GRANADA, SPAIN

HELLO! Thanks for joining & wanting to learn about a little weekend trip to Granada, Spain! This was our first time this semester leaving Madrid and one of my personal favorites. If you’re looking for a relaxing, fun, affordable, & adventurous trip, I highly recommend considering a weekend Granada. 

Here’s the narrative of our trip, with a short list at the end of all our stops + helpful links! 

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We took a 7:30 AM train out from Madrid-Puerta de Atocha on Friday morning—all train stations in Madrid can be reached using the metro lines, but most metro lines do not begin running until 6:00 AM. So, if you’re worried that you might be cutting it too close to your departure time, a taxi and Uber are always safe and convenient options. Since this was our first trip, we weren’t confident in our metro-navigating skills, so Uber was our choice.
 
We got to the train station about 30 minutes before our departure, which was plenty of time. Once we got settled on the train, we took our seats (which were assigned to us—we still don’t know how to choose seats on a train ahead of time) and were ready for our 3.5 hour trip to Granada. Some of us moved around the train to sit next to each other, but beware, we got yelled at when passengers at later stops boarded the train and were assigned to the seats we were in. Be sure to take in the scenery for the last hour of the trip—the south side of Spain has some beautiful mountains and olive tree groves that look especially breath-taking with the early morning sun. 


Once we arrived in Granada, there were plenty of taxis outside of the station to take us to the center of town (about a 10-minute drive). We stayed in an incredible Airbnb which had a beautiful view of the city and was located within walking distance of everything—I’ll link our Airbnb at the bottom of the page. Brenda, our Airbnb host, had jamon, espresso pods, milk, orange juice, toiletries, laundry detergent & so many other accommodations ready for us. Honestly, our trip was so much better just because of her. She let us come to the apartment as soon as we got to Granada, so we weren’t scrambling to find somewhere to hold our bags for us until the afternoon. 


After we got settled into the Airbnb and had a couple of coffees, we started off our first day in Granada by going to the spice market (the Alcaiceria). Granada has a Moroccan-flare, which is very prevalent when walking in the narrow streets close to the spice market— if you love tea and uncommon spices, this is the place for you. The small tiendas are also filled with Moroccan goods, clothes, incense, & other souvenirs. After exploring this area, we made our way to the Granada Cathedral, which we THOUGHT was where King and Queen Ferdinand were buried. While we were mistaken, we were still glad to have gone inside. The Cathedral was beautiful, especially the outside of the church which had orange trees surrounding the outside plaza. However, if we could go back, then I would visit the Royal Chapel of Granada to see the tombs of the Spanish monarchs. We then made a quick pit-stop to walk through the Mercado San Agustin, which had a very wide selection of seafood, meats, fruits, and vegetables. After getting comfortable with the city, we decided to walk towards Plaza Nueva to grab a bite to eat for lunch. There are a few traditional Spanish food lunch options in that square with great outdoor seating (it felt great to be in the sun during a warmer January afternoon). We decided to partake in the customary 2 hour long Spanish lunches, and of course, had a glass of wine.


After lunch, we regrouped back at the Airbnb to go to the Alhambra, a beautiful castle-like monument filled with gorgeous gardens and architecture. THIS IS A MUST!! I truly have never been in such a breathtaking place. However, booking tickets ahead of time is REQUIRED – I’ll have the link to purchase the tickets at the bottom of this post. We booked our time for 5:00, however, if I could go back, I would go around 3:30 or 4:00 (the Alhambra is much bigger than we expected). No matter what, stay until sunset to see the Alhambra at its most beautiful. You can also walk back to where you entered / presented your ticket to see the seemingly hundreds of people viewing the Alhambra from afar at sunset. Here are just a few of the many pictures that we took during our visit.



Fun fact: King and Queen Ferdinand gave Christopher Columbus their blessing for his voyage to America at the Alhambra!



On Friday night, we decided to cook at the apartment, so we grabbed some groceries for an Italian wine night on our way home from the Alhambra: bruschetta, arugula salad, and spaghetti. We enjoyed the views of the city from our apartment and played cards while listening to some great music.
 
