Granada without the queue: Arab baths and the other viewpoint
Eleventh-century Arab baths, a fourteenth-century merchants' inn, and the viewpoint above the postcard one.
- Where
- Along the Darro
- When
- Mornings for the baths and the inn
- How long
- Twenty to forty minutes each
Hidden Granada is what the Alhambra overshadows: eleventh-century Arab baths on the Carrera del Darro, a fourteenth-century merchants' inn by the cathedral, a viewpoint above San Nicolás and the palace of the last sultan's mother. They are for a third day, or for when the Alhambra has sold out.
The Bañuelo
An eleventh-century Arab bathhouse on the Carrera del Darro, below the Alhambra. Inside are vaults pierced with star-shaped openings that let the light in — the same effect as in the Alhambra's baths. Entry is on the joint Andalusí monuments ticket.
The Corral del Carbón
Built in the first half of the fourteenth century as al-funduq al-jadida, the New Inn: a grain store and market, with rooms for merchants on three storeys of galleries around the courtyard. After the conquest it served as a theatre, and in the seventeenth century it became housing, with coal kept in the ground-floor rooms — hence the name. It has been a national monument since 1887 and is open daily from 9 to 20.
The San Miguel Alto viewpoint
Fifteen to twenty minutes of steep climbing above San Nicolás, to the white hermitage on San Miguel hill, built on a tower of the outer Nasrid wall. It shows what the famous viewpoint shows — the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada behind — plus the whole city and the Vega plain in the foreground. Go outside the midday heat.
Four more
- The Carmen de los Mártires — a municipal garden on the slope below the Alhambra, with a pond, peacocks and a view over the city. Entry is free.
- The monastery of San Jerónimo — a Renaissance church north of the centre with a façade by Diego de Siloé; the main chapel holds the tomb of the Great Captain, Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba. Entry is €7.
- Dar al-Horra — a fifteenth-century palace in the upper Albaicín, where Aixa, mother of Boabdil, the last sultan of Granada, lived after her husband cast her aside. Around its courtyard and pool run triple-arched galleries, with a tower for the view.
- The sacristy of the Cartuja — a baroque room in the monastery at the northern edge of the city, its white walls covered in stucco in geometric patterns that trick the eye. Entry to the monastery is €7.
One hack
Go on a Sunday. The joint ticket for the Bañuelo, the Corral del Carbón, Dar al-Horra, the Moorish house on Calle Horno de Oro and the Maristán is free that day, and €8.48 on other days. In summer the Bañuelo and Dar al-Horra open in two shifts, closed from 14.30 to 17.00, so plan the morning and evening around that.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is there a viewpoint in Granada higher than San Nicolás?
San Miguel Alto, fifteen to twenty minutes of steep climbing further on. The view takes in the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada and the whole city with the Vega plain.
What is the Corral del Carbón?
A Nasrid inn and grain store from the first half of the fourteenth century, later a theatre and then housing. It is named after the coal kept on the ground floor.
When are the Bañuelo and Dar al-Horra free?
On Sundays. On other days you enter on the joint Andalusí monuments ticket, which also covers the Corral del Carbón.
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