Granada is everything you imagine Spain to be. Sunny beaches, snow capped mountains, medieval castles, tapas, fiestas, flamenco dancing… Granada truly is the world we all imagine when we think of Spain.
Granada is a city in the southern region of Spain called Andalusia. Andalusia is the warmest and sunniest region of Spain. The population of Granada’s metropolitan area is about 500,000. Here are some more cool facts about Granada and Andalusia.
Free tapas in Granada
- Granada is the college town in Spain. More than 80,000 college students (over 25% of the city’s population) and more than 10,000 international students (including a huge number of Americans) study in Granada.
- Tapas originated in Andalusia. In Granada, and only in Granada, tapas are free with every drink. What! Free food? You can’t beat that!
- Granada is home to the most visited tourist attraction in all of Spain: the palaces of the Alhambra.
- Flamenco, the passionate and exotic music and dance of the gypsies, originated in and is unique to Andalusia.
- Granada’s Sierra Nevada mountain range is home to the southernmost ski resort in Europe and boasts the highest peaks outside the Alps.
- There is only one true desert in all of Europe: the Desert of Tabernas in Almería, Spain, less than 100 miles from the city of Granada.
Skiing in the Sierra Nevada mountains
- Many wild west movies were actually filmed in Andalusia at a location known as “Texas Hollywood”, a wild west set in the Desert of Tabernas. Some of my favorites are “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”, “The Magnificent Seven”, “Lawrence of Arabia” and “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”.
- They don’t speak Spanish in Barcelona.
- The tomb of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella is in the Royal Chapel in Granada.
- Around 700 A.D. the Moors invaded and conquered Andalusia and over half of Spain. The Christians quickly reconquered most of the country. But it wasn’t until 1492 that King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella were able to conquer the last Muslim empire in Spain: the Nasrid Dynasty in Granada.
- It was in Granada that Queen Isabella gave a guy named Christopher Columbus three ships to sail west.
- Tons of world famous people are from Andalusia. Antonio Banderas was born and raised and still lives in Andalusia with his wife, Melanie Griffith. Paz Vega from movies like Spanglish and The Spirit was born and raised and lives in Andalusia. Federico García Lorca, Spain’s most famous poet, was born, raised and died in Granada. Pablo Picasso was from Andalusia. You can visit his museum in Málaga. Other famous Andalusians include the writer Francisco Ayala, the writer and poet Gustavo Adolfo Bécquer, and, of course, who could forget the international sensation “Macarena” by Los del Río. (OK, so that last one’s a little embarrassing.
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There are tons of cool things to do in Granada, most of which you’ll find only in Granada. For example, you can…
Kite surfing
- Go kite surfing or just relax on the beach with a cool glass of sangría.
- Explore the maze of narrow streets of the Albayzin, the ancient Arabic district of the city.
- Chill out in the exotic and mellow atmosphere of the Arabic tea houses.
- Catch a flamenco show in the caves of the Sacromonte.
- Relax, de-stress, and get a massage in the Arabic baths.
- Go hiking, horseback riding or mountain biking through the mountain villages of the Alpujarras.
- Learn to dance Sevillanas, the traditional folk dance of Andalusia.
- Party in the streets of Granada with hundreds of thousands of Spaniards at one of the cities fiestas, most of which last anywhere from 3-14 days.
Riding camels in Morocco
- Experience the excitement of a Spanish soccer game.
- Hit the nightclubs until 8am and then grab some churros with chocolate before you go to bed.
- Hop a ferry and spend a day or two in the African country of Morocco. It only takes a few hours to get there.
- If you have an interest (and a strong stomach), you can catch a bullfight at Granada’s bullfighting ring.
- Explore the city and its thousands of cool historic, artistic and natural monuments and attractions.
I guarantee your summer in Granada, Spain will be one of the most fun and exciting summers of your life.
