The BEST Weekend in Granada (the GEM of Andalucía!) 🇪🇸 What to Do + Eat

The BEST Weekend in Granada (the GEM of Andalucía!) 🇪🇸 What to Do + Eat

If you think Granada is just about the 
Alhambra, you’re about to be proven wrong. We gave ourselves one weekend here and now we’re 
wondering if this was a mistake in a good way. Gracias. That is one of the weirdest combinations, but it works. There’s a reason why this 
is the most visited place in entire Spain. Granada sits in the foothills of the Sierra 
Nevada, just a couple of hours from Sevilla, where we were in our last episode. But it feels 
like a different world. People say this is one of the last cities in Spain that still does 
things the old school way. You know, free tapas with your drink and flamenco dancing caves. 
But we’re curious how much of that is true. So, this weekend we’re hitting the must-see sites, 
but also digging deeper into the neighborhoods, the food, and the places locals actually 
go. Welcome to the gem of Andalucía. We made it to Granada. We arrived last 
night and right now it’s very early, just 15 minutes before this opens. Yeah, a lot of people come from around the 
world just to see this place. We got to see it as our first thing here in Granada. I mean, 
it’s going to set the tone for this entire video. That’s correct. We’re going to 
give you a lot of advice and we’re going to show you how to discover 
Granada in the tourist local way. Let’s go. This is the Alhambra and over 2.7 million people 
come here every year. It’s a massive palace and fortress complex that sits on a hill above 
Granada and it was originally built by the Nasrid dynasty in the 13th century when 
this region was still under Muslim rule. First piece of advice—there’s multiple entrances, 
so it depends what you want to see first. All right. For us, we need to go through 
this entrance. It’s closer to our hotel. Our first order of business is the Nasrid Palaces 
because this is hands down the most beautiful part of the Alhambra. We booked the earliest 
ticket time we could. And that was a smart move. I mean, look at this place. This is 
some of the best-preserved Islamic architecture in Europe. The walls 
are covered in intricate carvings. The courtyards are perfectly symmetrical. The 
fountains are still running. It’s incredible. If you like geometry or architecture, 
mathematics—this is the place. My god. They say they try to recreate something perfect 
because perfection is for the gods—well, for the god in this case, Allah. But also 
they make it a little bit not perfect because perfection—it’s only God. Weird. It’s interesting. 
But my god, it’s fascinating, this place. You go into one room and you’re like, this 
has to be the best spot. And then you go into another one and you’re like, wait, no, this 
is even better. It just gets better and better. If you plan to visit, make sure your 
ticket includes the Nasrid Palaces. This is the only spot with a timed entry 
and they’re super strict about it. Another tip for you guys—you need your passport. 
They didn’t even scan our ticket. They scan your passport, so make sure you bring it. Otherwise, 
you’re going to be stuck at the main entrance. And don’t forget, you need to book 
this place in advance. It’s the most popular site in all of Spain. 
People are coming here just to see it. You need to book as soon as 
you know you’re coming to Granada. You know, when you’re planning your trips, 
you have to ask yourself sometimes, like, you see these famous sites on the itinerary, tons of people go—is it actually worth it 
to deal with all the crowds and everything? This one is totally worth it. There’s a reason why 
this is the most visited place in all of Spain. But the Alhambra is not just the Nasrid 
Palaces. After we finished our timed entry, we explored the rest of the grounds. 
It’s incredible how massive this place is. Between the palaces, gardens, military 
towers, and the famous Generalife, which was once the Sultan’s summer escape—this 
was one of our other favorite spots. One of the most amazing things in 
this palace all around the Alhambra, it’s that the water is a crucial 
part of it. Like everything is constructed in order to have always 
water all around. And I love it. All right, mi amor. First sight 
done and in 3 hours we are good. Yeah, that was amazing. And 
if you’re coming over here, yeah—reserve around 3 to 4 hours only 
for this and wear comfortable shoes. Yes, for sure. We have a 
lot more to see in Granada, guys. And you can’t do it on an empty stomach. Definitely. But luckily, we have a restaurant just in 
the back where we want to find local dishes. Yeah. Normally, we would avoid a 
restaurant that is right in front of such a major tourist site, but 
we’ve heard it’s super underrated. Martín and I have a shared note on our phone of all the dishes we’re trying to find to 
show you guys in Granada. Hopefully, they have something we’re looking for. 
I don’t know. Let’s figure it out. This place is super cute. It’s called 
Jardines Alberto. And we are the only ones over here because it’s too early. 
