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GRANADA Province

Granada is probably the province of Andalucia with the widest choice for the visitor. It has a tropical coastline to the south and the Sierra Nevada National Park, the highest mountain range in Spain providing skiing in winter as well as outstanding nature reserves for all kinds of rural pursuits. Then, of course, there is Granada city, the former Moorish capital and the location of The Alhambra.

Granada city

Mirador de San Nicolás: al fondo la Alhambra

A stroll through the streets will enable you to take in the atmosphere and enchantment of Granada with its winding alleys and impressive buildings that tell of its distinctive history. It is a seductive city that people quickly fall in love with, even before knowing it thoroughly; yet when they do, that attachment only deepen.

Alhambra palace is the most famous building in the city and one of the wonders of Spain. It is in a superb location, on a richly wooded hillside with spectacular views across the city and beyond. It is one of Spain’s most visited places...more info about GRANADA city.

Sierra Nevada

A National Park and Global Reserve (UNESCO) . This awesome mountain range, Sierra Nevada, is part of the beautiful natural heritage of Nevada; its higher reaches are covered with snow throughout the year. It was known to the Arabs of the Middle Ages as the Sierra del Sol, as it contains some of the rarest wildflowers in Spain.

It can be reached, in less than an hour along a winding road, the highest in Spain, at the famous Pico Veleta.

The peaks of the Sierra Nevada are over 9,000ft and the highest, Mulhacen, at over 11,000ft is the highest in Spain. (Ben Nevis is only some 3,000ft). It is an ideal location for active mountain and snow sports holidays, especially at Andalucia’s only ski-station , in the municipal term of Monachil. But throughout the area active sports, like hiking, mountain-biking, horse riding, climbing, caving, rafting and ravining, can be enjoyed.

Yet on the other side of the mountains the Mediterranean coast delivers relaxing beaches, refreshing waters and a bright serene blue sky with flecks of white cloud.
A place not to miss.

Tropical coast

More than 320 days of sun a year and an average temperature of 20c makes Granada’s Tropical Coast an ideal spot. Light winds from North Africa, warm waters of the Mediterranean and the shelter provided by the nearby Sierra Nevada give it Europe’s only subtropical climate.

The three main attractions of the coast are: Almuñécar, Motril and Salobreña. In the summer their long beaches with deep sand and clean waters welcome thousand of visitors.

This part of the coast is also rich in underwater fauna and flora which can be watched easily at the observation centres. These features make this an ideal place for scuba diving and other under-water activities.

At the same time the hinterland of the tropical coast has some splendid landscapes especially in the country park of Tejeda-Almijara-Ahama. One site really stands out, Cañon del Rio Verde (Otivar), which is ideal for hiking.

Download the tourist leaflet on the Costa Tropical. Click Here.
Source: Turismo de Granada

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Alpujarra Granada

- Hotels and rural houses in the Granada Alpujarra Region. Book now!

Alpujarra mountain range, some thirty miles from Granada city and 25 miles from the coast, is as much part of Granada as it is of Almeria province. It is well known for the beauty and peacefulness of its white towns; its mountain landscapes, the house balconies full of flowers; its friendly people and the atmosphere they create - and most importantly – the spectacular backcloth of the Sierra Nevada. All of these attributes led to it being designated a Global Reserve by UNESCO, as well as a national park and a nature reserve, especially for its native flowers and distinctive ecosystems.

The history of Alpujarra is almost as important because it was the last refuge of the Arabs in Andalucia. It was here that Boabdil, the last Moorish king, lived for some months after the Christians captured Granada. And, it was to the Alpujarra that the Moors, who refused to convert to Christianity, fled and found refuge during almost a century before they were finally expelled.

The Alpujarra also still have many features of Berber culture, particularly in everyday
houses and in their unique irrigation aqueducts that farmers are still using.

Among the settlements that make up this district we must draw attention to the villages of the Barranco de Poqueira, which are: Capileira, Pampaneira y Bubión; la Taha – made up of Pitres, Ferreirola and Mecia Fondales; Trévelez, Lanjarón, Alpujarra de la Sierra (Mecina Bombarón, Yegen, Golco and Montenegro), Busquistar, Orgiva, Portugos...

Districts of Guadix and Baza

The district of Guadix-Marquesado, joined to the Alpujarra at the Puerto de la Ragua, is located on a high plateau, bordered by the Sierra Nevada and the Park of Cazorla (Jaen).

History and nature make up this multicoloured landscape which is loved by everyone that discovers it. It enjoys a splendid architectural heritage in the Cathedral of Guadix and the Castle of Calahorra a la cabeza.

One of the curiosities and special features of this district are the casas-cuevas(cave houses) – dwellings built into the ground, some of which offer all the facilities of a three star hotel, which can be accessed through Rural Accommodation in the district.

There are also cave-houses in other districts like Baza (high plateau), especially in the locality of Galera. However, this district is better known for its wildlife areas, ravines and hillsides eroded by wind and water, particularly around Sierra Castril, Baza and La Sagra.

Water – that most precious natural resource in the high plains – can be appreciated in all its forms here, but especially, in the spring, when the winter snows from the high peaks quickly thaw and cascade spectacularly down the hillsides. Countryside and sports enthusiasts can also enjoy the many lakes, reservoirs and rivers that abound in this district.

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