Monumentos

Granada and Its community of museums, imposing monuments, and districts full of local colour means that it is impossible to take in everything that Granada has to offer, in just one day. You need to spend several hours to walk round and fully appreciate the Alhambra and the Generalife in all their splendour. Moreover, strolling through the streets perfumed with jasmine in the old quarters, entering the mausoleum of the Catholic Monarchs in the Royal Chapel, admiring the Cathedral or visiting the Science Park (the most-visited museum in Andalucía) are other pleasurable pastimes that should not be overlooked.

The historic centre of Granada is a perfect spot to take a stroll through the streets and districts, especially the Albaicín, one of the most authentic parts of the city. It was declared a World Heritage Site, and, although it is an old Arabic district, it still conserves remains from its Iberian and Roman past. As it is built on a hill, it is ideally placed to admire the rest of the city. The views of the Vega plain and the Alhambra are unbeatable from the terrace of San Nicolás. Other districts with plenty of local charm include the Sacromonte, with its caves and Flamenco zambras (dance celebrations); the Realejo, the old Jewish quarter; the Alcaicería, the former silk market; and the Calderería.

Granada was first settled by native tribes in the prehistoric period, and was known as Ilbyr. When the Romans colonised southern Spain, they built their own city here and called it Illibris. The Arabs, invading the peninsula in the 8th century, gave it its current name of Granada. It was the last Muslim city to fall to the Christians in 1492, at the hands of Queen Isabel of Castile and her husband Ferdinand of Aragon. Granada is one of the pearls of Spain, most visited by tourists from all over the world. This long term capital of Moorish Andalucía occupies many buildings and monuments built during this period in Spanish history, with the world-famous "Alhambra" at the top of the list.