But we were hungry already. But look at this. Plato Alpujarreño. There’s a lot 
of things going on over here—morcilla, chistorra, potatoes, jamón, 
and fried eggs. Big dish. I have to share with Juliana, but we deserve this. All right. This dish is so freaking good. It’s 
called pollo al estilo nazarí. You can really see the Moorish influence in this dish in particular, 
which is known for combining both savory and sweet flavors, which you can see with the raisins, 
the almonds. It is so good and it melts in your mouth. It looks like there’s also like spinach 
in here, pieces of chicken. It’s delicious. And I think that’s what makes this part of 
Spain so special, is that there’s influence from Andalus, Arabs, Berbers—and it all 
comes together in the culinary scene here. Man. And this dish is so good. We filmed so 
much this morning that you guys are running out of battery right now. So, we need 
to go grab a couple more from our room. Not only is it literally across 
the street from the Alhambra—we can see it right now—but it looks like the 
Alhambra inside. Let’s go check out our room. We stayed in some incredible places on this 
trip, but Hotel Alhambra Palace might just be the most unique hotel we’ve ever stayed in, and 
we partnered with them this week to show you why. Perched on a hillside overlooking Granada, the 
hotel feels like a seamless extension of the Alhambra itself. Built in 1910, it was designed 
to mirror the Nasrid palaces. And stepping inside, you immediately feel transported. 
Even the hallways smell like roses. And then there’s this lobby. Martín and I were 
looking around like, are we allowed to be in here? And then we saw the rooms. We were 
in a classic city-view room which included a super comfortable bed, a bathroom 
featuring beautiful Moorish-inspired tiles, luxury bath products, and panoramic views 
of the city and the Sierra Nevada mountains. And as a World Hotels luxury property, you 
know the food is going to be good. You can enjoy delicious dishes with fresh local 
ingredients while overlooking the city, and even grab a specialty 
cocktail in their lobby bar. And then there’s a lavish buffet 
breakfast that’s ready early, so you can grab a meal before walking across the 
street to the Alhambra. It couldn’t be easier. If you want to stay in this hotel, remember 
to use the link in the description so they know Tourist to Local sent you. But right now, 
we have to check out another part of the city. I think that place around there. It’s a nice walk down through like this 
little forest. And don’t worry—whenever we have to go up again up the hill, we’re 
going to use public transportation. It’s only €1.60 and you can tap your 
card. So, I think it’s a good deal. Okay, we are in Plaza Nueva, 
nearby the city center. Yeah, I think what we’re going to do is from here just kind of explore around some of 
the streets, see what we can find. Sure, we’ll run into something. 
Let’s check downtown. We didn’t have a set plan, so we just 
started wandering. And we love how this city feels different. There’s a lot 
of special things about the centro. Everyone’s out walking around enjoying 
the sunshine, kids running around, alleyway after alleyway to wander down. 
I mean, you see this place, right? We accidentally found ourselves in the Alcaicería, which was once a Moorish silk market. It’s 
obvious the Arabic influence, but right now, just walking through this alley, it’s like 
you’re in another country. It’s incredible. Like, in my opinion, I think Granada 
has—it’s a city that has one of the most influences on Arabic culture 
in Europe, if not the most. At the other end, it opens up to Plaza de 
Bib-Rambla, which couldn’t feel more different. It’s wide open. There’s music playing live always. 
People are dining al fresco. It’s a nice spot. And not too far from here is the cathedral. Wow. The entrance is very cool, actually. Cost 
€5 to enter and this church is just massive. I’m at the point in our itinerary where I’m 
getting a little churched out. We’ve seen a lot in the past few weeks. But what makes 
this one really different is it’s angled in a really interesting way, where there’s like 
three sections all pointing toward the center. It’s just a different type of 
setup than what we’ve seen in other churches. So still super cool. 
And actually not many people here. It’s the perfect time for a snack, and 
we decided to look for the next food in our bucket list—pionono. So, we head to a little 
bakery called Casa Ysla to see if they have them. Okay. Oh, okay. Oh, perfecto. Oh wow. I was not expecting it to look like this. You know, I’m not a native Spanish speaker by any 
means. And when you told me it’s like a dulce… Uh-huh. I wasn’t sure. I thought it would be maybe like a 
candy, but this is definitely more like a dessert. That’s right. Yeah. And this is typical from here. You already heard the ingredients, and we’re 
going to enjoy it in front of this fountain. So, let’s give it a try. Cinnamon. I was going to say—a lot of cinnamon. In a weird way, it reminds me of tres 
leches, because it’s like a soft— Exactly. Soft, moist cake. Oh, it’s very good. Love the size, too. It’s perfect. Perfect little snack for 4:00 p.m. No, definitely. Because we needed 
this in order to hold for the dinner. True. They eat late here. I was looking for a trash can and then I 
noticed in the fountain there’s granadas. Granada means pomegranate. Pomegranate. Exactly. So, it’s over there. And this is only a theory 
because I tried to make research, but they say—it could be, it could not be—that they named this 
city because there was a lot of trees of granada. Put it in the comment if you know what’s the real 
reason why this place is called Granada. Anymore, I’m learning the type of places I love visiting. 
