Orientation
PLAZA NUEVA AND CITY CENTER
Plaza Nueva is the tourist and commercial center of the city. Located just before the opening of the Darro River, Pl. Nueva is only a short distance from El Albaicín and Sacromonte. Just west of Pl. Nueva, Cuesta de Gomérez leads to the Alhambra. Calle Reyes Católicos runs from Pl. Nueva south to the ayuntamiento (city hall) and the tourist office at Plaza del Carmen. Just east of Pl. del Carmen, along Calle Navas, you’ll find the city’s signature tapas restaurants. West of C. Reyes Católicos, Calle Cria Nueva and Calderería Vieja are part of a confusing network of narrow streets lined with ethnic bars, restaurants, and clothing shops.
EL ALBAICÍN
Immediately north of Pl. Nueva, the ancient Moorish quarter El Albaicín is a tangle of streets that snake around churches and plazas. Many sights in this neighborhood, including the Convento de Santa Isabel la Real and the Iglesia de San Nicolás, were built by the Church on the sites of mosques, which once dominated the neighborhood. At the center of the neighborhood, popular Plaza de San Nicolás and Mirador de San Nicolás are filled with bars and restaurants, some with incredible views of the Alhambra and the city’s tiled roofs.
SACROMONTE
On the north side of Cuesta del Chapiz, the barrio of Sacromonte is most easily navigated along its namesake Camino del Sacromonte. Running north to south through the barrio, this street is considered one of the major sites in the development of flamenco. Small restaurants and bars in traditional white stucco dwellings dot the road. While both Sacromonte and El Albaicín are perfectly safe, they are quiet and dimly lit at night. If stray cats and poor lighting give you the creeps, you might want to take a friend along.
CATHEDRAL AND UNIVERSITY
South of Calle Gran Vía, the streets become much more organized. The dominant feature, in case you couldn’t guess, is the Catedral de Granada, which is surrounded by a number of small plazas. Plaza Trinidad and Plaza Bib-Rambla are lined with restaurants and small shops. South of Pl. Trinidad, the student presence ispalpable in its many bookstores and cafes with Wi-Fi. While the Universidad de Granada is nearby, it isn’t much of a tourist attraction. The greater university area does contain some of the city’s best parks, including the student favorite Parque Fuente Nueva. Parque Federico García Lorca is located south of Pl. Trinidad, down C. Tablas.