The most beautiful villages in Granada

The most beautiful villages in Granada They are found both on the coast and inland. The Andalusian province offers you the privilege of being able to go from beautiful beaches to spectacular mountains in just a few kilometres. It is something that you can also enjoy in other places in Spain, for example, in Asturias o Cantabria.

But, returning to Granada, one of the best ways to get to know its province is to start with its own capital. In the Nasrid city you have wonders like the Alhambra o the generalife, the imposing Cathedral of the Incarnation or neighborhoods as typical as the Albaicín or Sacromonte. And, after visiting the capital, we can now travel through the most beautiful towns in Granada.

Montefrío

Located in the region of Loja, this town has its origins in pre-Roman Spain, as evidenced by the megalithic necropolis of the Rock of the Gypsies. But the most striking and spectacular thing about the town is the huge rock that dominates it from above and where the church of the village, next to the remains of the old fortress.

This is not the only one you can visit in Montefrío. We also advise you to see that of San Sebastián, built in the XNUMXth century following the canons of the Renaissance style; that of San Antonio, which combines Gothic vaults with baroque elements, and that of the Encarnación, a jewel of Granada's neoclassical style due to Ventura Rodríguez.

But the town also has magnificent civil monuments. Among these, the House of Trades, from the XNUMXth century and which houses the tourist office, and the San Juan de Dios Hospital, built in the same century. All this without forgetting the Town Hall building, flanked by two towers, and the Pósito.

All these wonders have led Montefrío to hold the recognition of Historic Artistic Set since 1982. But there is something else that will catch your attention. In the town, you will see signs in Japanese. The reason is that it receives many visitors from the Asian country since a Japanese photographer portrayed it and exhibited the images in its land.

Guadix

Located in the Accitana region, this Granada town is another marvel that you cannot miss. Its origins are also pre-Roman, although it was an important center of communications in Latin times, as evidenced by the remains of the , discovered a few years ago.

But the great jewel of Guadix is ​​its Alcazaba or Muslim fortress. It was built in the XNUMXth century and is very well preserved. And, next to her, the no less spectacular Cathedral of the Incarnation, built between the XNUMXth and XNUMXth centuries and combining Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque styles.

The religious heritage of the Granada town is completed by the churches of La Magdalena, Santa Ana, Santiago and La Concepción. In the latter, the Dance of the Sixes, declared Intangible Heritage of Andalusia, is performed every year. But even more important is the Church of the Virgen de las Angustias, since it houses the image of the patron saint of the town. And, next to them, you can see convents such as those of San Francisco, Las Clarisas and San Diego.

As for the civil heritage of Guadix, we advise you to visit the Palaces of Villalegre and Peñaflor, as well as the Julio Visconti house, all of them from the XNUMXth century. But another of the wonders of the town is its neighborhood of the caves which, as its name suggests, consists of more than two thousand inhabited underground dwellings. You can visit some and, in addition, you have an interpretation center where they will explain the curious history of these houses.

Capileira

In this case, the beauty of this town extends to its municipal term, since all of it has been declared Historic-Artistic Complex and Picturesque Place. But, above all, because it is located in the heart of the national park of Sierra Nevada.

However, if we are talking about Capileira, the first thing we should highlight about it are its narrow and steep streets with typical alpujarreño style houses. That is, white and whitewashed, with flat roofs and chimneys with hats. We also recommend you visit the Church of Our Lady of the Head, built in the XNUMXth century and which has a beautiful baroque altarpiece and an image of the Virgin that gives it its name.

It is also interesting the Pedro Antonio de Alarcon House Museum, dedicated to the famous nineteenth-century writer, although it also serves as a museum of Alpujarra customs. Finally, since you are in the area and if you like hiking, we advise you to do the spectacular route of the Seven Lagoons, which passes through an imposing glacial valley.

Alhama of Granada

This town is located in a spectacular environment, in full Sierra de Tejeda and hanging on an imposing gorge at the bottom of which is the Alhama River. As if that were not enough, it has magnificent hot springs. The Arabs already knew this, they built some toilets in the twelfth century still perfectly preserved and visitable.

Very close to them is the Roman bridge. But these are not the only monuments that Alhama offers you, which, in fact, is also Historic Artistic Set. Although it is not open to visitors, you can see the castle, built on an old citadel. Instead, you can visit the beautiful main church of La Encarnación, which was the first Catholic temple of the ancient Kingdom of Granada after its conquest and which combines Gothic and Renaissance styles.

Likewise, we advise you to see the churches of Carmen and San Diego; the House of the Inquisition, Elizabethan Gothic style; the Queen's Hospital, which combines Mudejar elements with other Gothic and Renaissance elements, and the Tank, for which a XNUMXth-century synagogue was used.

Salobreña, another of the most beautiful towns in Granada

We leave the mountains to reach the coast of Granada, specifically, the beautiful town of Salobreña, dominated by its imposing castle built in Nasrid times, although it was enlarged by the Christians. But it will be even more pleasant for you to walk through its narrow streets of whitewashed houses full of flowers. And also climb up to the Albaicin viewpoint, from which you have spectacular views of the Granada coast.

You should also visit in Salobreña the Church of Our Lady of the Rosary, Mudejar style. Its tiled side door and the tower topped by battlements stand out, as well as the image of the Virgin that gives it its name, a carving from the XNUMXth century. Also, you have to see the temple of San Juan Bautista and the Chapel of San Luis.

And, regarding the civil monuments, they highlight the old factory Our Lady of the Rosary and the Red House, vestiges of two sugar mills. But, above all, the Cambron Tower, a coastal watchtower from the Nasrid period. The latter is located next to the beach of the same name, where you can take a bath. However, Salobreña has other magnificent sandbanks. Among them, the beaches of La Charca, La Guardia and El Caletón.

Almunecar

We end our tour of Granada's pretty villages in Almuñécar, which has a rich Roman past. This is shown by the remains of his salting factory, dated in the first century after Christ. It is also located in the beautiful El Majuelo Botanical Park. And, above all, his aqueduct Roman of the same period and the Cave of the Seven Palaces, which is currently an archaeological museum.

But you also have to see in the town of Granada the imposing castle of San Miguel and the precious parish church of La Encarnacion. The latter is a classicist-style jewel built in the XNUMXth century that houses the image of the Virgen de la Antigua, patron saint of Almuñécar.

In turn, the mansion of La Najarra It is a beautiful construction of the nineteenth century and neo-Arabic style where you will find the tourist office. But we must make a separate mention of the local museums. We have already told you about the Archaeological one, but this is complemented by the so-called Claves de Almuñécar: 3000 years of history. And also with the Bonsai Garden Museum and the Aquarium.

On the other hand, as a coastal city, Granada offers you beautiful beaches. In fact, its municipal term includes a total of twenty-six. Thus, the urban area of ​​Caletilla, Cantarriján, La Herradura or Velilla. And, between two of them, the Natural Monument of the Rocks of San Cristóbal, three hills that go out to the sea.

Finally, if we are talking about nature, near the town of Granada you have the Peña Escrito Nature Park which has a set of trails from which you will get magnificent views of both the coast and the Sierra Nevada and La Alpujarra. You can explore them both on foot and by bicycle.

In conclusion, we have shown you some of the most beautiful villages in Granada. All of them will fascinate you, but the Andalusian province also has many others. For example, Trevelez, a white oasis at the foot of Mulhacén and the cradle of good ham; Bubion, one of the jewels of The Alpujarras; Pampaneira, with its Plaza de la Libertad, or Nigüelas, with its homonymous fault that is a Natural Monument. Don't you think that these are sufficient reasons to travel to the province of Granada?