El Albaicín y el Mirador de San Nicolás
Former Moorish quarter of steep streets, a World Heritage Site since 1994, whose Mirador de San Nicolás offers the classic view of the Alhambra against Sierra Nevada.
From the Zirid dynasty to UNESCO
The Albaicín originated as a walled nucleus in the eleventh century, when the Zirid dynasty built the Alcazaba Cadima around 1013. It reached its zenith in the final years of the Nasrid kingdom, home to more than forty thousand inhabitants and nearly thirty mosques. After the conquest of 1492 and the expulsion of the Moors, Islamic places of worship were demolished and replaced with churches. The church of San Nicolás, in Gothic-Mudéjar style and directed by master builder Rodrigo Hernández, was completed in 1525 on the site of the former mosque of Azitini, of which only the cistern survives. It was burnt down in August 1931 and rebuilt in the 1940s under the mayor Antonio Gallego Burín. UNESCO declared the neighbourhood a World Heritage Site in 1994, as an extension of the Alhambra and the Generalife.
What you can see from the viewpoint
The square beside the church is the Mirador de San Nicolás, Granada's best-known balcony. From its parapet you take in the full panorama of the Alhambra perched on the hill of the Sabika, with the snow-covered peaks of Sierra Nevada behind and the Darro valley far below. To reach it you climb narrow, steep, cobbled lanes — the typical cármenes with their whitewashed garden walls — up to an elevation of 700 to 800 metres. At sunset, musicians and onlookers gather here, and this is the hour when golden light falls most beautifully on the Palacios Nazaríes.
How to visit the Alhambra opposite
The viewpoint is free and open round the clock, but visiting the Alhambra you see from it requires planning. The Alhambra General ticket costs 22,27 euros and covers the Alcazaba, Generalife and Palacios Nazaríes. Entry to the Palacios Nazaríes is strictly limited to a 30-minute window printed on your ticket: if you miss it, your access is cancelled. Buy only through the official website, tickets.alhambra-patronato.es, as tickets sell out weeks ahead in high season. Set aside three to four hours for the full visit.
Frequently asked questions
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Other places in Granada
La Alhambra
monumentoNasrid palace-fortress of the kingdom of al-Andalus, taken by the Reyes Católicos in 1492 and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.
Catedral de Granada y Capilla Real
catedralA Renaissance complex beside the Capilla Real, begun in 1505, which houses the tombs of the Reyes Católicos Isabel and Fernando.
Sacromonte
barrioA Romani quarter of whitewashed cave dwellings hewn into the hillside of the valle de Valparaíso, birthplace of zambra flamenco since the sixteenth century.
Jardines del Generalife
jardinSummer retreat of the Nasrid sultans, built in the early fourteenth century, whose Patio de la Acequia blends water, jets and gardens in perfect harmony.
Fiestas del Corpus de Granada
fiestaCorpus Christi is Granada's biggest festival: a full week of free fairground festivities centred on a Thursday with a moveable date (60 days after Easter, almost always between late May and early June). The procession of the Custodia, fairground casetas in Almanjáyar, the Tarasca figure and the satirical Carocas panels in Bib-Rambla.
Semana Santa de Granada
fiestaGranada's Semana Santa brings together 32 brotherhoods, 58 floats and more than 2,000 costaleros, and holds the title of Festival of International Tourist Interest. It is free and open to anyone on the street. Its hallmark is quiet devotion: the Silencio de la Madrugá moves through darkness to the beat of a single drum, with the Alhambra as a backdrop.
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fiestaThe Granada International Jazz Festival, founded in 1980, is one of Europe's longest-running jazz festivals and the only Spanish member of the Europe Jazz Network. Each November it brings international artists to the Teatro Isabel la Católica, alongside over 70 free parallel concerts in bars and clubs. Main programme concerts are ticketed, sold per show.
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