This post is the continuation of a series documenting our travels in Andalusia, Spain in the European Autumn of 2025. We were now in Granada where we had spent the first 2 days seeing it’s Grand Cathedral ( The Grand Cathedral of Granada ( After some more good times in Cordoba) – Alluring Andalusia, Part 6 ) and spending a full morning enjoying the beautiful sights in the Alhambra Complex ( A morning at the Alhambra in Granada – Alluring Andalusia, Part 7 ). We also spent a memorable evening watching the sunset from the St Nicholas Church tower & did our usual morning walk around the old town before dawn( Watching the sunset from the St Nicholas Bell tower & Granada by dawn – Alluring Andalusia, Part 8 ).
We returned to our Hotel Anacapri after our morning walk with our appetites stimulated by our early morning exertions and enjoyed the delicious breakfast buffet of the hotel in their beautifully decorated breakfast room.
The lobby and common area of the Hotel Anacapri in Granada
Enjoying our breakfast at the Hotel Anacapri
With our tummies satisfied we set of again to walk through the parts of the City Centre that we hadn’t seen on our morning walk. We first went to the Plaza Isabel La Catolica where the two main streets of the city centre intersect. It was just a short walk away from our hotel and we reached the square well before it got crowded. It has the statue of Christopher Columbus unfurling his contract for the voyage which would mistakenly take him to America in front of the Queen Isabel who was his main sponsor. We took a few photos at the square before moving on.
The start of the Gran Via of Granada from the Plaza Isabel Catolica
The statue of Christopher Columbus & Queen Isabel at the Plaza
Taking a selfie with the Queen and Columbus at Plaza Isabel Catolica
We then walked a short distance to the Corral del Carbón which is the only surviving Caravanserai of Granada. This was a protected place for merchants and their horses to spend the night before resuming the voyage. Later it was used for coal storage (hence the Carbón in the name!). Today it is used for musical performances in a 14th century Moorish Courtyard. We passed through the grand door reminiscent of the Alhambra into the courtyard which was set up for a concert.
Tight lanes leading to the Grand Door of the Corral del Carbón
The door architecture is similar to that seen in the domes of the Alhambra Nasrid palaces
At the Corral del Carbón courtyard
We then returned to the Cathedral Square via the narrow lanes of the Alcaiceria which was originally a Moorish Silk Market. The original market burned down in 1850 and was rebuilt as a tourist Souk (marketplace) in the late 1800s. Never a fan of crowded touristy markets I was glad it hadn’t opened yet when we passed through in the morning.
The narrow lanes of the Alcaiceria in Granada before it opens for the day
The better half takes a photo of me taking a photo of the Alcaiceria!
We then went to the Royal Chapel which we already had combo tickets for with the Cathedral and a few other religious sights. This is the resting place of Queen Isabel and King Ferdinand as well as their successors Philip and Juana. Granada was the last Moorish Capital so the conquerers decided to make this the capital of Spain & their last resting place. Isabel’s great grandson Philip II moved the Spanish capital to Madrid and Granada lost its importance. The Royal Chapel has a strict no photo policy so we kept our cameras away and enjoyed the grand structure which although smaller is as impressive as the Cathedral ( Since there are no photos, you just have to take my word for it!).
Before our visit to the Royal Chapel in Granada
We finished our visit to the Royal Chapel and went to the cathedral square next door which by now was much more crowded than during our early morning walk.
Granada Cathedral door and facade
A much more crowded Cathedral Square in Granada
We then walked the same route we had walked in the morning to the next sight we had planned to visit that morning, the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo. This monastery established in the 1500s was nearly in ruins by the 1800s. Napoleon even used the tower stones to make a bridge nearby and the tower was only reconstructed in 1989. We entered the complex and showed our combo tickets and entered the complex itself.
The Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo
The entry of the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo
The compound had a typical orchard in the centre which had the usual orange trees laden with fruit. ( Back home these would have been stripped of fruit by people in no time!) We then entered the Church of the Monastery after walking around the courtyard.