Places like this that have charming little alleys, laid-back way of life. You know, 
sometimes even a siesta might help, right? And what’s interesting about this place is not 
only how charming it is. Whenever we’re walking, all the floor is like decorated so nice. 
I haven’t seen that in another city. Don’t forget to look down. Also, 
don’t forget to look up. Uh, don’t forget to look straight ahead, 
because I’ve almost tripped several times. We’ve explored lots of cool sites that were 
historic. We’ve eaten a little bit of good food. There’s something else we want to do here. 
We’re going to see how Granada does flamenco. We saw flamenco last week in Sevilla, but flamenco 
in Granada has a different story than in other parts of Spain. Here, it’s deeply tied to the 
hills of Sacromonte, a neighborhood known for its caves and for being one of the most important 
birthplaces of flamenco as we know it today. We’ll talk more about Sacromonte and how 
these caves were used as homes a little later, but what’s interesting is you can still 
visit the caves for flamenco shows. I mean, the acoustics here are incredible. 
It just adds to the intensity, with every stomp echoing 
off the whitewashed walls. We’re not going to lie to you guys—we 
were a little nervous about showing you another flamenco show for the second week in a row. We almost canceled, but it was 
a totally different vibe this time. I’m very glad we didn’t, because also we 
can see in the male perspective also the dancing. It was very nice. It was very good. 
The hands—it moves completely different, more masculine way. And it was very nice. I really liked it. I felt like the style 
was slightly different too. It just felt like a different vibe. So I’m glad we 
got to see how Granada does flamenco. You know what else Granada does pretty well? 
Tapas. I mean, they’re the last place here in Spain that serves you free tapas the way it used 
to be when you order a drink. So, let’s get some. What do you say about that? I think that sounds like a great idea. Maybe that tapa. All right. This looks like a good spot. Should we? Yeah. As it’s famous over here in Granada, for 
every single drink that you have, they’re going to bring you one tapa. Juliana ordered 
this—she was very good—with membrillo. It’s like some kind of jam, but it’s solid, you know? 
So it’s very good with cheese, this one. And I ordered ajoarriero. This is the way that some people—they have 
dinner. Because of course, they order two or three drinks and of course they have like three 
different dishes. It’s a smart way to do it. And you know what? I appreciate that they 
have a lot of non-alcoholic options too. I have to show them because they have wine without alcohol. They have gazpacho. They have 
a couple of juices. So, it’s very good. You don’t have to get drunk in order to be able 
to eat all the food you want to eat, right? But if you want to, that’s 
okay too. All the power to you. A lot of college kids here. It’s a 
very popular spot, it looks like, for the local college students. 
And the food here is delicious. And actually, you know, we’re doing it in the 
right way because we’re standing up. Standing at the bar, free tapas with every drink—this is 
how you do it. And more places should take note. Day one is done, but tomorrow’s 
a whole new adventure. Another morning, another day over here in Spain. Yeah, I think this might be the first time in the two and a half weeks we’ve been in Europe 
that we’ve left the hotel after 9:00 a.m. We’re trying to take an easy, leisurely 
day today. So we started off by walking on that path we love from the Alhambra down below. And it’s enjoyable because so 
many trees. You don’t have to go uphill—you have to go downhill. 
And today we’re discovering another part of Granada that is one of the most 
beautiful neighborhoods in this city. Sounds like the perfect thing for today. Once we get down to the city center, we hop in 
one of these adorable little buses to the top of Albaicín, a historic medieval neighborhood 
with streets dating back to the Nasrid period. Well, this is a gorgeous place to start the day. Yeah, it’s on top of the hill. 
