Granada Travel Guide: 3 days in Granada

Granada was the second stop of our Europe trip, and it turned out to be our favorite city – sorry, Paris!! If you aren’t familiar with Granada, it’s a city in southern Spain famous for its history and especially the Alhambra. I’ll be honest: Granada was not on my radar. The main reason we went was because my brother was studying abroad there and we wanted to visit him for Thanksgiving – we were not expecting to fall in love with it like we did! The culture, the history, the food, everything was just incredible and we are already dying to go back. Similar to my Paris Travel Guide I will start with a day by day overview and then make a to-do list at the end.

Day by Day

Day 1: Our flight arrived around 1pm and we took a taxi to the hotel – the drive was beautiful! Our room wasn’t ready, but we met up with my brother and parents, who were also visiting for Thanksgiving! We grabbed lunch at a place called La Castellana and it was incredible – everyone in Granada eats lunch around 3pm, by the way! We shared some tapas, ham and caprese salad. After lunch we checked in to the hotel, dropped our bags off and went out exploring. My brother showed us all around the city centre area so we saw the main roads, Cathedral, monuments, college area, etc. There is a lot to see!! After that we went back to the hotel to take a siesta before meeting back up for dinner. Restaurants don’t even open for dinner until 9pm, and that is considered to be early! We ate outside at a seafood restaurant called Marisquería Cunini and I had the tuna. It was good, but the fried fish platter looked even better 😉 After dinner we grabbed a drink on the way back to the hotel, and then called in a night.

Caprese salad at La Castellana

Day 2: This was Thanksgiving! We slept in a little for the first time, and then found a cafe with outdoor seating to have coffee and a light breakfast. Apparently they aren’t big into breakfast in Granada so it did take a little while to find somewhere, but we ended up at Cafe Copas and it was a nice little place (I can’t find it online, sorry!) After that we did some more exploring – we walked through the Arab markets and took a tour of Granada’s Cathedral. For lunch, my brother’s host mom invited us over to her house where she cooked a HUGE Spanish meal. We had bread, salad, meat, potatoes, and fruit for dessert. I don’t think I have ever been so full in my entire life – it was so good. After a much needed siesta, we took a taxi up to the Albaicín area – you can definitely walk there from city centre, but we wanted to make it in time for sunset. It is a lengthy walk uphill, just a heads up! Albaicín is the Muslim quarter and it’s so charming! The streets are narrow, hilly (lots of stairs) and cobblestone – I would not recommend wearing heels (which I learned the hard way.) We watched the sunset from Mirador de San Nicolás which was absolutely beautiful!! From here you get a view of the Alhambra, the mountains, and Granada. After sunset we walked around the area for a while and made our way back down the hill to the city centre. We were still so full from lunch that we didn’t want a big dinner, so we decided to go tapa bar hopping instead! At the tapa bars you get a free tapa for each drink that you order – some places let you choose your tapa and some will just bring you whatever. Some are big and some are small, but it’s a great way to try a variety of new things! We probably went to 3 or 4 different places (I didn’t write down the names) but it’s so much fun to just wander around and stop in wherever looks good!

Sunset at Mirador de San Nicolás

Day 3: We had a tour of the Alhambra scheduled this morning, so I woke up early and grabbed a quick coffee and breakfast to-go from Dunkin Donuts before taking a taxi back up the hill! Again it is walkable, but we were all moving a little slow after bar hopping the night before haha. Granada is famous for the Alhambra, which is a massive fortress with palaces, gardens, and so much history. It’s honestly one of those places that you won’t understand until you see it in person – it’s absolutely amazing. You’ll need at least 3-4 hours to walk through it, and I highly recommend booking a tour guide. You will get so much more from the experience when someone is explaining the history and answering questions along the way. Just trust me on this! Also make sure to book tickets several weeks (or even months) in advance – it’s very difficult to get them last minute. We were extremely lucky to get tickets two weeks out, and only got them because the travel company that my parents were using for their trip (@justexplorespain) somehow hooked us up. After 4 hours of walking the Alhambra we were all pretty hungry, so we set out to find some paella and stopped at a place called La Plaza 3. I got the seafood paella and it was (of course) incredible. After lunch we went back to the hotel for siesta time! Later that night we met up to walk around and there was a lot going on! The holiday lights were being turned on around the city, there was live music, the roads were closed for shopping (it was Black Friday, of course!) and it was just magical. We stepped into a couple small shops and purchased some artwork, which is always a must while traveling. For dinner we went to a restaurant brother had been wanting to try called Poetas Andaluces and it was 10/10. Most everyone ordered something normal like a filet and vegetables, and I got a leg of lamb – it was HUGE!! Not at all what I was expecting, but it was melt in your mouth delicious. By the time we finished dinner it was close to midnight, and with a 6am flight the next morning, we called it a night!