The next morning, we got ready for our day trip to Granada’s neighboring town, Monachil, for the Los Cahorros hike. The only reason I knew about this hike was from the “Where are those Morgans” blog site. Truly, their information was SO helpful when trying to navigate to Monachil & to find the hike entrance. Here are some additional hints about the hike:

 
1.  The bus arrived at the station in Granada earlier than expected. So be on the lookout for the bus around 10 minutes after each hour (EX: 12:10 PM) rather than 20 minutes. Also, the bus is located right outside of a cute little park and close to some yummy-looking cafes by the river

2.  The bus only accepts euros (cash not a credit card)!

3.  Once you get passed the hairpin turn, take the first road on the right. Walk up this road for a while (it’s pretty steep). There will be a few roads that branch off to the right…just keep staying on the main road and you will eventually run into the first restaurant with the “CocaCola” sign

4.  Follow the trail signs to “Los Cahorros” and enter a more off-road dirt path. You will pass A LOT of houses & it will feel like you’re going the wrong way. I promise you’re not. Eventually you’ll come across the second restaurant that is much closer to the start of the trail

5.  If you’re interested in paragliding, there were a lot of people doing above us while we were hiking. I’m not sure where you go to do it, but it’s definitely worth a little research

Link for helpful tips on Los Cahorros trail: https://wherearethosemorgans.com/los-cahorros-monachil/

Before the hike, we had a quick breakfast at the café below our Airbnb: NOAT. We then left to catch the bus around 11:30 and hopped on the Bus 183 to take us to Monachil around 12:15. After a few trial-and-error moments, we finally found the entrance to Los Cahorros. The hike was absolutely stunning—it took us about 3 hours to complete it, but we definitely took some breaks to admire the scenery along the way. Definitely go on all of the rope-bridges and take some long looks at the waterfalls. On our way back down the mountain, we tried to stop at the “Coca-Cola” restaurant, but they had already stopped serving food. So we decided to go ahead and go down to the town of Monachil to enjoy some cervezas, nachos, and roscas de jamon. 




*be prepared to crawl (& take funny pictures of your friends lol)



IMPORTANT: when going back to Granada, the buses were not running like told in the “Where are those Morgans” link. We were about to have to wait for an extra hour to catch the next bus out of Monachil. However, when looking on the app City Mapper, there was another bus stop that was about a 15-minute walk away with a bus that would be coming right after we got to the stop. So we made a quick decision & thankfully made it in time. Overall, I would just plan to be looking on City Mapper as you’re coming down the mountain to see how much time you have before the next bus comes or just ask a local restaurant for a bus schedule.

*Also, if you’re really wanting to get the most out of your day, I would suggest leaving Granada to go to the hike around 9:00 in the morning then plan to be back in Granada in the early afternoon. That way, you will be able to view the Alhambra at sunset to see it “glow” in its beautiful red-color. I read a few blog posts that suggest doing this & so did Rick Steve’s guide on Granada; you can grab a glass of wine and listen to street performers while enjoying the iconic views.
 
After our hike, we walked around Granada, which was starting to get very crowded on this Saturday night. We grabbed some gelato and pastries to reward ourselves for our long day’s work, then headed back home to shower and get ready for dinner. We made a 9:00 PM reservation at El Trillo, which is known for its incredible views of the Alhambra. We enjoyed some delicious wine, hummus, risotto, and cheesecake inside the cozy restaurant, then made our way to the roof-top before we left to admire the view. We strolled through Calle de Elivera (a street with easy-going bars) on our way back to our Airbnb. 


The next morning, we tidied up the Airbnb, packed our bags, then walked over to Starbucks since it was the closest coffee shop that was open that early. We called an Uber to take us to the train station and we said our goodbyes to Granada while viewing the beautiful mountains and olive trees once again from the train. It was truly one of the most wholesome, well-balanced, good-for-the-soul weekends that I have had in a long time. I would go back to Granada in a heartbeat; if you ever have the opportunity to go, please take advantage of this incredible Southern-Spain city!

Thanks for reading & happy travels :) Comment below your favorite Granada tips or if you’re planning to go soon!

<3, Mary Price

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List of Places We Went in Granada:

  • Spice Market
  • Churches
    • Cathedral of Granada (beautiful cathedral to see)
    • Royal Chapel of Granada (where King & Queen Ferdinand are buried)
  • Mercado San Agustin
  • Plaza Nueva for lunch
  • The Alhambra
  • Los Cahorros hike
  • Meals
    • Plaza Nueva for lunch
    • NOAT cafe for breakfast
    • El Trillo restaurant for dinner

Other Suggestions:
*all places we did not go, but wish we had time to*
  • Arab baths + spa
  • Going to see the cave gypsies 
  • Viewing the Alhambra at sunset
    • Outdoor bars on paseo de los trysts
    • El Huerto de Juan Rama’s restaurante—tapas + drinks with a great view
  • Nightlife (if that's your thing)
    • Calle de Elvira (chill bars along this street) 
    • Discotecas in the town as well
  • Cultural area of Carrera de la Virgen

HELPFUL LINKS:



*no matter what, try to stay near Plaza Nueva*


Helpful tips when hiking Los Cohorros: https://wherearethosemorgans.com/los-cahorros-monachil/

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