It’s called Mirador San Nicolás. And look at that. Remember yesterday? Now 
we’re looking at it from the other hill. You know, that’s pretty cool actually—that 
we got to spend yesterday inside of there, and now we get to see it from far away. Stunning. Just from every angle. And let me tell you, how is the neighborhood 
over here? It’s little houses painted in the same color, little alleys, and just beautiful 
trees, beautiful plants all around the houses. It’s the perfect neighborhood. Yep. It’s like someone went into my 
Pinterest board and made it real life. And I think I need more caffeine. Maybe we’ll find a coffee shop with a great view. Okay. I mean, you got me sold. That’s good. Okay, we found our spot. This is Albolay San 
Nicolás. And I don’t know if you noticed, but we’re in the best table with 
the best seat. And of course, we have churros with us. So 
that’s a perfect start to the day. That was a surprise. And honestly, 
I’m pretty pumped about it. That’s right. We enjoy the view from here for a bit and 
then decide to walk along the hill to that neighborhood of Sacromonte we told you about. 
The vibe on this side is completely different. This neighborhood was one that we were 
super curious to explore. It’s long been home to Granada’s gitano or Romani 
community. They had come here after the Spanish reconquista of 1492. And the way 
that they built their houses is very unique. I’m really glad we’re at this specific 
spot that Martín’s going to tell you about, because I was about to start knocking 
on doors to see what it looked like inside. I couldn’t believe the 
homes are built into the caves. I think this could be a really cool spot. 
The Museo Sacromonte gives you the chance to walk into some of the caves. The museum 
is made up of about a dozen traditional cave homes that have been restored to 
show how Romani families lived here. I recommend this museum if you want to know 
a little bit of the history of Sacromonte, and also how they build the caves, and 
also how they decorated the caves. And not only how they lived over there—also 
the activities that they do. Because they did a couple of activities, 
people that were living over here, and they still live over here. And it’s 
amazing, it’s beautiful, it’s full of history. And because we’re not tired of showing 
it, you have the Alhambra in the back. The cost is €5 per person, and 
I think it’s totally worth it. We’re glad we checked out this place and 
really glad that we didn’t just come to Granada to see the Alhambra and call 
it a trip. There are so many beautiful neighborhoods in Granada and we 
haven’t even seen them all yet. This probably will be the most 
emblematic street. It is called Paseo de los Tristes, and it has a fountain, 
a couple of restaurants, and just a nice vibe. It’s funny because “tristes” means sad. 
And I don’t know how you can be sad here, because it’s so freaking beautiful. We’ve got Spanish guitar in the back, families 
out, kids running around, a river running right by as you walk. And I don’t know about you, 
but I’m eyeing these restaurants over here. This sounds like a really 
good place to have lunch. And I’m starving. So, let’s look for one. We were going to dine al fresco, but 
then we saw this place—Minotauro. They really aren’t kidding about the 
free tapas in this city. Order a drink, get a tapa. Order two drinks, get 
two tapas. I could get used to it. But the difference at Mino is that you 
don’t get to choose which ones you get. Right now it’s 3:00. Everybody’s out 
having lunch. Most Spaniards are out. We’re in the middle of the chaos right now. 
Here you had to like elbow your way through. We found a spot at the bar. This is really good. I mean, I love 
the tapa that they gave us. It’s very good. But we also ordered something 
else. Something very traditional. That’s right. This dish right here might 
be one of the most unique we’ve found. And migas means breadcrumbs. And it’s actually a bunch 
of breadcrumbs in here—also covered in chistorra, jamón, green peppers. There’s a lot of 
olive oil and garlic in here as well. But the thing that really surprises me, 
that makes me be like, I have no clue how this is going to taste—is the melon. 
It’s either melon or grapes, typically, with migas. You can see that’s what’s 
surrounding it here. So once again, you’re getting that Moorish influence 
of the sweet and the savory. This is traditional to Granada 
and we’re going to give it a try. That is one of the weirdest combinations. Totally. But it works. It works. Definitely. It’s nice to have it, especially 
whenever you’re hungry. It’s very good. I believe this is semolina flour. 
So when I was thinking breadcrumbs, I thought it would be very crunchy. But it’s 
actually more like the consistency of dough. I like it. The melon actually adds a lot. It fits 
right in. I love this dish. Love it completely. Really good. I’m a fan. Yeah. Luckily, we finished everything that we wanted to watch before because right 
now—what’s happening, Jules? It’s raining. Like, it doesn’t 
really rain that often here, so this is kind of crazy. But really 
perfect timing too, because we have actually some work to get done. And it’s 
those awkward hours between lunch and dinner. It’s currently 4:00. So we’re 
like, what do we do with this time? We’re going back to our hotel, and you know, like in about three or four hours we will 
come back over here in order to get dinner. Yeah. There’s still more dishes we want to try. Oh yeah. The raindrops—we got to get up there 
before it starts pouring. Let’s go over there. As you saw—last dinners, we were 
standing just over there, like, trying to have a little bit of room. We 
were standing in different bars. Right now, we wanted something a little bit different. 
