The origin of Granada is lost in time. In the testimony of a number of coins minted by the 'Turdulos' tribe in the V Century BC. The Romans arrived 500 years afterwards and founded the Ilíberis municipality. The legend says that Saint Cecilio set up his Episcopal see in the year 62 AD and Mohamed Ben Alhamar established the 'Nazarí' Kingdom of Granada in 1238.

During the following two and a half centuries, the city reached a high economic, cultural and artistic level, culminating with the gradual construction of the marvellous Alhambra, one of the most admired and visited monuments in the world.

The Catholic Monarchs, Isabel of Castile and Fernando of Aragón entered Granada capital on 2nd January 1492, three months before signing the agreements that allowed the voyage of Christopher Columbus and the discovery of America.

Granada is the fortunate centre of a province that encloses an individual and multifaceted richness of tourism: the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort 32 kilometres away, the warmer climate, the beaches and the fruits of the Costa Tropical, the valleys and the villages of the hidden Alpujarra, the classic beauty of Guadix and the emotional impact of the Marquesado villages, the wartime and romantic reminders of the final frontier of ‘Al Andalus’ in the villages of the West of Granada and the surprising reminder brought up to date of the troglodyte lifestyle in the cave-houses of the villages that appear like oases of water and greenery in the immense plain.

The province of Granada offers enormous contrasts in climate due to the many different and immediate geographical features which make up the region.

The continental climate is demonstrated by the average temperatures, the annual average being 14.8º -6º in January and over 25º in August.

Long summers and winters contrasts with the short Autumn and Spring.

Shortage of rainfall (474 litres per year), which mainly falls between the months of October-May and is practically non-existent during Summer

For lovers of nature and rural tourism, the province is home to five natural parks and a national park. Peace and quiet which can be soaked up in the little villages in the Alpujarras, an almost un-spoilt area, entice visitors to remain there forever. Inland areas, like the Marquesado and the Altiplano, show an incredible contrast between almost moonlike desert landscapes and the leafy vegetation of the surrounding hills. Granada Poniente, in the west of the province, has an enormous Islamic heritage.

Granada holds an unimaginable quantity and variety of tourist attractions in an area of just 13,000 square kilometres: the Alhambra, the most visited monument in Spain and one of the most beautiful in the entire world; one of Europe’s best ski resorts is in the Sierra Nevada; and, just an hour and a half away by car, we swap the snow for the beaches of the Tropical Coast, which enjoy enviable temperatures all year round.

It is this diversity of climates, scenery, produce and resources which allow us to declare the province of Granada a tourism micro-continent. There are so many possibilities at any time of year: culture and historical monuments, rural and activity tourism, snow and sport, bucket and spade holidays, conferences and incentives and leisure activities

Granada

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