Fruit laden trees in the courtyard of the Royal Monastery
The Church of the Monastery is a Renaissance styled masterpiece which was extremely photogenic. Every corner of the Church was decorated with sculptures and paintings which made it a photographer’s delight. I particularly enjoyed taking photos of the decorated ceiling which had sculptures covering it’s entire extent.
The ribbed ceiling at the entry to the Church of the Royal Monastery
The beautiful renaissance architecture of the Church at the Royal Monastery
The altarpiece and the carved ceiling above
The ceiling of the Church from the altar end
Straining my neck for this photo was fully worth it
Getting a photo clicked by the better half
A kind fellow tourist takes a photo of us with the altarpiece
A selfie at the beautiful Church of the Royal Monastery
Doing what I enjoy most in any Church – capturing the pleasing symmetry with my camera
A statue of Madonna with Child in the Andalusian style at the Monastery
After doing our usual Church routine of sitting in the pews in silence for a few minutes before taking more photos of the courtyard with the church tower in the background.
Photos in the corridors around the courtyard of the Monastery of San Jerónimo
We then walked out of the Monastery Complex glad that we had decided to buy the combo ticket which had made visiting these lesser known sights in Granada very easy. We took a few photos of the exterior which we had ignored in our rush to go inside on our way in.
Photos inside the compound of the Royal Monastery of San Jerónimo in Granada
It was lunch time by now and the better half wanted to eat some Middle eastern cuisine again ( read Falafel!) again before our time in Granada was done. So we trekked all the way back to the foot of the Albaicin where all the best Middle Eastern Cuisine restaurants were located.
Madame Bombay with a shop named after her in Granada !
The cobblestoned streets with the pomegranate symbol of Granada
The iron gates leading to and out of the Cathedral & Royal Chapel in Granada
We chose the Castillo de Aleppo a Syrian restaurant for our lunch that afternoon in Granada as it would serve the Falafel that the better half wanted and also allow me to try something new. I ordered a plate of Kibbeh a la Parilla which was a typical Syrian dish made of bulgur wheat stuffedwith minced meat, nuts and spices and grilled crisp. The better half got her plate of Falafel with hummus and salad. We also got the drink we had discovered and enjoyed during our travels in Germany ( of all places !) – Ayran which was a buttermilk drink similar to Chaas back home. The restaurant also served complimentary freshly made Pita which was delicious. We enjoyed our delicious meal at leisure relishing every bite.
Falafel with Hummus and Ayran for the better half
My delicious Kibbeh a la Parilla
Happy us after a delicious Syrian lunch in Granada
The better half wanted a photo with the restaurant
With our tummies satisfied for now we walked back to the last Church which we had planned to visit in Granada – The Basilica San Juan de Dios or The Basilica of St John of God. The Basilica was not included in the Combo ticket and was expensive to visit at 10 euros per person but it looked spectacular from the photos I had seen during my research. Not wanting to miss a beautiful church & the photographic opportunities it provided we went to the Basilica post lunch and bought the tickets and went in. The Basilica was close to the Royal Monastery but it was closed for visits in the morning for a wedding so it was a perfect for us to visit to walk off our heavy lunch.
As soon as we entered we knew it would be worth the entry fee ( Which included an audioguide and a VR experience in the church). The Basilica built next to a hospital of the same name was built in the 1700s and is one of the most outstanding Baroque structures in all of Spain.
We entered the Sacristy which had the usual religious art in a room that was spectacular with oil painted ceilings
The Sacristy at the Basilica of St John of God
We then entered the Basilica itself and it was just full of art! I am not a religious person at all, but seeing all the art in the setting which it was meant for makes me enjoy it a lot more than the sterile museum atmosphere. Here the painted vaulted ceilings by Sanchez Sarabia and the gilded Altarpiece by Guerrero and Sarabia which holds relics of St John are the main attraction. I started clicking away to glory and I am posting a few here which hopefully capture the beauty of the Basilica.
The main Altarpiece at the Basilica San Juan de Dios
The amazing oil painted ceiling of the Basilica San Juan de Dios
Even the side chapels at the Basilica are decorated from ceiling to floor
The beautiful ceiling of the Basilica from the altar end of the Basilica
We walked back to the carved doors and wooden roof above the doors and strained our necks more appreciating the delicate workmanship.
