5 Great Reasons to Visit Granada (Spain)

4. El Mirador de San Nicholas

Screen Shot 2013-01-03 at 17.39.51 Photos can€™t capture the experience of sitting on the wall at the viewpoint next to the Church of San Nicolas, gazing out over the city. You€™ll have to climb a steep hill to reach it (Granada is one of the most vertical cities I€™ve ever been in; locals tend to give directions in terms of €˜five minutes further uphill€™) but the view is well worth it. Located in the Moorish quarter of the city, El Albayzin, you€™ll pass tourists haggling loudly and ineffectively with stall keepers in the local markets, tavernas serving up Alhambra beer (which may be essential rest-stops, if you€™re making the climb in the heat of Spanish Summer) and dozens of local Hookah Lounges, each with its own flavours of shisha. The photo is a poor substitute for reality, and there€™s a lot it can€™t convey; the sound of the locals playing Spanish guitars, the sight of giggling girls dancing flamenco in the square, the excited gabble of Spanish, Arabic and English from the tourists in the plaza and the smell of freshly cooked tapas wafting over from the adjacent bar. It€™s simultaneously extremely busy and incredibly peaceful €“ but if you fancy total solitude to contemplate the view, wander into the silent gardens of the nearby mosque to watch the sun set behind the Alhambra.
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Laurence Gardner was born in Canterbury, England. After moving around various cities during his childhood, and spending some time travelling in Europe and America, he studied English Literature at Oxford University. Since then, he’s been living abroad, teaching English, learning a range of languages, and writing in his free time. He can currently be found in Heidelberg, working as an English Tutor and Translator and studying at the University. If you liked this article, follow him on Twitter to get automatic updates on his work.