Cicerone Cultura y Ocio S.L. - Algunas notas sobre Granada

Throughout the ages Granada has been dreamed of by travelers, nurturing fantastic images of an oriental paradise in the south of Europe. But after the Christian conquest history did not cease to flow in Granada; it became the hub of a new dynamic age in all the arts, the focal point of the latest fashions and innovations, all of which resulted in the creation of the richest and most complete group of monuments ever conceived during the period from Renaissance to the Baroque.
Any other city able to boast of such a heritage of Western art would be ranked among the most important in Europe, but the attraction of the Alhambra has always overshadowed everything which grew up around it, much of which remains undiscovered today by many visitors of the city.

In 2000 a tourist voucher was introduced, the intention being to encourage and facilitate a wider knowledge of Granada's historical-cultural heritage, including routes to walk around the city, which on their own merit alone would fully justify a visit.
The voucher includes visits to the three best known monuments: the Alhambra, the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral, which at a rush might be visited during one day, and also the Carthusian Monastery and that of St. Jerome, wonderful examples of Andalucian architecture. Apart from this, the voucher allows admission to the museums of Archeology and Fine Arts and to the modern Science Park on the outskirts of the city.

These visits take you on fairly short walks through the historical centre of the city, along the course of the river Darro, part of which has long since been vaulted over to allow traffic to flow through the town. Just beside the Cathedral and opposite the Royal Chapel is the MADRAZA, the Muslim university founded in the XIV century by the sultan Yusuf I. The ALCAICERÍA, the Muslim silk market, burnt to the ground in the XIX century, is today a rebuilt labyrinth of narrow streets and small shops with all the air of a medieval souk, which leads out ton one side into Zacatín street, where clothes were sold in Muslim times, and on the other into the Plaza de BIB RAMBLA, which in times gone by used to be the real city centre and is today the site of flower stalls and pleasant pavement cafes. This square is overlooked by the ARCHBISHOP'S PALACE, closed to which was the original seat of the Christian University of Granada when it was founded by Emperor Charles V on his state visit to Granada in 1526, during his honey-moon with Isabel of Portugal, the most beautiful woman in Europe. Just to the south of this square, across the main thoroughfare, Reyes Católicos street, is the town hall, housed in what used to be a Carmelite monastery.

At the lower corner of the square in front of it is Navas street, full of taverns and where the Granadinos go to stroll and enjoy a drink and a snack (tapa). Behind the town hall, is the CORRAL DEL CARBÓN, the only Moorish caravanserai, or alfunduk, to have survived to our times. These were overnight stopping places for mule drivers and their trains. The upper galleries' rooms house the offices of EL LEGADO ANDALUSÍ, a scheme to introduce tourists to some of the old mule and pedestrian routes through Andalucia. Leaving the Corral del Carbón and returning to Reyes Católicos street the visitor will eventually come to the Plaza de Isabel la Católica, in the centre of which is a statue commemorating Queen Isabel's granting of patents to Christopher Columbus to leave on his expedition to the new world. Thence to Plaza Nueva, home of the ROYAL CHANCELLERY, a magnificent XVI century Renaissance building, and the church of ST. ANA, with the silhouette of the Alhambra watchtower on the hill above it.

From Plaza Nueva the narrow CARRERA DEL DARRO follows the course of the river between the old Muslim quarter of the Albaicín on the left and the steep scarp of the Alhambra towering over the opposite bank of the river on the right. A little way along is the BAÑUELO, one of the few remaining Arab baths in the city, daiting from the XI century. A couple of hundreds yards farther is a XVI century's palace, nowadays home to the Museums of fine Arts and Archaeology respectively.
Finally the narrow street widens into the PASEO DE LOS TRISTES, a wide area of pavement cafes where one can sit and admire an unforgettable view to the Alhambra towers.

