Granada lies at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, in the city where the last Muslim kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula held out until 1492. The Alhambra still crowns the hill above the centre, the white houses of the Albaicín face it across the Darro valley, and in many bars a tapa still comes free with your drink. Here are the facts and stories that make the city special.
10 fun facts about Granada
- A city with a fruit for a symbol: granada is Spanish for pomegranate, and the fruit appears on the city's coat of arms, on bollards and fountains, and at the bottom of the coat of arms of Spain.
- The surrender of 1492: on 2 January 1492 the last Nasrid sultan, Boabdil, handed Granada to Ferdinand and Isabella, ending almost eight centuries of Muslim rule in the peninsula.
- Royal tombs: the Catholic Monarchs chose to be buried in Granada. They lie in the Royal Chapel, built in 1505–1517 next to the cathedral, together with their daughter Joanna and her husband Philip the Handsome.
- The red one: Alhambra comes from the Arabic for the red one, probably after the colour of its walls. Most of the Nasrid Palaces you see today were built in the 14th century.
- On the World Heritage list twice over: the Alhambra and the Generalife gardens were listed by UNESCO in 1984, and the Albaicín was added to the same site in 1994.
- Twelve marble lions: the fountain in the Court of the Lions rests on twelve lions spouting water. After a long restoration, the fountain was put back into working order in 2012.
- A gate topped with pomegranates: the Puerta de las Granadas, begun in 1526 to mark the visit of Emperor Charles V, is the entrance to the Alhambra woods at the top of the Cuesta de Gomérez. Three stone pomegranates crown it.
- An American in the palace: the writer Washington Irving lived in the Alhambra in 1829. His Tales of the Alhambra, published in 1832, made the half-forgotten palace famous around the world.
- Lorca's city: the poet Federico García Lorca was born in 1898 in Fuente Vaqueros, just outside Granada, and spent his summers at the Huerta de San Vicente, now a museum in a city park. He was killed in 1936, at the start of the Spanish Civil War.
- The patron of Granada: the Basílica de la Virgen de las Angustias was built in 1664–1671 for the city's patron, Our Lady of Sorrows. On the last Sunday of September her image is carried through the streets in a huge procession.
The Moor's last sigh
Granada's best-known legend follows Boabdil after the surrender. Riding south into exile with his family, he reached a mountain pass from which he could see the city one last time, turned back, and began to weep. His mother, Aixa, is said to have told him: weep like a woman for what you could not defend like a man. The words were probably invented by later writers, but the story stuck, and the pass on the old road to the coast is still called the Suspiro del Moro, the Moor's Sigh.
The Albaicín and Sacromonte, explained
The Albaicín is the old Moorish quarter on the hill opposite the Alhambra, a maze of steep lanes, whitewashed walls and carmenes, houses with walled gardens. Its Mirador de San Nicolás has the classic view of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada behind. Further up the valley, Sacromonte is known for its cave houses dug into the hillside, where Granada's Roma community developed its own style of flamenco, the zambra.
What to eat in Granada
- Free tapas: in many bars every drink comes with a small plate, and each new round often brings something different.
- Habas con jamón: broad beans fried with cured ham, often from Trevélez in the Alpujarra mountains.
- Remojón granadino: a salad of oranges, salt cod, black olives and onion, a reminder of the city's Moorish past.
- Tortilla del Sacromonte: an omelette traditionally made with offal such as brains and sweetbreads, named after the cave quarter.
- Piononos: small rolled sponge cakes soaked in syrup and topped with toasted cream, from the nearby town of Santa Fe.
Good to know before you go
- Tickets for the Alhambra's Nasrid Palaces are sold for a fixed time slot and often sell out weeks ahead. Buy them only from the official site and arrive on time.
- The Mirador de San Nicolás is very crowded at sunset. The Mirador de San Cristóbal and the lanes around it are quieter alternatives.
- In winter you can see snow on the Sierra Nevada from the city. Its highest peak, Mulhacén, is the highest mountain in mainland Spain.
Explore Granada with World City Trail
Our Granada scavenger hunt turns these sights into a game you play on your phone. The route links 10 stops and takes around two hours, with about 31 minutes of walking. Along the way you visit the Fuente de las Granadas and the Basílica de la Virgen de las Angustias.
At each stop you solve a puzzle and hear a short story, at your own pace. You can start whenever you like and play in English, German, French, Italian, Spanish or Dutch.
Play the Granada scavenger hunt →
Facts checked in October 2026.