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Granada is one of Spain’s most interesting regions. The majestic Sierra Nevada dominates the landscape of eastern Andalusia in Spain. It’s the highest mountain range of Iberia and plays host to a great range of winter sports.
The Alhambra
At the foot of this sweeping, snow-capped natural wonder stands one of the most spectacular of all Spain’s Moorish monuments, the Alhambra in Granada. This is something right out of the “Thousand and One Nights”, with its stunningly beautiful, seemingly impossibly intricate architectural decor, cool courtyards and atmosphere of refined serenity, so different from the Christian castles and cathedrals of the northern part of the country. Pick up a cheap car hire vehicle and take a relaxed tour of Andalusia and the Mediterranean coastline of Spain to see this and other great cities of the region.
Granada is a dream for history buffs
In the province of Granada there are relics of Spain’s turbulent past everywhere, often in the form of ruined fortresses which were taken and re-taken by the warring Christian and Moorish armies until the city of Granada itself fell to the combined forces of Ferdinand and Isabella in 1492. This completed the Reconquista, bringing to an end almost a thousand years of Arabic civilisation in the peninsula.
Film directors have long made use of the arid interior of Almeria to create distinctive atmospheres for all manner of productions, from El Cid to Spaghetti Westerns, because the landscape here could effectively stand in for anything across the Wild West or Arabia. Fortunately it is also traversed by a superb network of roads, and all parts of southern Spain are easily reached by car, with stops along the way for tapas and other refreshments. The terrain is indeed strikingly impressive and a joy to drive through, full of crags, ravines and terraced fields on the Sierra Nevada’s southern flanks, and picturesque villages clinging precariously to its steep slopes.
A coastal getaway
The coastal strip, by contrast, is characterised by a lush, subtropical climate and fields full of custard apples and avocados. There are holiday apartment blocks, villas and hotels galore in this ever-popular destination, but farther towards the east the landscape gives way to a stark aridity. Indeed, around the ancient town of Guadix the inhabitants of the area actually still live in cave-houses, albeit with full modern facilities.
A car will give you unlimited possibilities in Grenada
Although the city of Granada with its premier Moorish monument the Alhambra is a highlight of any visit to Andalusia, this is just the tip of the iceberg and there are many more experiences awaiting the visitor getting here by car. Most places are within just a few hours’ drive of each other on the recently improved road system, and from a base at Granada, for example, you can easily explore the whole of the Sierra Nevada or opt for the warmer Costa Tropical for sun and sand. Old towns such as Alhama de Granada and Montefrio are also within easy reach for a taste of the real Spain, where life seems to chug along unhurriedly much as it did in the time of Cervantes and his immortal Don Quixote.
Exploring Andalusia and Granada in particular by car is a rewarding and fun way to see this incomparable and atypical part of Europe.
About the author: David Elliott is a freelance writer who loves to travel, especially in Europe and Turkey. He’s spent most of his adult life in a state of restless excitement but recently decided to settle in North London. He gets away whenever he can to immerse himself in foreign cultures and lap up the history of great cities.