THE REALEJO
The old Jewish quarter lying at the foot of the Mauror hill, the southern slope of the red hill of the Alhambra, is centered around a square of great character and charm, the CAMPO DEL PRÍNCIPE. A meeting place for local residents and visitors alike, who come here to sit at one of the many outdoor terraces of the bars and cafés around the square. From here looking upwards one can see the modernist town house and fine-arts foundation built by the Rodríguez Acosta family and not far away from here, if we turn to the left we would enjoy the TORRES BERMEJAS and the great view across to the Alcazaba. Turning to the right, not far away from the Alhambra Palace hotel is worthy to visit the gardens of CARMEN DE LOS M&Acute;RTIRES. Within a couple of minutes' walk from the Campo del Príncipe are several buildings worth visiting, such as the CASA DE LOS TIROS, and the CUARTO REAL DE SANTO DOMINGO a Muslim palace. If there is still more interest in old Muslim architecture we should mention the interesting CASA DE LOS GIRONES.

THE ALBAICÍN
The oldest settlement and most legendary quarter in the whole of Granada. Professor Arturo Gutierrez Castillo has devoted many years to the study of this hill, and describes it thus: The Albaicín is a place of wonder, oozing with the essence of centuries gone by, where history moves discernibly and unashamedly.This is as it should be:
the inexhaustible legacy of ancient civilizations, the hoary witness who has survived the ravages of time and tide, and a sentimental refuge for romantic, nostalgic souls. But it may be that trying to define it in this way means little or nothing to those who have never had the chance to discover the place and get to know it. That's the risk inherent in words, for no matter how hard one might try to choose them they are never quite so precise or accurate as they were intended to be. Above all when they presume to explain the inexplicable. Its houses jumbled one on top of another like swallows' nests, narrow streets and alleys, the profusion of flowers and greenery drooping over the walls of its houses and orchards, the sudden, breath-taking views of the Alhambra, the Sierra Nevada and the plain away to the west, the secret corners which suddenly appear and offer themselves to the eyes of the lucky persistent traveller.... And for those who want something more, because they are not content with the pleasures of the senses alone, there is also history and art all around them.

