,*
Salamanca,SLM,SLM,,*
San Sebastian,EAS,EAS,,*
Santander,,SDR,SDR-99,*
Santiago de Compostela,,SCQ,SCQ-99,*
Segovia,SEG,SEG,,*
Seville,SVQ,SVQ,,*
Sierra Nevada,,GRX,GRX-23,*
Sitges - Costa del Garraf,STS,STS,,*
Soria,SOR,SOR,,*
Tarragona,,SAL,SAL-80,*
Tenerife,TFS,TFS,,*
Teruel,TER,TER,,*
Toledo,TOL,TOL,,*
Tudela,,PNA,PNA-10,*
Valencia,VLC,VLC,,*
Valladolid,VLL,VLL,,*
Vigo,,VGO,VGO-99,*
Vila Real,,CAS,CAS-3,*
Vitoria Gasteiz,,VIT,VIT-20,*
West Majorca,,PMI,WESTMALL,*
Zamora,ZAM,ZAM,,*
Zaragoza,ZAZ,ZAZ,,*
Granada is the capital of the province with the same name, situated in the eastern part of the region of Andalusia. Geographical and scenic diversity charactizes the land. There is the coastal area with its warm climate; the extensive, fertile Genil plain; and the mountainous regions with a colder climate, where we find the 3,481 meter Mulhacén, the biggest peak on the peninsula of Spain. The city of Granada is located at the foot of the sierra Nevada mountains at the confluences of the Darro and Genil rivers. Its unique history has bestowed it with an artistic grandeur embracing Moorish palaces and Christian Renaissance treasures. As the last Moorish capital on the Iberian peninsula, it also holds great symbolic value.
The city of Granada has been shaped by the hills, where the old districts in the Albaicín and the Alhambra were founded, brimming with steep, narrow streets, beautiful nooks and crannies, and marvelous landscapes. The new part of the city is situated on the plain, crisscrossed by the large arteries of Gran Vía de Colón and Calle de los Reyes Católicos, and where the busy streets around the Cathedral are found.
The Alhambra
Granada's cathedral as seen from Plaza Pasiegas
The Moors crossed the strait of Gibraltar in 711 and settled in what was then a small Visigoth town perched atop the Alhambra hill. Here they settled, erected walls and laid the foundation for the prosperous civilization that would follow. It was in the 9th century when Granada rose to importance after the fall of the Caliphate of Córdoba. Its splendor was reached in 1238, when Mohammed ben Nasar founded the Nasrid dynasty, and the kingdom of Granada stretched from Gibraltar to Murcia. This dynasty bore twenty kings until King Boabdil was forced to surrender Granada to the Catholic monarchs, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, in 1492. During three centuries, a magnificent and rich Islamic culture flourished, leaving Granada with architectural marvels of the caliber of the Alhambra, declared a World Heritage Site, along with the Generalife and the Albaicín.
When traveling to Granada making a stop in Barcelona is great way to get more out of your Spanish experience. Barcelona is the vibrant capital of Catalunya. With attractions such as the Sagrada Familia, the 1992 Olympic Venue, Ramblas boulevard and the Camp Nou stadium (home to FC Barcelona), Barcelona is a great place to spend some time in. Hotels in Barcelona are located near the airport as well as in the city center, such as the Vincco Condal Mar hotel.
Granada is of course known of the city with the Alhambra and the possibillity to do some wintersports. When you stay in a hotel in Granada you can ask your reception for numerous more great things to do. If they do not have enough information you can also try the local tourism office.
