HostelBloggers

The Best View of the Alhambra

Moving on from El Palmar, for some of us at least, it was off to Granada. And at this point, we should probably lay our cards on the table: here at HostelBloggers, we love Granada. Not just love, but adore… One of our number went to university in the city, and it’ll always hold a special place in our traveling hearts.

But you really don’t have to have spent long in the city to figure out that the Alhambra is pretty hard to miss. It seems that no matter where you are in the city it jumps out at you; streets seem to wind towards it, and squares open up onto it.

There’s one view of the Alhambra, though, that beats them all: the view from the Mirador de San Nicolas.

High up in the Albayzin, gazing out over the Alhambra (’mirador’ means viewpoint) and to the Sierra Nevada mountain range beyond, it offers one of the most majestic views of any city in Europe. It’s also one of the most crowded spots in the whole city, though, and at sunset particularly people flock to get their photo opportunity with the palace.

Having taken in the view, the best thing to do is leave the crowds behind, and slink off into the Albayzin to explore. (After all, you’ve climbed all the way up there!)

The first thing that strikes you about the Albayzin - a tangled web of narrow streets, alleyways and gorgeous whitewashed houses - is that it’s pretty hard to find your away around. It has a funny way of twisting, turning and leading you - seemingly at will - into a state of total disorientation. But getting lost is ultimately half the fun.

Should you manage to find it, the Plaza Aliatar (up in the high Albayzin, to the north) is a great place to stop for refreshments. As well as being a lively local spot, it’s home to another of the best tapas bars in Granada: Bar Aliatar - Los Caracoles. Their specialty, however, is probably not for everyone, as a steaming plate of snails (caracoles) generally comes with the first drink.

After a stroll and a bite to eat, HostelBloggers have always found that when you come back to the Mirador, under cover of darkness, the scene is a different one altogether.

It sounds like some sort of awful travel cliche - or, worse still, the fabrication of a travel writer - but by about midnight on a warm autumn evening, there are usually a few gypsies strumming a guitar, singing, clapping and having a good time.

It’s invariably raucous and rough, there’s not a frilly skirt or clacking castanet in sight, and it’s for no one’s benefit but their own. Sitting on a bench and looking out over the Alhambra, radiant in the gloom, though, it’s worth a dozen touristy flamenco ’shows’.