daily walking tour our tours & prices on-line booking what is cicerone? contact us discount-coupon! information of Granada links suggested combinations told about us	A few notes about Granada Throughout the ages Granada has been dreamed of by travelers, nurturing fantastic images of an oriental paradise in the south of Europe. But after the Christian conquest history did not cease to flow in Granada; it became the hub of a new dynamic age in all the arts, the focal point of the latest fashions and innovations, all of which resulted in the creation of the richest and most complete group of monuments ever conceived during the period from Renaissance to the Baroque. Any other city able to boast of such a heritage of Western art would be ranked among the most important in Europe, but the attraction of the Alhambra has always overshadowed everything which grew up around it, much of which remains undiscovered today by many visitors of the city. In 2000 a tourist voucher was introduced, the intention being to encourage and facilitate a wider knowledge of Granada's historical-cultural heritage, including routes to walk around the city, which on their own merit alone would fully justify a visit. The voucher includes visits to the three best known monuments: the Alhambra, the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral, which at a rush might be visited during one day, and also the Carthusian Monastery and that of St. Jerome, wonderful examples of Andalucian architecture. Apart from this, the voucher allows admission to the museums of Archeology and Fine Arts and to the modern Science Park on the outskirts of the city. These visits take you on fairly short walks through the historical centre of the city, along the course of the river Darro, part of which has long since been vaulted over to allow traffic to flow through the town. Just beside the Cathedral and opposite the Royal Chapel is the MADRAZA, the Muslim university founded in the XIV century by the sultan Yusuf I. The ALCAICERÍA, the Muslim silk market, burnt to the ground in the XIX century, is today a rebuilt labyrinth of narrow streets and small shops with all the air of a medieval souk, which leads out ton one side into Zacatín street, where clothes were sold in Muslim times, and on the other into the Plaza de BIB RAMBLA, which in times gone by used to be the real city centre and is today the site of flower stalls and pleasant pavement cafes. This square is overlooked by the ARCHBISHOP'S PALACE, closed to which was the original seat of the Christian University of Granada when it was founded by Emperor Charles V on his state visit to Granada in 1526, during his honey-moon with Isabel of Portugal, the most beautiful woman in Europe. Just to the south of this square, across the main thoroughfare, Reyes Católicos street, is the town hall, housed in what used to be a Carmelite monastery. At the lower corner of the square in front of it is Navas street, full of taverns and where the Granadinos go to stroll and enjoy a drink and a snack (tapa). Behind the town hall, is the CORRAL DEL CARBÓN, the only Moorish caravanserai, or alfunduk, to have survived to our times. These were overnight stopping places for mule drivers and their trains. The upper galleries' rooms house the offices of EL LEGADO ANDALUSÍ, a scheme to introduce tourists to some of the old mule and pedestrian routes through Andalucia. Leaving the Corral del Carbón and returning to Reyes Católicos street the visitor will eventually come to the Plaza de Isabel la Católica, in the centre of which is a statue commemorating Queen Isabel's granting of patents to Christopher Columbus to leave on his expedition to the new world. Thence to Plaza Nueva, home of the ROYAL CHANCELLERY, a magnificent XVI century Renaissance building, and the church of ST. ANA, with the silhouette of the Alhambra watchtower on the hill above it. From Plaza Nueva the narrow CARRERA DEL DARRO follows the course of the river between the old Muslim quarter of the Albaicín on the left and the steep scarp of the Alhambra towering over the opposite bank of the river on the right. A little way along is the BAÑUELO, one of the few remaining Arab baths in the city, daiting from the XI century. A couple of hundreds yards farther is a XVI century's palace, nowadays home to the Museums of fine Arts and Archaeology respectively. Finally the narrow street widens into the PASEO DE LOS TRISTES, a wide area of pavement cafes where one can sit and admire an unforgettable view to the Alhambra towers. *THE REALEJO* The old Jewish quarter lying at the foot of the Mauror hill, the southern slope of the red hill of the Alhambra, is centered around a square of great character and charm, the CAMPO DEL PRÍNCIPE. A meeting place for local residents and visitors alike, who come here to sit at one of the many outdoor terraces of the bars and cafés around the square. From here looking upwards one can see the modernist town house and fine-arts foundation built by the Rodríguez Acosta family and not far away from here, if we turn to the left we would enjoy the TORRES BERMEJAS and the great view across to the Alcazaba. Turning to the right, not far away from the Alhambra Palace hotel is worthy to visit the gardens of CARMEN DE LOS M&Acute;RTIRES. Within a couple of minutes' walk from the Campo del Príncipe are several buildings worth visiting, such as the CASA DE LOS TIROS, and the CUARTO REAL DE SANTO DOMINGO a Muslim palace. If there is still more interest in old Muslim architecture we should mention the interesting CASA DE LOS GIRONES. *THE ALBAICÍN* The oldest settlement and most legendary quarter in the whole of Granada. Professor Arturo Gutierrez Castillo has devoted many years to the study of this hill, and describes it thus: The Albaicín is a place of wonder, oozing with the essence of centuries gone by, where history moves discernibly and unashamedly.This is as it should be: the inexhaustible legacy of ancient civilizations, the hoary witness who has survived the ravages of time and tide, and a sentimental refuge for romantic, nostalgic souls. But it may be that trying to define it in this way means little or nothing to those who have never had the chance to discover the place and get to know it. That's the risk inherent in words, for no matter how hard one might try to choose them they are never quite so precise or accurate as they were intended to be. Above all when they presume to explain the inexplicable. Its houses jumbled one on top of another like swallows' nests, narrow streets and alleys, the profusion of flowers and greenery drooping over the walls of its houses and orchards, the sudden, breath-taking views of the Alhambra, the Sierra Nevada and the plain away to the west, the secret corners which suddenly appear and offer themselves to the eyes of the lucky persistent traveller.... And for those who want something more, because they are not content with the pleasures of the senses alone, there is also history and art all around them.	A few notes about Granada Useful links for Tourism in general Tourism & Culture Institutions Tourism Information Offices Private Webs with information of Granada General Information Cultural & tourism Information On Line Bookings General Information of Andalucía Information about Companies & Enterprises of Granada Cultural Festivals in Granada-City Newspapers Monuments, Museums & places of Interest Main Monuments of Granada & Places of Interest Museums & Expositions in Granada Hotels, Hostals & Apartments Hotels 5* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hotels 4* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Charming Hotels Albaicín Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hotels 3* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hotels 2* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hotels 1* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Apartamentos turísiticos y Hotel-Apartamentos Albaicín Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hostales 2* Centro histórico Centro ciudad Hostales 1* Alhambra Centro histórico Centro ciudad Otros Centro histórico Centro ciudad Meeting & Celebration Venues Restaurants Capacity for 200 pax. & more Capacity for up to 200 pax. 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