Centro & Cathedral
Renaissance ambition on a medieval street plan.
Granada’s city center sits in the valley between the Albaicin and Alhambra hills, and it carries the weight of the Reconquista more heavily than anywhere else in Spain. Ferdinand and Isabella chose to be buried here. They built a cathedral to prove the point. The streets around it have been living with that legacy since 1492.
This walk covers the flat center — the Cathedral, the Royal Chapel, the old silk market, and the tapas bars that make Granada one of the last cities in Spain where a drink still comes with free food. It is the most accessible walk in the city and the best introduction to Granada’s complicated history.
The tapas are free. The history is heavy. Both are worth your time.
What you'll discover
·The Cathedral took 181 years to finish. The original architect died before the first floor was complete.
·The Capilla Real holds Ferdinand and Isabella's tombs — and Juana la Loca's, for complicated reasons.
·Calle Navas has the highest concentration of free-tapa bars in the city. Order a beer, get fed.
·The Alcaicería was Granada's silk market. It burned down in 1843 and was rebuilt as a tourist souvenir strip.
·A Corral del Carbón — a 14th-century inn — now hosts flamenco shows in its courtyard.
·The university occupies buildings across the center. 80,000 students keep the tapas bars in business.
Before you go
Best time
Late morning. The tapas bars open by noon and the Cathedral is quietest before the tour buses arrive.
Getting there
Start at Plaza Isabel la Católica, where the main streets converge. The Cathedral is 200 meters south.
Duration
45 minutes. Add time for tapas stops — the free tapas tradition makes this walk longer than planned.
Footwear
Flat, paved streets. Any comfortable shoes.
€3.99
This walk. 30 days.
Or all 4 Granada walks for €18.99
Open in app2 devices. One can be a friend's.