Granada holidays

You really can have it all on holidays in Granada...

This Spanish city is awash with culture and history, while the more active pursuits of hiking and skiing are close at hand and the sands of the stunning Mediterranean coastline are only an hour away. So why choose, when you can have beaches, skiing and city skylines – all in the same week.

Granada sits at the foot of the beautiful Sierra Nevada mountain range in the south-west of Spain. It has a hip and youthful vibe, which sits comfortably among the ancient relics of its Moorish past. The Alhambra crowns the city, and every visit should include a tour of this impressive palace. Indeed, many visitors to Granada simply pop in for a day trip to see this monument to royal riches, which started life as a fortress in the ninth century. They are missing out, though, as there’s much more to Granada than the Alhambra.

There's plenty more than the heat of summer to entice visitors on Granada holidays

Sitting a few hundred metres above sea level and surrounded by mountains, Granada experiences cooler temperatures than you will find on the coast. In summer, you can expect days to be hot, with average temperatures in the high 20Cs in July and August.

Autumn, winter and spring, however, see higher rainfall, while temperatures in December, January and February can drop into single figures during the day. Despite the wealth of attractions, the city is understandably less popular as a tourist destination during the winter months, but this paves the way for cheap Granada holidays if you're willing to forgo the sizzle of Spanish summer.

Granada could rest on its laurels with the Alhambra as an attraction, but there is a lengthy list of other things to do...

Romance: The Alhambra takes on a rosy hue each evening as the sun goes down. Take your loved one by the hand and find a special spot to watch the colours change.

Relax: Seek shade from the sun in the cool, fragrant air of the Generalife gardens at the Alhambra, and breathe in the citrus scents from the trees.

Active: Keen hikers will want to scale the Mulhacén, the highest peak on the mainland, while skiers make a beeline for Solynieve when winter comes.