Albaicin, Granada.
The most beautiful sunset on the planet.
The Albaicin neighborhood of Granada, declared a World Heritage Site in 1984.
Was the seed of the current city of Granada and still preserves all the magic of its Arab past.
In the Islamic period, the current Albaicín was a set of different independent urban centers.
And it was not until the modern era that it reached its current unitary conception.
Albaicin Granada is a neighborhood that is in the city of Granada.
It is located at a height of 700/800 meters above sea level.
One of the most famous viewpoints in the world is San Nicolas.
See from there the Alhambra Palace at sunset with Sierra Nevada in the background it´s amazing.
On President Bill Clinton’s visit in 1997 he marveled at the views.
He said that you could see “the most beautiful sunset on the planet.”
History of the Albaicin, Granada.
The Albaicín was originally a nucleus that extendedto the northeast of the Alcazaba Cadima (old).
There are several versions about the origin of the Albaicín place-name.
The most accepted is the one that refers…
To an Arabic word that designates the falconers’ neighborhood.
It was not until the end of the 15th century…
And the beginning of the 16th when the name began…
To be used interchangeably to refer to the original small suburb…
And the entire urban complex located in front of the Alhambra.
Walking through the Albaicín is walking through the history of Granada.
Its buildings,
its squares and the very structure of its streets
allow the observing visitor to recognize the different cultural
and social transformations of the city.
The visitor who enters the Albaicín for the first time will discover a neighborhood full of life,
feeling transferred to the most glorious moments in the History of Granada.
Little is known about its first inhabitants, as there are hardly any vestiges of its Iberian or Roman past,
but the long centuries of Muslim settlement can be recognized,
not only in its buildings and in the appearance of the neighborhood,
but also in the aroma of jasmine.
that permeates its streets, in the Moorish gardens,
in its carmenes – the typical houses of the neighborhood – or in the decoration of its villas.
What to see in the Albaicin, Granada neighborhood.
Calle Elvira, the Gran Vía of the Albaicin, Granada.
Calle Elvira, which starts from the Arch of the same name,
was one of the most important axes of the city, until the opening of the Gran Vía.
With a straight line, the church of San Andrés stands out,
which has a minaret as a symbol of its past as a former mosque.
Plaza Nueva, the Albaicin, Granada heart.
At the end of the street we find the Plaza Nueva,
which dates from the 16th century,
and in whose construction the Christian urban ideals are already evident.
In it are the Royal Chancery and the Church of San Gil and Santa Ana,
a prototypical example of the Mudejar constructions developed
in the city during the beginning of the 16th century.
The pinturesque Carrera del Darro in el Albaicin, Granada.
Continuing through the Plaza de Santa Ana,
the visitor accesses Carrera del Darro,
one of the most beautiful and picturesque streets in Granada.
Its special location, in the river valley,
the light contrasts caused by the narrowness of the street,
and the beauty of the buildings that flank it,
such as the Casa de los Condes de Arco,
the Convent of Santa Catalina de Zafra,
the Casa de Castril or the Arab Baths of Bañuelo,
conquered the French and English romantics,
who made it the dreamed setting of many of their stories.
The Paseo de los Tristes, an emblematic place of Granada.
The Carrera del Darro leads to the Paseo de los Tristes,
another of the emblematic places of the Albaicín
and from which the steep Cuesta del Chapiz is born,
from which you can take the route to Sacromonte.
On the Cuesta del Chapiz the visitor should not miss visiting the Casa Morisca,
or the Palacio de los Córdova,
based on a 16th century building
that was rebuilt in its current location in the mid-60s of the 20th century
and which houses in its interior the current Municipal Archive.
The gypsy soul of Granada: the Sacromonte in the Alabaicin.
The Camino del Sacromonte
allows you to discover another of the most typical buildings of Granada,
the caves, inhabited in their day by the gypsies
of the neighborhood and today converted into flamenco tablaos,
restaurants, discos and tourist accommodation,
although there are still some in which people live .
Following the Cuesta del Chapiz you reach the perimeter of the Alcazaba Cadima or Vieja,
in whose vicinity we find the Church of San Salvador,
built on the Main Mosque of the Albaicín and which still preserves the ablution courtyard,
as well as the Convent of Las Tomasas.
On the right, going down Plaza Aliatar and Calle Panaderos,
we arrive at Plaza Larga, the main one in the Albaicín.
The best views of the Alhambra from the Albaicin, Granada,
the viewpoint of San Nicolás.
From there, we can go to the San Nicolás viewpoint,
with the best views of the Alhambra,
which allow us to obtain a global image of the monumental complex.
Or walk along Calle Larga de San Cristóbal to the viewpoint of the same name,
which offers an excellent panoramic view of the city.
Next to the viewpoint is the Church of San Cristóbal,
in which its Arab cistern stands out.
The cisterns, which can be found throughout the entire route through the Albaicín,
are one of the most typical elements of the neighborhood.
Eminently functional, they are mainly associated with ancient mosques,
due to the practice of ablution.
From San Cristóbal, we can access the Cuesta de la Alhacaba,
which walks along the ancient Nasrid wall of the Alcazaba,
or go down to the Carril de la Lona,
from which we can enjoy beautiful views of the eastern part of Granada,
especially from the viewpoint of the same name.
Where to eat in the Albaicin, Granada.
Very close to the Mirador de la Lona is the Plaza de San Miguel Bajo,
a good place to rest and enjoy Granada’s cuisine in the open-air restaurants.
Damasqueros, Faralá, Puesto 43.
It is also interesting to walk through the alleys that lead from the square
to discover the Convent of Santa Isabel la Real or the Dar-Al-Horra Palace,
residence of King Boabdil’s mother,
which stands out for its profuse interior decoration
in contrast to its sobriety of its exterior facades.
Calle de Santa Isabel la Real,
which later becomes the Camino Nuevo de San Nicolás,
will take us, after a left turn, to the always lively Mirador de San Nicolás,
the best place to contemplate the Alhambra and the best way to finish the visit to the Albaicín.
