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Granada

Royal Chapel of Granada

The Royal Chapel (Capilla Real) sits inside the Cathedral of Santa María de la Encarnación. The Royal Chapel. The Catholic Monarchs founded the Royal Chapel for their own tombs. They chose to be buried in Granada because they saw its conquest as the crowning achievement of their reign. It was started in 1505 following a design by Enrique Egas and was completed in 1521. The northern fascade is by Garcia Pradas, and provides access to the interior; a plan in the shape of a latin cross with four side chapels.

El Albaicín, Granada

El Albaicín is the old Moorish quarter of the city. It's located on a hill facing the Alhambra and there are dramatic views of this area from the palace's famous rose gardens. The Zirid Monarchs first established their court here in the 11th century although little remains from this era today, apart from some crumbling remains of the wall.

Church of San José, Granada

The Church of San José is also worth visiting close by as it is on the site of the Great Mosque of La Alcazaba and the minaret belongs to caliphal architecture, the only one preceding the Almoravid type. It is here that the 'Christ of Silence' by José de Mora is kept. All the churches in the Albaicín have Mudéjar traces in their 16th century construction.

Granada City Cathedral

The Cathedral is located in the centre of the Muslim area and dates back to 1523. It has a nave and four aisles, a crossing and circular apse. Alonso Cano built the main façade with sculptures by Duque Cornejo, Risueño and Verdiguier while the only tower of the two planned ended up half finished. On the northern side, there is La Puerta del Perdón, a magnificent work of Diego de Siloé who also built La Puerta de San Jerónimo.

Granada Train Station

Granada Train Station is situated at the convergence of Calle de Halcon and Calle Doctor Jaime Garcia Royo. Trains are an easy way to travel to and from the city of Granada, it is also possible to take trains from Granada (RENFE) Train Station to towns in Granada province.

Arab Baths in Granada

The Arab Baths are one of the most important historic and architectural aspects of Granada, as they are symbolic evidence of the city's religious turmoil all those centuries ago. The baths were built by the Muslims because they believed water was a symbol of purity, and so used it to cleanse their bodies, whilst the Christians.

Granada City Museums

Museums in Granada City: Museo de la Alhambra, Basilica de San Juan de Dios, Cartuja de la Asunción, Casa de los Pisa, Casa-Museo Angel Barrios, Casa- Museo Federico García Lorca and more.

Alhambra tour - Alhambra Alta

We enter the Alhambra from the Generalife Gardens by the bridge called Puente Nuevo. However, the original route of access, in Moorish times, between the Alhambra and the Generalife went through the Puerta del Hierro, the Iron Gate, and made it necessary to cross the ravine on foot

Convent of Santa Isabel la Real, Granada

The Convento de Santa Isabel la Real was founded by Queen Isabella of Castile after Granada was conquered, on the site of the Moorish Palace of Dar al-Horra, a small part of which still exists.

Backpacking in Granada

Granada is, with Seville, one of the biggest tourist attractions in Spain, not just Andalucia. The primary reason is for the truly extraordinary monument of the Moorish Alhambra; this emotive, sensual palace-fortress is set against the magnificent backdrop of the snow-capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada. It is under no circumstances to be missed.

Granada City - Fascinating Fact 3 - Alhambra

The intricate interiors of the Alhambra are as instructive as they are exquisite. Under Islamic law, no depictions of living beings (people, plants or animals) are allowed, so instead the walls and ceilings are covered with symbolic, geometrical patterns, as well as the Nasrids´ motto.

Carrera Del Darro, Granada City

Now we are ready to take one of the most picturesque and romantic walks in Spain, along the Carrera del Darro, the cobble-stoned street which over hangs the river and which was once one of Granada´s main arteries, leading to the vanished gate of Guadix and, from there, to the town of that name in northeastern Andalucia. First we pass old Granada´s last remaining arched bridges.

Church of San Pedro & San Pablo, Granada

The Church of San Pedro & San Pablo hails from the Renaissance period while en route to the Plaza Nueva are the Arab baths dating from the 11th century. Behind the ruins of El Cadi Bridge stands the Mudéjar Church of Santa Ana with a Platereque portico and tower of glazed tiles which was inspired by Arab minarets.

Granada City - - Fascinating Fact 4 - Public Baths

Visiting the ´´hammam´´ or public bathhouse was an essential pastime, both for hygiene and social reasons, in Moorish Granada - they were important meeting places for both sexes (on separate days), as well as having religious significance.

Granada city - Fascinating Fact 5 - Lorca´s house

Spain´s most famous 20th-century literary figure, Federico Garcia Lorca, was murdered by Fascists, probably for his political leanings and sexual orientation, in Granada, in 1936 - just before the outbreak of the Civil War. Although renowned throughout the world, Lorca´s name was banned under Franco and he was apparently forgotten.

Attractions in Granada City

One of Spain's most frequently visited tourist centres, Granada contains many notable architectural and artistic monuments. The city is the seat of an archbishop, and it is dotted with fine Renaissance, Baroque, and Neoclassical churches, convents, monasteries, hospitals, palaces, and mansions.