You have arrived along the Carrera del Darro, which follows the river past little stone bridges, churches and stately houses. Here the street opens out into a promenade and, when you look up, the whole Alhambra appears above your head.

1A name of farewell

Its official name is Paseo del Padre Manjón, in honour of the priest Andrés Manjón, who founded the Ave María Schools for poor children in the nearby Sacromonte. But everyone calls it the Paseo de los Tristes, the Promenade of the Sorrowful. The most common explanation is that, in the nineteenth century, funeral processions passed this way on their route to the San José cemetery, high on the hill, and many mourners said goodbye to the deceased at this point before the steep climb.

2The Alhambra from below

From here you see the north face of the palace city. The great square tower in the centre is the Comares Tower, which holds the Hall of the Ambassadors, the throne room of the Nasrid sultans. To the right, further away, stands out the Alcazaba, the military section; to the left, other towers of the wall follow one another towards the Partal. The wooded slope runs down almost to the water.

At nightfall, when the walls are lit up, this promenade becomes one of the most photographed spots in Granada.

Along the Carrera del Darro you have just walked lie the Bañuelo, several noble houses and the Cabrera and Espinosa bridges. From here, the Cuesta del Chapiz climbs towards the Albaicín and the Sacromonte.

3What to look for

  • The Comares Tower, the tallest of the palaces.
  • The river Darro, which from here flows uncovered as far as Plaza Nueva.
  • The bust of Padre Manjón, among the trees.

Documented

The promenade is officially named Paseo del Padre Manjón and offers a view of the north face of the Alhambra, with the Comares Tower.

Oral tradition

The name Paseo de los Tristes is explained by nineteenth-century funeral processions; it is the most widely accepted popular version, not a precisely documented fact.

Sources and credits

Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, information on the Comares Tower (alhambra-patronato.es); Ayuntamiento de Granada, Turismo de Granada, entry on the Paseo de los Tristes; Fundación Patronato Escuelas del Ave María, biography of Andrés Manjón.

Photos:

  • The Alhambra on top of the hill seen from the Paseo de los Tristes, beside the parapet of the river Darro: José Luiz, CC BY-SA 3.0.

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