Zone: Granada
Duration: 10 hours
Price from...: 350.00€
Description:
Granada is the capital of the province that bears the same name. It is located at the foot of Sierra Nevada, in the Betic System, the highest in the Iberian Peninsula. Located in eastern Andalusia, south of Spain, it enjoys some of the greatest cultural heritage of this country. In addition to the world-famous Alhambra and the Albaicín district, designated World Heritage by UNESCO, Granada has a Renaissance cathedral whose construction was started in the sixteenth century. Many other monuments dot the city in each of its corners.
The cultural legacy of Granada, historical and contemporary
The city of Granada was founded by the Romans under the name Illibris. Later, after the invasion of the peninsula by the Muslims in the 8th century AD, they gave it its current name of Granada. The Catholic Kings conquered the city in 1492, thus completing the Reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula for Christianity. During the siege of the city, Queen Isabella of Castile received Christopher Columbus and granted him the means to begin his journey to the West Indies.
This agitated history has left in Granada numerous traces in the form of palaces, churches and other buildings that proclaim the rich cultural heritage of the city. The monumental complex of the Alhambra and the Generalife, fortress, medina and palace of the Nasrid kings, is known worldwide both for its beauty and for the impressive panorama that its privileged location offers to the visitor. Within this complex is also the Renaissance palace built by the Emperor Charles V next to the Arab stronghold.
Facing the Alhambra, on another hill, is the Albaicín neighborhood, a narrow and fascinating labyrinth of streets whose white houses with indoor gardens are known as Cármenes. In it is the Mirador de San Nicolás, from where a beautiful view of the Nasrid palace is contemplated. Nearby, visitors can visit the Sacromonte, with its inhabited caves and some of the most genuine flamenco venues in the city.
It is also possible to contemplate in Granada the Renaissance Cathedral considered as the first of its style in Spain. Next to it, the Royal Chapel, ordered to be erected by the Catholic Monarchs to be its sepulcher. Many other churches populate the city, built by the Moors after the conquest, producing a unique style known as Mudejar.
Along with this extensive historical and cultural legacy, the Andalusian capital offers a wide range of possibilities for tourism: museums, art galleries and theaters where the offer multiplies for the visitor of this beautiful city that boils of activity both day and night.
