A two and a half hour bus from Córdoba to Granada and G and I were in the oldest neighbourhood of Albaicin up high with an amazing view of the Alhambra. Our tiny hotel was a stones throw from Mirador San Nicolas where Bill Clinton supposedly saw the best sunset of his life. Walking boots needed to get up here though. Our taxi could only drive as far as 300 metres from our accommodation.

We arrived in the evening and spent only two nights in Granada meaning that we only really had one full and somewhat exhausting day of visiting the Alhambra as well as doing a walking tour of the town.

My First Impressions of Granada

• The Sierra Nevada mountains are close and you can see steep hills and monuments in every direction. So there are awesome views on a grand scale especially from the area of Albaicin.
• Albaicin is an amazing location and fun to walk in if you like cobblestones, steep steps, narrow lanes and knowing that you have a ninety percent chance of getting lost. Also a place for unpretentious bars, street music with perhaps flamenco and hidden plazas to enjoy spectacular views

• The town centre of Granada looks to be buzzing with energy especially near Plaza Nueva and along the River Daro. Yes there’s a fine Cathedral and other monuments but the crowds are packing into the bars offering free tapas and swarming through the Arab bazaars and drinking exotic teas in the teterias. Granada indeed has a multicultural vibe and the fragrances of spices and incense around most corner.
• Visiting the Alhambra is what makes Granada a tourist mecca no pun intended.Tickets are difficult to obtain outside Spain unless you go with a guided group. Now that we are heading towards peak season there are 8,000 visitors per day. To see all of the gardens of General Life and the Nazrid Palaces will mean that each visitor must walk about 6 kilometres. This is one  of the unique places in the world to see and we were thrilled to have the opportunity and to learn the history from a professional guide.