We wanted to be seated for once on this trip. So, that’s why we’re over here. And so, we were 
walking and we felt so called to come here. It’s called Pimienta Rosa and it did not come up in 
our research at all, but it has a really good vibe. Cute interior. And the food here, from what 
we’ve seen on people’s plates, looks incredible. It’s food that’s typical from 
this region, but kind of like a little more elevated—not necessarily bar 
style. So I think we’re in for a treat. There was a dish that since the 
moment we arrived to Granada, we’ve seen it on all the menus. 
That is—eggplant with honey. Yeah. How it sounds. Wow. Yeah. Oh, I’m taking all that honey. Honey, that’s okay. Honey. Honey, we can’t stop. Oh dear. Yeah, you went in really aggressively with that. Oh, really? Yeah. I mean, I burned myself. But right now it’s 
very good. Like, the honey is very, very good. I thought it was vinegar. It 
looks like that. But no—it’s good. Oh, really? I thought it was balsamic. Are they like crispy? They’re crispy, and they’re so sweet. Yum. Wait, this sounds so good. Oh damn. Wow. It reminds me of like a sweet potato 
in a weird way because of the honey. But I could totally see ourselves making this 
with the air fryer at home. That’s delicious. We end our time in Granada with this creamy 
rice dish with mushrooms and beef cheek. And that feels like the right note to end 
on because the more time we spend here, the more we realized Granada is a place meant to 
be savored—for ideally longer than just a weekend. You show up for the Alhambra, 
but you stay for the caves, the music, the little plates of 
food that somehow keep coming. We hope we can come back here, 
but next time for longer. Something that I’ve noticed is all the 
people in Granada—they are so kind. They are so happy. They’re always smiling. 
They’re always willing to help you. I think that’s something from the 
south of Spain, what I’m noticing. Yeah, I agree. People here 
are so warm. People—happy. Well, we’re going to dig into what could potentially be our last rice 
dish in the south of Spain. That’s right. Because next week 
we’re going to be in Barcelona. Yeah. Barcelona. This restaurant was phenomenal, you guys. 
Probably our favorite of the whole trip. We’ll leave a video to the side for you 
guys to keep watching our adventures. So long. Travel well. Make the world your neighborhood. See you guys next time. Bye.

Granada, Spain is so much more than just the Alhambra. In this travel guide, we show you how to spend the perfect weekend exploring this Andalusian gem. From mouthwatering tapas and traditional flamenco shows in Sacromonte to the winding streets of the Albaicín, Granada will surprise you at every turn.

Whether you’re planning a short trip or just curious about what to do in Granada, we cover the best food spots, hidden local experiences, must-see sights, and how to make the most of your visit.

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*Looking for tours in Granada? Here are some of our favorites that are led by local guides!*
💃🏻 Flamenco show: https://gyg.me/ACZvxghY
🤤 Walking food tour: https://gyg.me/2DpsRnUZ
🌅 Albaicín and Sacramonte Walking Tour at Sunset: https://gyg.me/7evUJPd6

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👋About Us
We’re Juliana and Martín! She’s from the USA, he’s from Mexico. We’re here to help you turn your trips into culture and value-packed adventures.

Think the travel world’s only split into hardcore backpackers and tick-the-box tourists? We call nonsense. You’re out to see a destination’s must see spots, but also to sneak off the tourist path to find the spots that only locals go. You’re chasing experiences with value, and we’ve got you. When you travel with us, it’s no fluff, just the good stuff—because your vacation deserves more than just scratching the surface.
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🎥 CHAPTERS
0:00 Intro
0:57 Alhambra
3:00 Tips for Visiting the Alhambra
4:13 Jardines Alberto
5:50 Hotel Alhambra Palace
7:18 Exploring the Centro of Granada
8:37 Catedral de Granada
9:23 Trying Pionono at Ysla
11:16 First impressions of Granada
11:54 Flamenco
13:30 Getting free tapas at La Buena Vida
15:14 Albaicín
16:11 El Balcón de San Nicolás
16:30 Sacramonte
17:57 Paseo de los Tristes
18:58 Minotauro and trying migas
20:41 Pimienta Rosa
24:03 Outro