The Moorish Kingdom of Granada was established in the thirteenth century encompassing the provinces of Granada, Málaga, and Almería. For 250 years the region had a thriving Islamic culture evidenced today by the architectural legacies found throughout the area. The Alhambra, a Moorish citadel and palace, is representative of the Muslim, Jewish and Christian influences which affected the Kingdom of Granada throughout the centuries. During this week long walking tour there will be ample time to contemplate the rich history with a series of walks to visit centuries old Moorish towns and villages in the high valleys of the Alpujarras and the Tahá de Pitres with their crumbling fortresses and castles and the troglodyte quarter of Guadix. Set at the foot of the snow capped Sierra Nevada mountain range, Granada is a natural base to amble the impressive trails before spending time in the cities Albayzin quarter and the Alhambra Palace.

brief itinerary

DAY 1 Arrive Málaga, transfer to Pampaneira

DAY 2 Day walk to view Moorish villages via a series of ‘empedrado’ footpaths (4.5-5hrs)

DAY 3 From Trevélez to Juviles, transfer to La Calahorra via the ruins of the Alcazaba de Aldeire fortress (5hrs)

DAY 4 Visit castle then walk in the Sierra de Baza Natural Park (4.5hrs)

DAY 5 Walk (depending on season) either to the Vereda de la Estrella (6hrs) or the wooded Sierra de Huétor (3.5hrs) to view the Sierra Nevada, then on to Granada

DAY 6 A day to explore Granada including the Albayzín quarter and the Alhambra palace

DAY 7 Morning walk through the Arenales del Trevenque with its fascinating alpine flora, afternoon free in Granada

DAY 8 Transfer to Málaga (arrival 11am earliest), trip concludes

Source: LONELYPLANET

More information click here

Ski CheaperGranada

Fly to Granada from:

Milán (Bergamo), Bologna, East Midlands, Girona (Barcelona), Liverpool, Madrid, Londres-Stansted

with Ryanair

Europe’s southernmost ski resort, is situated in southern Spain, in Andalusia, only 31 kilometres form the city of Granada, an a half an hour’s drive from the Costa Tropical and The Costa del Sol.

Its village area, known as Pradollano, is located at an altitude of 2.100 meters.

Sierra Nevada hosted 1996 World Alpine Ski Championships, and every year takes place a FIS World Cup event.

The ski resort has the most advanced technology in ski pass system, offering the possibility to check access control to different services such as ski rental, car park, etc.

Sierra Nevada has excellent accommodations, with hotels of different categories, aparthotels, and apartments located in the resort village area, near the ski lifts, and all very comfortable to ensure a pleasant stay.

Other services provided for your comfort and enjoyment in Sierra Nevada include: a health clinic, child cay-care centre, banks, supermarkets, sporting goods and clothing stores, boutiques, souvenir and gift shops, daily newspaper stands, ski rental, taxi service, pharmacy, catholic church services, mountain patrol, dream-land on slopes (for 3 to 6 year-old-children).

Along with exceptional ski facilities, the resort offers quality leisure and entertainment services for après-ski enjoyment. The wide range of services include: pleasant restaurants serving the area’s tasty cuisine, as well as international cooking specialities, bars, cafeterias, disco-pubs, ice-skating rink, discotheques, and nice SPA centres which provide both relaxation and fitness facilities.

Distance: Closest Village: Monachil (20 Km) Closest City: Granada ( 32 km) Minimal altitude: 2.100 m. Maximal altitude : 3.300 m.

Features

• Snow making system: 432 cannons
• Snow coverage: 31,176 km.

Marked Slopes:

• 11 green (very easy)
• 35 blue ( easy)
• 36 red ( difficult)
• 5 black ( very difficult)
• Total marked slopes: 86,850 km.

Lifts:

• Cable cars: 2
• Chairlifts: 16
• Ski lifts: 2
• Magic carpets: 4
• Total capacity (passengers/hour): 46.855
• Cross Country Ski Circuits: 1
• Snow Park: 1
• Half Pipe: 1
• Snowshoe Circuit: 1
• Competition Stadium: 1
• Aprés Ski Activities: tubbing, alpine coaster, snow bike.

