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Three and a half days in Granada

My husband and I and another couple are traveling to Spain at the end of April 2020 for two weeks. We will have 3 1/2 days in Granada.

On our arrival (the half day), we will probably take a walking tour. One day will be the Alhambra. Another day will be a 4WD tour to the Sierra Nevadas. The guys will not be able to go two weeks without playing golf and will probably spend the 3rd full day at a local course. Any suggestions for what my friend and I should do on the last full day? We are castle, cathedral, and garden type girls.

Thank you for your suggestions.

Posted by
677 posts

I can’t really give you suggestions for a full day but I do want to suggest that you visit the Alhambra at night as well. It’s magical. We visited by day and by night and loved both experiences.

Posted by
4180 posts

If you are not already visiting the Royal Chapel of Granada on your walking tour, then make sure to check in out. Very elegant interior, this is where the famous Catholic Monarchs Isabella and Ferdinand are buried. It's located right adjacent to the main Cathedral.

I have also heard that interior of the Basilica of San Juan de Dios, is extremely lavish and beautiful, though I have not been myself, it''s on my list.

Posted by
28085 posts

A big "Yes" to San Juan de Dios. Don't miss it; it basically defines "over the top", and that's a good thing when you're a tourist (in my view).

I had plenty of time in Granada so I opted to buy the Granada Card. I think I managed to get to almost all the covered sites. I'd suggest looking at the list on the Granada Card website to see what sounds appealing. Walking around the Albaicin is interesting; you'll see some of it on the way to some of the Granada Card sites.

If you like art, I think you'd enjoy the Rodriguez-Acosta Foundation. I think some Alhambra tickets give you a bit of a discount at the foundation on the same or next day. I lucked out and walked in on a free-entry day just 15 minutes before there was to be an English-language tour. I don't remember how much of that schedule info is on the website.

Because of your timing I want to warn you that this year, May 1 was the day nearly all the Granada tourist sites shifted from their winter hours to their summer hours. I don't know whether that practice occurs in the other Andalucian cities, but it was a bit of an issue for me in Granada. The tourist office (otherwise helpful) didn't have any information about the new schedules and didn't even seem to know things were about to change. What happens on the day of the change is that there are new or much-expanded mid-day closures and sites are open later in the evening. I don't remember whether opening times also change.

Posted by
24 posts

We spent 3 nights in Granada and loved watching the sunset on the Alhambra from a bar just below St. Nicholas Square. It was magical.

Posted by
15788 posts

I went to the beautiful Monasterio de San Jerónimo, a bit outside the center, you may want to take a bus or taxi. Wander the Albaicin, the Moroccan market, treat yourselves to a pampering afternoon at the hammam.

Posted by
1303 posts

You might be interested in the Botanical Gardens. It's quite small (it's no Kew, for instance), but central and only a few minutes walk from the catedral.

Also the "carmen" gardens of Casa del Chapiz, again not huge but attractive. There are other carmen you can visit too.