Beach Travel Wine Podcast · Leanne McCabe

126. Granada, Spain. Best things to do in Granada, Spain

·47 min·3 clips

The first Mirador de San Nicolas view shows Alhambra glowing red-gold above Granada.

1. Beach Travel Wine Podcast 126 covers Granada, Spain, and the hosts frame it as one of their favorite Spanish cities. 2. Leanne and Don host the episode, and Lorena and Juan Miguel appear as local guides who explain Granada's history and food. 3. The episode asks what Granada is like to visit, from Albaicín streets to Alhambra views and tapas bars. 4. Granada is placed in southern Spain's Andalusian region, with a population of 233,680 and an elevation of 738 meters. 5. The hosts say the city is about one hour from the Mediterranean coast and near the Sierra Nevada Station and Sierra Nevada National Park. 6. They describe the Sierra Nevada as having 110 kilometers of skiable slopes, 131 runs, and 23 lifts. 7. Tapas is explained as a little bit of food with a drink, and the hosts emphasize that Granada serves free tapas automatically. 8. The hosts say the tapas plates in Granada are often substantial and arrive without being asked for. 9. Alhambra is described as a massive Moorish castle, fortress, garden, and sultan's palace built from 1238 to 1358. 10. The hosts say the Christians did not completely destroy Alhambra after the reconquest, and they single out the Nasrid Palace as architecturally striking. 11. Their first afternoon includes a walk through Albaicín, where they pass bazaar streets, tea houses, and a chapel with covered nuns from St. Clair Convent. 12. The Mirador de San Nicolas gives them a postcard view of Alhambra glowing red-gold above the valley and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 13. They also notice Bodega's La Mancha, with jamón hanging, barrels outside, and people gathered around the bar and doors. 14. The walking tour with Lorena starts at Plaza Nueva, which she says is the oldest plaza in Granada despite its name meaning "new." 15. The tour crosses Gran Via to the Madrasah, which Lorena identifies as the first Arabic university and a place tied to the Granada manuscripts. 16. Lorena explains that 5,000 books were burned in 1499 at Plaza Bib Rambla, and she also describes the Royal Chapel where Isabella, Ferdinand, Joanna, Philip the Handsome, and their son are buried. 17. The cathedral is presented as a Roman Catholic building opened in 1704, built over the city's main mosque, with 15 chapels and unfinished twin tower plans. 18. Their food tour with Juan Miguel includes Casa Lopera for jamón carving, Rosario Varela for salmorejo, La Equinita de Jave for bacalao and croquetas, and La Trastienda for a local-style stop behind a shop. 19. The tone is travel-guide style, conversational, and history-heavy, with repeated references to walking, eating, and stopping for views. 20. Travelers interested in Granada's food, Moorish history, and walkable old streets would love this episode, while listeners wanting a fast itinerary with no history would probably skip it.

As heard by us

A warm Granada travel piece with history, tapas, and a few useful trip notes.

The episode treats Granada as both a place and a memory. Don and Leonita revisit a city they first saw in 2016, and that return gives the conversation a relaxed, familiar feel.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Planning Granada and want its food, history, and key sights in one go?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Beach Travel Wine Podcast