Photos from the Alhambra

Seafood paella at La Plaza 3

Rosemary lamb at Poetas Andaluces

Where we Stayed:

We stayed at the Melia Granada and loved it! The location could not have been better – we were right in the center of town and everything was in walking distance. The hotel has a modern vibe and includes a nice bar & lounge (although we didn’t spend time there.) My only complaint is that we booked a “supreme room” to get a terrace with views, but when we checked in they put us in a room with no terrace. They gave us a hard time when we asked to be moved to the correct room (that we paid extra for!) but ultimately they did switch us. The room was clean, spacious, and we loved having a terrace with views of the Alhambra! From the reviews I have read online most rooms do not have a view, so just keep that in mind if you are booking. The hotel’s breakfast buffet is supposedly amazing, but we opted out (it’s a bit overpriced in my opinion.) Overall I would absolutely recommend this hotel if you’re staying in Granada, just be aware of what room you are booking if a view is important to you!

View from our Terrace at Melia Granada

My parents stayed at Hotel Navas, which was just a couple streets from our hotel. It’s more of a boutique style hotel, so smaller but more Spanish character. They had a small terrace overlooking a picturesque street with cafes, shops, and bakeries – great for people watching! Another good option if you are looking!

Things to see and do:

Alhambra: Granada’s most famous site – it’s a massive fortress with palaces, gardens, pools, and more. Pro tip: Buy tickets in advance. This site is so popular that the number of daily visitors are limited, so the sooner you book the better. I also highly recommend booking a tour guide.
Generalife Gardens: A series of large, beautiful gardens you’ll find when exiting the palace at the Alhambra
Granada Cathedral: Beautiful church located in the heart of the city. It’s the 4th largest cathedral in the world!
Albaicín: Charming neighborhood up on a hill, known for its narrow cobblestone streets and white buildings
Mirador de San Nicolás: Located in the Albaicín area, this is the best spot to watch the sunset with a view overlooking the Alhambra, mountains and Granada
Alcaiceria: Arab-style market filled with touristy local shops selling all kinds of things – silk, salt, spices, clothes, souvenirs, and more.
Tapas Bars: There are dozens of tapas bars in Granada – with each drink ordered, you get a free tapa! Some are snack size and some could be a full meal. Some bars have a tapa menu to choose from, but most will serve you whatever they have that day.

View of Granada from the Alhambra

Things we didn’t get to do, but are worth noting:

Hammam Al Andalus: The Arab Baths with pools, steam rooms, and spa treatments available.
Sacromonte: The gypsy quarter, located further up the hill from Albaicín. Known for the hillside cave homes and flamenco shows.
Flamenco Show: The famous traditional Spanish performance with music, dancing & singing – flamenco actually originated in Granada! Most flamenco clubs are located in the Sacromonte area.
Carrera del Darro: A scenic street, said to be one of the most romantic and picturesque walks in all of Spain

How to Get Around:

From Granada airport, you can take a taxi, bus or Uber into the city. Due to bus and Uber schedules, taxis are most efficient – there are several waiting outside of arrivals ready to go and you’ll likely have to wait a while for the bus or Uber. Taxi and Uber both cost around 27 euro and takes 20 minutes to get into the city. The bus will cost around 4 euro but with frequent stops, it will take around 45 minutes to get into the city. In the city your options are: public bus, taxi/Uber, metro, bike, and of course walking. If you are able to, I recommend walking as much as possible – most everything in Granada is walking distance and it’s a great way to get to know the city. You really won’t need the metro to get around unless you’re going further out. The city buses are a cheap and easy option to catch a ride up the hill to the Albaicín/Sacromonte area, and there are also taxi stations throughout.

What to Wear:

Similar to Paris, you can’t go wrong with neutrals! People dressed nice in Granada too – I saw a lot of women wearing heels which was a little surprising with all the cobblestone. I wore sweater dresses and skirts with tights, faux leather leggings with sweaters, boots, and a puffer jacket. I definitely recommend layering – it was warmer than I expected in November and a lot of the bars and restaurants were uncomfortably warm inside.