Getting There

• By Car:

  From Málaga, 152 km. From Granada Airport, 45 km. From Granada City, 32 km

• By Train:

  High speed train (AVE) Madrid-Málaga: 2,30 hours Speed train (Altaria) Madrid-Granada: 4,30 hours

• By Bus:

  Granada-Sierra Nevada: Monday to Friday: 08:00, 10:00 and 17:00 Saturday and Sunday: 08:00, 10:00, 15:00 and 17:00

  Sierra Nevada-Granada: Monday to Friday: 09:00, 16:00 and 18:30 Saturday and Sunday: 09:00, 13:00, 16:00 and 18:30

Contact

• Address:
  Plaza Andalucía, 4 – Edificio Cetursa, 18196-Sierra Nevada
• Tel: + 34 958 24 91 11
• Fax: 902 70 80 90
• E-Mail: sierranevada@cetursa.es
• Website: www.sierranevada.es

 

Puerto de la Ragua

Puerto de La Ragua is a natural pass located between the provinces of Granada and Almería. From there, the station looks out over the beaches of Almeria, and is surrounded by the natural landscapes of the Sierra Nevada Nature Reserve. Distance: Journey distance: 95km from Almeria, journey time of 1h 25 min Features 17 km Cross-country skiing area Altitude: Min. 1,990 / Max. 2,200 Contact Address: Puerto de la Ragua Consortium Plaza Constitución, 3. 18494 Laroles (Granada) Tel: +34 958760007 Fax: +34 958760106

GRANADA

Granada, in Andalusia, is best known for its fascinating Moorish old quarter, the labyrinthine Albaicin, with its secluded inner gardens, and 14th-century palace, the architecturally stunning Alhambra. A Muslim city until it fell to the Christians in 1492, Granada sits at the feet of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The city has a reputation for wild nightlife, partially courtesy of boisterous University of Granada students. Walk the compact city to discover thrilling restaurants, bars and stores

Granada is situated in the southern Spain, the capital of the province Granada. Granada is  situated in the autonomous community of Andalusia (in the south of Spain), at a height of 775 meters above sea level at the foot of the Sierra Nevada Mountains at the confluence of the rivers Genil and Darro. The city of Granada has around 236,998 inhabitants (2008, Wikipedia)

Google Maps: click here to see the map of the roads

The city of Granada is well connected by road: approximately two hour´s drive form Sevilla and one hour form Malaga. The province is linked with eastern Spain and the west of Andalusia via the A-92 while the A-44 connects with Madrid an the southern half of the Peninsula.

The airport, situated in Chauchina. (Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén) close to the nearby town of Santa Fe which is situated a few kilometers from the Port of Mortil.

Some of the Aerlines that operates at the aerport of Granada:

* Vueling Airlines: Barcelona

* Air Europa: Palma de Mallorca

* Air Nostrum: Gran Canaria, Melilla

* Iberia: Madrid-Barajas

* Ryanair: Gerona, Bérgamo, Liverpool, Londres-Stansted, Nottingham-East Midlands, Bolonia

* Spanair: Barcelona, Lanzarote, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife Sur

Granada’s climate is continental Mediterranean with a cold winter and a hot summer with maximum temperatures around 35 º C. Sierra Nevada have the most southerly ski resort in the south of Europe.

In Sierra Nevada you will wind the highest peak on the Iberian Peninsula. The ski resort  is located in the Monachil, about 32 km from Granada about 45 minutes by car. Within Sierra Nevada you find the  peak of Mulhacén Peak, the highest peak in the Iberian Peninsula with 3480 meters of altitude, and the Pico del Veleta, the third highest peak with  a hight of  3392 meters height, after the Aneto in the Pyrenees.

Things to see in Granada:

1) Alhambra

Robust wall of brick and plaster endose the monumental complex which houses splendid “Arab palaces such as that of Comares, inside which are the Courtyard of Los Arrayanes and the Salón de los Embajadores (the Hall of Ambassadors)- which is covered by a magnificent wooden doma- the Courtyard of Los Leones, featured as the picture below- or splended rooms such as the Sala de los Abencerrajes, Las Dos Hermanas and Los Reyes.