If you are a García Lorca aficionado, you should visit the house where he was born in the small village of Fuente Vaqueros, 17km west of Granada. The house is now the Casa Museo Federico García Lorca. Another Casa museo, the Huerta de San Vicente, is located within the Federico García Lorca Park, closer to the city centre, but both are accessible by bus (check their respective websites).
55km northeast of Granada stands Guadix. Almost half of the inhabitants of this large town live underground, in cave dwellings, similar to those of Granada’s Sacromonte. Their district is called the Barrio Troglodyte (the term “troglodyte” comes from Greek and means “hole”). The troglodytes are a friendly bunch and if you show some interest, you might be invited in to have a look at their homes. In the centre the town, don’t miss the cathedral and the Cave Museum.
If you feel a little bit more adventurous, a trip to the Sierra Nevada is obligatory. Spain does not conjure up pictures of snow covered mountain peaks but the Sierra Nevada is among Europe’s highest and most snowsure resorts. And of course, in the summer, it is also a spectacular venue for walking, climbing or moutain biking. Visit the Centro de Visitantes, El Dornajo for more information about activities in the Sierra Nevada.
To the south of the Sierra Nevada lies the Alpujarras, a moutainous region of great beauty. Because of their ideal combination of good climate and reliable water supply, the valleys of the western part are extremely fertile though modern agriculture is mostly impractical due to the steepness of the site. The historical influence of the Moorish population can be seen everywhere, especially in the cubic architecture, reminiscent of the Berber architecture from the Atlas Mountains in Morocco.
The province of Granada also has a coastline on the Mediterranean Sea, characterized by black, thick sand beaches, though they are not as developed as those of Malaga. The climate on the coast of Granada is subtropical. This is the only region of Spain where you’ll find sugar cane and chirimoyas.