Granada: A Comprehensive Guide

• Geography

• El Centro: Granada’s main commercial hub, with the most restaurants, shopping, and nightlife.

What to do: Coffee dates, shopping along Gran Via/Bib-Rambla, tapas crawls.

• Realejo: The historic “Jewish Quarter,” located south along the Genil river. It’s a beautiful area with many cultural events throughout the year.

What to do: Stroll along el Paseo de la Bomba, check out the Gothic architecture.

• El Albaicín: The historic “Muslim Quarter” of Granada; it’s more residential, but by far the most beautiful part of Granada!

What to do: Have a mirador picnic, eat some Middle Eastern pastries, and check out historical Islamic sites.

• Sacromonte: The bohemian “Romani Quarter,” known for residential caves and flamenco.

What to do: See a flamenco show! I went to Cueva Los Amayas with some friends on Valentine’s Day and had an incredible time.

• San Ildefonso: This is where I lived during the semester! A quieter, more residential area situated near the Albaícin, only a fifteen-minute walk from the IES building.

What to do: Read in Triunfo Park or walk to the Albaícin.

• Cartuja: A northern corner of Granada, Cartuja is home to one of the University of Granada's main campuses. This is where I took my anthropology class in the Department of Philosophy.

What to do: Go to class or attend UGR events.

• Recreation

Food

One great thing about Granada is that tapas are 100% free! That means that when you order a drink at (almost!) any tapas bar, you’ll receive a free small dish in addition. Here are some of my favorite tapas bars:

• Om Kalsoum (delicious Moroccan food)
• Bar Poe (good portions)
• La Buena Vida
• La Vinoteca
• Tango Bar Centro (pizza!)

If you’re in the mood for a more substantial meal, here are some great restaurants to try out:

• Restaurante Fairuz
• Papas Elvira
• Los Manueles
• Any shawarma shop on Calle Elvira (only €3-5 each)

Cafes and Bakeries

• Olympia Pastelería (their XL piononos are my favorite food ever)
• Los Italianos (€1 ice cream)
• Artesanos de Granada
• Petra Pastelería (baklava, Middle Eastern sweets)
• Jerusalem Books Cafe
• Bohemia Jazz Cafe
• Gran Cafe Bib-Rambla (heavenly churros)
• FIKA Coffee

Nightlife

• Mae West (very popular club, €12 cover charge for women, €17 for men)
• Planta Baja (smaller club, alternative vibe, price varies depending on events)
• Granada 10 (€17 cover charge)
• Entresuelo Bar (salsa night on Wednesdays!)
• La Tertulia (smaller, literary events)
• Lemon Rock (restaurant with live music)

Nature

• Carmen de los Martires (beautiful gardens, peacocks)
• Alhambra gardens
• Parque Federico García Lorca
• Mirador San Miguel Alto (beautiful sunsets)
• Hike trails in Sierra Nevada
• Beach day in Nerja (2 hours away by bus)

Shopping

• Mosaico (thrift store, look for €1 days)
• Nevada Shopping Center
• Re-Read (secondhand books)
• Tiempo Perdido (bookstore)
• Gran Via Records (€2 vintage records, ask shop-owner for recommendations!)

Arts & Culture

• Cine Madrigal (indie and foreign films, €3 tickets on Wednesdays)
• Andalusia Film Archives
• Free workshops in Casa Kuna (check out their Instagram for the monthly schedule)
• Museo de Bellas Artes

• Travel

• Flights

Traveling to and from here can be a bit trickier than other parts of Spain. While Granada does have its own airport, it’s smaller and flights are limited. I usually travel out of the nearby Malaga airport, which has cheaper flights to more destinations.

To get to the Malaga airport, make sure to buy bus tickets in advance. Tickets can be purchased through the Alsa website (https://www.alsa.com/en). I would recommend buying a pack of 4 or 6 tickets at a time to save some money.

Buses depart out of the Estación de Autobuses, located in the north of Granada. It’s about a 30-minute walk from San Ildefonso and a 50-minute walk from the Centro. Both the 33-bus and the Metro have stops to the station.

• Public Transit

Tickets are €1.60 for a single bus trip, but you can purchase a bus card from any tobacco store for about €0.60/trip. I charged my bus card with €10 initially which lasted me pretty much the whole semester, as someone who prefers to walk whenever possible. I’d definitely recommend getting a bus card if you will be living/taking a UGR class in Cartuja, as it’s a 40-minute walk from the IES Granada Center and very hilly!

Most bus lines make their final stops at 11pm and begin again at 6am. If you’re getting home any later, your best bet is to call a taxi or Uber. The Metro follows a similar schedule, but runs late on weekends until 2am.

Overall, I didn’t use the Metro in Granada because I found everything very accessible by bus/on foot. I’d only recommend taking it if you’re heading to the nearby shopping mall in Nevada.

• SIM Cards

I didn’t purchase an E-Sim before coming to Spain; instead, I brought an old burner phone and purchased a physical SIM Card at one of the Orange stores for €10 each month.

When traveling outside of the country, I would install a temporary E-Sim using ALOSim for about $4/1GB, which was enough to last me a weekend trip. Be sure to do this before leaving the airport, as you need Wifi access to download the SIM.