After Valencia we made our way down the coast of Spain to Granada.
TIP: It’s actually a little difficult and expensive to travel in this part of Spain. Although there are trains, they all seem to go through Madrid—making the trips more expensive. Buses were also a little more expensive then I thought they would, as well as slow. So we did our first ride share through BlaBlaCar.com. It was fantastic! There was one other passenger with us and our driver got us there safe and fast (he had 155 reviews when I booked). Just think about it as Uber for longer trips.
We probably enjoyed Granada a little more than most because this was our first accommodation with air conditioning! In all seriousness, Granada is a very nice city. We felt two days gave us enough time there, and that’s including a visit to Alhambra. Alhambra is a palace and fortress that was originally constructed as a small fortress in AD 889! It was largely ignored until it was converted into a royal palace in 1333. The palace was also the location where Christopher Columbus received permission to take off on his mission that eventually led to the “discovery” of America. The complex is huge, spanning nearly 26 acres with more than a mile of walls, 30 towers and numerous smaller structures. It really was an incredible sight. It’s also very cool that you can see the different influences on the grounds from the various ruling civilizations.
Also… make sure to also go to the Mirador de San Nicolas lookout for night views of Alhambra.
Aside from Alhambra, our favorite thing in Granada was by far the food. Caitlin kept telling me about tapas in Spain and how if you order a drink then you will also get a free tapa, but we hadn’t experienced it yet. Granada finally introduced me to tapas, and I am in love. I don’t need an incentive to have a beer. BUT if you tell me I am getting a free snack if I do, then watch out. We hit up two incredible spots that we would consider a must if you are in Granada.
Bar El Peruano - This restaurant was in the university neighborhood and doesn’t open until 9:00! We got there a little early but as soon as the doors opened, people were lined up and swarming in. The restaurant serves up Peruvian food (which we are now familiar with), but they are well known for their portions. We had two rounds of drinks (4 beers for $2.00 each) and we literally couldn’t finish our FREE second round of tapas. Go here!
Bar Los Diamentes - This was a recommendation from our BlaBlaCar driver and he nailed it. This is a seafood joint and they also keep the food coming if you order drinks. This is a very busy spot so try to get there when people normally eat in the US (6:00-7:00) because no one will be here since the regular crowd in Spain doesn’t eat until at least 9:00. The best part is that they bring you a different plate of seafood after every drink you order. We only ordered one plate of amazing mushrooms and got 3 plates of different seafood. Incredible.
Check out ALL of our pictures from Granada here: https://doshobos.com/granada-photos.
