The Alhambra seen from the Albaicín, with the Comares Tower, the Palace of Charles V and the tower of Santa María, mountains behind
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Granada in 2 days

  • 2 days
  • 7.1 km on foot
  • 18 stops
  • Audio guide

Two days is just right for Granada: enough time to go inside the Alhambra without giving up the Albaicín, the legends or a night of flamenco in a Sacromonte cave. Day one revolves around the Nasrid Palaces, day two around history and the caves. It's a plan for first-timers who want to leave with the very best of the city.

Day 1The Alhambra, outside and in

Open with “Granada highlights: from the cathedral to the viewpoint”, from the Alcaicería to the Mirador de San Nicolás, so you see the whole Alhambra before you set foot in it. Lunch on broad beans with ham at Los Manueles, then head up to the Alhambra for your palace entry slot, booked well in advance. On the way out, walk down through the woods to the Pomegranate Gate and follow “Legends in the shadow of the Alhambra”, with Washington Irving and the hand on the Gate of Justice, all the way to Bib-Rambla. Dinner is fried fish at Los Diamantes.

  1. Morning

    Granada highlights: from the cathedral to the viewpoint

    Mixed · 2.1 km · 1 h 50 min

    1. Granada CathedralIt began Gothic, turned Renaissance and ended up with a facade that looks like a Roman triumphal arch.
    2. The AlcaiceríaThe old silk bazaar, locked with chains at night, was reborn after a fire as a fairy-tale vision of the Orient.
    3. Corral del CarbónThe only Nasrid merchants’ inn in Spain to survive intact: traders’ lodging, theatre and tenement house.
    4. Plaza Nueva and the Royal ChanceryA square built on top of a river, presided over by one of the great palaces of justice of sixteenth-century Spain.
    5. Carrera del Darro and Paseo de los TristesGranada’s prettiest street follows the river to a promenade with the Alhambra right above it.
    6. Mirador de San NicolásGranada’s most famous balcony: the whole Alhambra with Sierra Nevada behind.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Broad beans with ham (habas con jamón) at Los Manueles. Calle Reyes Católicos, 61

  3. Afternoon

    Alhambra: Nasrid Palaces and Alcazaba

    The palace city of the Nasrid sultans: the Alcazaba fortress, the Palace of Charles V and the Nasrid Palaces, with the Court of the Lions and the Court of the Myrtles. Palace entry usually has a fixed time and tickets go fast, so book as soon as you know your date.

    Directions

    Generalife

    The sultans' country estate on the neighbouring hill: vegetable gardens, cypress walks and the Court of the Water Channel, with its long pool running between the flowers. It's usually included in the general Alhambra ticket; leave it for the end of your visit, as the sun drops.

    Directions

  4. Early evening

    Legends in the shadow of the Alhambra

    Mysteries & legends · 2.3 km · 2 h

    1. Pomegranate Gate (Puerta de las Granadas)A triumphal arch built under Charles V marks the entrance to the woods where the legends of the Alhambra begin.
    2. Statue of Washington IrvingThe American writer who lived in the Alhambra and filled it with princesses, treasures and astrologers.
    3. Gate of Justice (Puerta de la Justicia)A hand carved on the arch, a key further in, and a prophecy: when they touch, the Alhambra will fall.
    4. Campo del Príncipe and the Cristo de los FavoresEvery Good Friday at three in the afternoon, thousands of locals gather here to ask a stone cross for three favours.
    5. Casa de los TirosA palace with muskets on its battlements, stone heroes and a sword thrust through a heart.
    6. Plaza de Bib-RamblaTournaments, bullfights, a bonfire of books and a gate that ended up in the woods: Granada’s square with the most lives.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  5. Dinner

    Try Fried fish and aubergines (pescaíto frito) at Bar Los Diamantes. Calle Navas, 28

Day 2A thousand years and a flamenco night

Start fresh with “From the Zirids to Lorca”: the climb into the Albaicín via the Elvira Gate and the Arco de las Pesas is much kinder in the morning. You then drop down to El Bañuelo and the Royal Chapel, and the route ends on Plaza del Campillo, right where you lunch on Sacromonte omelette at Chikito. After a long, lazy lunch, walk up the Carrera del Darro to the Sacromonte and its cave museum. If you've still got energy, catch sunset at San Nicolás and then head back to the caves: tonight is flamenco night.

  1. Morning

    From the Zirids to Lorca: a thousand years of Granada

    History · 2.7 km · 2 h 15 min

    1. Elvira Gate (Puerta de Elvira)The great entrance to Islamic Granada, crossed by caravans, ambassadors and conquerors for almost a thousand years.
    2. Arco de las Pesas and Plaza LargaA bent Zirid gateway at the top of the Morisco Albaicín, with a name that hints at rigged scales.
    3. El BañueloOne of the best-preserved Arab bathhouses in Spain, hidden behind a humble facade by the river Darro.
    4. Monument to the Capitulations of Santa FeIsabella the Catholic listens to Columbus in bronze, on the square where Granada remembers the year that changed everything.
    5. Royal Chapel (Capilla Real)Isabella and Ferdinand chose Granada, their final conquest, as their resting place for eternity.
    6. Plaza del Campillo: Lorca’s RinconcilloIn the corner of a café on this square, a young García Lorca shared verses and plans with his friends.

    Start the audio guide See the route

  2. Lunch

    Try Sacromonte omelette (tortilla del Sacromonte) at Chikito. Plaza del Campillo, 9

  3. Afternoon

    Sacromonte Cave Museum

    A cluster of cave homes in the Barranco de los Negros that shows how people lived, worked and sang in the Sacromonte. The views of the Alhambra from up here are among the best in town. It's a stiff climb, so the Sacromonte minibus helps.

    Directions

    Flamenco in a Sacromonte cave

    In the whitewashed caves along the Camino del Sacromonte, dancers perform the zambra, the neighbourhood's own style of flamenco, with the audience barely a metre away. Book ahead; many shows offer pick-up from the centre, otherwise take a taxi back.

    Directions

The map

Granada in 2 days, on the map

Each route’s stops are numbered in order; the stars are the extra sights.

Mixed Mysteries & legends History Extra sight

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Before you go

Tips for Granada in 2 days

  • Your Alhambra ticket is the very first thing to book, even before your hotel in high season. It's sold on the official website with a date and a time slot for the palaces, and ID is usually checked at the entrance. If only morning slots are left, swap the highlights route and the visit.
  • It's a long climb from the centre to the Alhambra: about twenty minutes on foot up the Cuesta de Gomérez, or take the minibus from Plaza Nueva. Arrive with time to spare for your palace slot, because once inside there's still a fair walk to the entrance.
  • If you plan to visit the Alhambra, the cathedral and the Royal Chapel and ride the minibuses, do the maths on the Granada Card, which usually bundles them together; for the Alhambra alone it isn't worth it. Check what the current version includes.

Questions

Granada in 2 days: your questions

How long do you need to visit the Alhambra?

Allow half a day, three to four hours, to see the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V and the Generalife without rushing. There's a lot of walking inside. That's why this plan gives it the afternoon of day one and saves the legends route for nightfall.

Is flamenco in the Sacromonte worth it?

If you like flamenco, yes: watching a zambra in a cave, with the audience almost on top of the performers, is nothing like a theatre show. Some venues are more touristy than others, so read recent reviews and book before you go.

How many kilometres do you walk in two days?

The three routes add up to about 7.1 km: roughly 4.4 on day one and 2.7 on day two. On top of that comes the Alhambra, where you'll cover several kilometres, plus the climb to the Sacromonte. Two days of hills, but very doable in comfortable shoes.

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