One of the highlights of visiting Grenada is the Alhambra. My husband had it on his wishlist of…read moreplaces to visit so I booked tickets online via their official website ahead of time when I knew we would be in port. Since our port day was 11 hours, we booked a very expensive bus ride (cruise excursion) from the cruise port in Motril to Grenada. The bus dropped us off steps from the Alhambra and we were able to access the grounds with our prebooked tickets. I chose the 2 pm timeslot for the Nasrid Palace. We were dropped off around 11:15 am so we were able to walk the gardens and all the other spaces prior to gaining access to the palace. The Alhambra is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture built in 1238 by Muhammad I Ibn al-Ahmar, the first Nasrid emir. After the conclusion of the Christian Reconquista in 1492, the site became the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella (where Christopher Columbus received royal endorsement for his expedition to seek out the Indies and spices). In 1812, it was partially destroyed by Napoleon's troops. The Alhambra has been the subject of numerous restorations since the 19th century. It is now one of Spain's major tourist attractions and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. My husband and I spent the majority of our day exploring the Alhambra's grounds. We visited the Palace of Charles V, the Court of Lions, the Nasrid Palace, the Lindajara Courtyard, and the hammam. It's a vast complex of buildings and gardens. In the hot Spanish sun, we walked around marveling at the architecture and the grounds. They have an app to guide you through but the WiFi is spotty. It is beautiful and it is obvious they are preserving the history here. We just wandered around until we needed to grab lunch and head back to the bus.

I was really looking forward to seeing the Alhambra - it's a palace and fortress complex perching…read moreatop the steep hils of Granada, with construction first starting in the 1200s. It's one of the most famous architectural wonders of Islamic architecture and is one of the best preserved places in the world of islamic origin (mixed with Spanish Renaissance architecture). Our ticket included access to all visitable places of the complex (a lot free to the public), Nasrid palace (timed entrance), the gardens and the Generalife (former country estate). We did an unguided tour, so I felt like we missed out on the history a bit as we walked through the palace - it reminded us of the Real Alcazar from Seville, but bigger and more grand in scale. I'm glad our ticket was for 10AM because the grounds only got busier throughout the morning.

Wonderful air b&b view down centro city de granada and we are looking forward to our 13 minute walk…read moreto mirador de san nicolas

Great views of Alhambra. Pack full of people at night with…read morelive performers. Walk there through colorful moorish quarters and take a taxi back to your hotel. (Written by husband)

The Palacio de la Madraza is now part of the University of Granada. Inside this structure, the room…read moreto see is the preserved Islamic prayer room, which is absolutely beautiful (I have uploaded a few photos along with my review). The room itself has limited visitor at one time to help preserve the condition from tourism damages. I highly recommend that you purchase to go inside the room rather than just standing outside it and taking photos within. You will miss many of the important photos such as the top stalactite-like carving and some of the more intricate designs on the wall. The story is that the room is preserved because it is so beautiful the Christian decided to keep it rather than destroy it (its being an Islamic prayer room). If you come through the Granada Essential Must Do tour, the entrance fee is already part of it, and your guide will accelerate you to the front of the line as well. Enjoy!

This is where you go to watch the sunset in Granada. Hardly anybody was there, just a few locals…read moreand families, but the view was tremendous. It's a bit of a hike to get up here from town, but worth the climb.

After a great day at the Alhambra, our tour guide after dinner took us here. We got dropped off and…read morethen walked for around 20 minutes, going up a gradually steep incline, with meandering streets, passing interesting graffiti on the walls, and then finally emerging at a high point where a great view of the Alhambra and Grenada city at night lay out in front of us. The viewing point was somewhat crowded with a mix of locals and tourists, but there was enough space/ gaps, so it wasn't overwhelming. Apart from the view, also take a look down to the pavements - there is a lovely flower mosaic pattern set on the sidewalks with the rocks. Loved the view and highly recommend. Yelp Review 106/ 2017

The walk up and through Barrio del Sacromonte is well worth doing but be warned: it's a formidable…read morehike. I queried a restaurant proprietor about distance & height from the base & he said: "La subida no es tan mala y no está demasiado lejos. Un poco!" Un poco! I don't think so. Still, I would do it again, both for the magnificent views and for the uniqueness of the caves. Some of the 16th-century Santas Cuevas (Holy Caves) have been converted into McMansions but most remain modest and subtly expressive. If you think the walk is too much, take a cab to the top and enjoy a meal and Flamenco performance in the neighborhood that claims to be one of Flamenco's birth places. But do not miss Sacromonte--a profound look into Granada's complex history.

Please note that my review is of the walk up Camino del Sacromonte and not of any of the…read moreattractions that you will find in the area. The cave pictures that you see when you google Sacromonte and see the caves are posted are from the Museum of the Sacromonte caves or from one of the flamenco venues in the area. As for the walk on Camino del Sacromonte you will get rewarded with a nice photo of the Alhambra but you won't see into any cave homes along the way. If you want to see the caves then go to the museum or make arrangements with one of the flamenco shows. We didn't go to a show here but many outfits will pick you up from central Granada to watch a flamenco show, give you a free drink and then drive you back down back to town for 20 Euros.

Compared to the other palaces and sights in Granada (aka the Alhambra), this is not worth the trek…read more There's also very little information inside the site about what you're looking at. This site is included in the Dobla De Oro ticket to the Alhambra but regardless I wouldn't recommend the visit unless you want to take photos. The building has the traditional Islamic architecture you see in any historical palace or home you visit so you can get some potentially good photos without crowds. But by the time you climb up the mountain you might not be looking so hot anymore lol.

This is a street in Granada basically underneath the shadow of the Alhambra. It got its name from…read morethe funeral processions that used to use this street on their way to the cemetery. Now it's filled with shops and restaurants (most very touristy--I bought a piece of typical Granadan pottery along here at a reasonable price) but still makes for a pleasant walk along the river. Important part of Granada's history.

I'm reviewing the restaurant called El Paseo in Granada. I wish I could give it negative stars. IT…read moreIS HORRIBLE. The sangria tastes like over sweet juice and the complimentary tapas is a joke. We got a disgusting concoction of potatoes and under-ripe tomatoes that was a poor excuse for food. Save your euros and go to one of the local, lovely places away from this tourist trap.