Carved Wooden ceiling above the doors of the Basilica
The better half and me then took turns to enjoy the VR experience at the church which took us closer to the art in the ceiling and the altarpiece a unique experience that I expect to see soon at most Churches in a few years. While the better half took her turn at the VR headset I clicked away to glory.
More photos from the Basilica San Juan de Dios
We then climbed the stairs which took us to the antechambers and closer to the relics housed in a silver and gold decorated vessel. It also gave a unique view of the church from behind the altar which I had never seen till now.
The stairs leading to the Antechambers
The decorated rooms and religious art in the Antechambers
The better half enjoys the well narrated audioguide at the Basilica
The unique view of the Basilica from behind the Altarpiece
A photo from this unique location behind the Altarpiece
The decorated holder of religious relics of St John at the basilica
The painted dome high above the Relic holder was spectacular !
A selfie in the beautiful antechambers of the Basilica
After listening to the audioguide narrate in detail about all the art we were seeing we walked through the antechamber on the other side before returning down to the nave of the Basilica.
A Ming Vase in a Basilica seemed curious enough to deserve a photo!
Another religious Relic of St John in the Antechambers
A delicately carved child carrying a crucifix drew my attention
We finished our Basilica visit by doing our Church routine and taking a few more photos in this most beautiful of Basilicas before walking out. It had been fully worth the price of entry for us and we were glad we had decided to take the effort to visit the Basilica after being turned back in the morning.
Photos of us in the beautiful Basilica San Juan de Dios
The small courtyard outside the Basilica San Juan de Dios
With all the sights in Granada that we wanted to visit done by now we returned to the hotel and enjoyed a late afternoon Siesta. We woke up rejuvenated and we set out for our final evening in Granada. We would go back up in the Albaicin where we had spent all 3 of our evenings in Granada!
We stopped for a hot chocolate and cookie at the La Galletera which we had enjoyed the previous day and enjoyed it on a quiet bench nearby.
Enjoying a hot chocolate and Cookie from the La Galletera in Granada
We then took a different staircase up to the Albaicin where we decided to be with the crowds that evening on the Mirador San Nicholas and just enjoy the atmosphere as we had clicked plenty of photos from the St Nicholas tower the previous evening.
Taking a different staircase up to the Albaicin with the Alhambra in the background
With the crowds at Mirador San Nicholas enjoying the live music and the sunset
We then walked to the Restaurant & Bar Aixa where we had dinner all our previous nights in Granada for one last dinner.
Walking through Albaicin to the Restaurant Aixa
We took a table in the heated patio outside and ordered our regular drinks, a Cerveza (Small Beer) for myself and an Iced tea for the better half. The free tapas for the day was a thick vegetable stew with bread, the better half liked it so much that she said that would be her meal! So I ordered a meat balls with fried potatoes for myself and we ordered a chocolate cake with ice cream to celebrate a great 3 days in Granada!.
A Cerveza for me in Andalusia is the best drink!
A thick vegetable stew with bread as free Tapas with our drinks
Meatballs with fried potatoes for me
The better half gets her favourite Chocolate cake with Ice cream
We enjoyed our dinner at leisure and finally said goodbye to the staff at the restaurant which had given us reliably good food at great prices and with good ambience as a bonus.
Saying goodbye to the Restaurant and Bar Aixa
We then walked the by now familiar stairs down to our hotel taking a few photos along the way. The pretty lanes of Albaicin had been the best place to spend all our evenings in Granada and we left with fond memories.
More photos of the Albaicin at night with the Alhambra looming high above
We slept peacefully on our last night at the Hotel Anacapri. Granada had proven to be a great place with a great mix of spectacular sights, good food and extremely laid-back casual atmosphere but our time in the city was now at an end.
We would leave next day for the UNESCO world heritage town of Ubeda which was the next destination on our itinerary through this beautiful part of Spain. Whether it would prove to live up to it’s World Heritage site tag is topic for another post, some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Adios!
yogictravel 