Guided tours in Granada
GUIDED TOURS THAT WILL SHOW YOU GRANADA IN A NEW LIGHT
Casabela offers its guests day trips with our tour guide, Asier, who will show you Granada from a unique perspective in an entertaining and informative way. Would you like to see the cities hidden gems? Our five cultural routes that will reveal sides of Granada off the beaten path. If food and drinks are your thing then you’ll love our well-known tapas route or haute cuisine gastronomy.
Who am I?
My name is Asier Garmendia and if there is anything that defines me it is my curiosity and my desire to understand things on every level; especially in the cultural sphere. I was born and raised in Granada with a mixture of Basque and Andalusian roots, and perhaps this mixture has helped me develop an open, sociable personality.
Experience and Training
I am an Art Historian from the University of Granada and the Catholic University of Louvain (KULEUVEN), specializing in the dissemination and interpretation of heritage, especially focused on Hispano-Muslim Art and more specifically on the Alhambra. I am fluent in English and Italian with two official certificates from the University of Cambridge and Dante Alighieri respectively. I am an Official Guide of the Junta de Andalucía, endorsed by the quality seal of the Professional Association of Art Historians, with six years of experience working as a freelancer for various agencies in Granada.
What you will find:
Get to know Granada on a deeper level: Would you like to see Granada through a different lens? Explore and understand the the Heritage and History of Granada in a fun, visual and engaging way? From the first day I started working as a guide I realized that my job is not to guide, but rather to help you interpret what you see and what you cannot see as well. The focus shouldn’t be on a list of names and dates, but a more holistic understanding of each place as a whole; its past, present and possible future. After our visits you will see Granada in a different way, with special eyes, which give you a different perspective.
On this tour we will visit Granada’s crown jewel, the Alhambra. We’ll explore the entire Alhambra and it’s grounds, discovering the magic of the best preserved Muslim palatial city in the west. We will learn about it not only as a monument but also examine it on cultural, social and architectural levels. History will speak through its walls!
What we will visit: The entire complex.
– Alcazaba: Military zone and fortress.
– Palacio del Generalife: The summer palace of the Sultan and his paradisiacal gardens.
– Nasrid Palaces: Main palatial area, where the Ambassadors’ Hall and the famous ‘Patio de los Leones’ are located.
– Free zone: Palace of Carlos V, Church of Santa María de la Alhambra, Parador de San Francisco.
Duration: The standard tour is 3 hours, but it can be fully adapted to your needs.
What you’ll need: comfortable shoes and clothes, water.
In this Tour we will visit the historic center of the city of Granada in detail visiting iconic places and learning how history has transformed them over time, using information about its past to understand its current use. We will also visit the Albayzín, the oldest neighborhood in Granada, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
What we will visit: –
Alcaicería: old silk market –
Corral del Carbón: XIV S Warehouse –
Cathedral (Panoramic) –
Royal Chapel (Panoramic –
Albayzin: Muslim quarter of the S, XI –
Mirador de San Nicolás: Home of the city’s most impressive views.
Duration: Approximately 3 hours, but can be adapted to your needs.
What you’ll need: Comfortable shoes and clothes, water.
On this visit we will get to know the heart of the Albaicin and why it is considered the most important area of Granada after the Alhambra. This guided experience through little known corners not often frequented by tourists as well as UNESCO world heritage monuments will allow you travel back in time to the fourteenth century and gain an understanding of what life might have been like in in Muslim Granada.
What we will visit:
Bañuelo: Oldest Arab bath in Europe SXI.
Zafra House: Nasrid Nobiliaria House of the SXIV.
Casa Horno de Oro: Moorish House of the SXVI.
Mirador de San Nicolás: The best views of the city of Granada.
Dar Al-Horra Palace: Nasrid Palace where the last emir of Granada ended his reign.
Duration: approximately 2.5 H but can be adapted to your needs.
What you’ll need: comfortable shoes and clothes, water.
What we will visit:
Royal Chapel: Royal Pantheon of the R.R.C.C
Cathedral: the most important Christian temple in the city.
Duration: approximately 2 h 30 min
What you need: Comfortable clothes and shoes and water.
In this experience, we will wind through the most intricate and hidden streets of the Albaicin, getting to know the heart of the neighborhood and what daily life is like daily for its inhabitants. Next we will visit the Sacromonte, a neighborhood that was originally outside the walls of the city of Granada in times of Muslim rule, and where since the 15th century its inhabitants have lived in cave houses. This is the Granada of legend and mystery as well as the birthplace of Granada’s flamenco culture.
What we will visit
Paseo del Darro: National Geographic’s pic as ‘most beautiful street in the world’
San Juan de los Reyes: Church in honor of the parents of the R.R.C.C
Mirador de San Nicolás: Granada’s most famous viewpoint
Plaza Larga: Plaza Mayor del Albaicin and heart of the neighborhood
Sacromonte: Neighborhood of the cave houses
Mirador de Mario Maya: Hidden in the Sacromonte, probably the most beautiful viewpoint in the city
We will start with a coffee and a pionono in one Granada’s most classic coffee shops; Lopez Mezquita; where we will talk about the history of the painter whom the cafe is named after as well as the Granada of the 19th century. We’ll also discuss the Granada’s sugar cane industry and the creation of the Gran Via. Next we’ll stroll through the historic city center towards three establishments that will give a representation of some of what Granada has to offer: Pioteca 3 ways in the Realejo neighborhood. Bodegas Castañeda in the Old Town and Taberna 22 in the heart of the Albaicin.
Includes two drinks and tapas in each location.
As we go we’ll talk about the history of Granada and the origin and evolution of the tapa.
(The places may vary depending on availability, sanitary restrictions, etc.)
Duration 3’5 h but can be adapted to the client’s needs.
EXPERIENCE A JOURNEY THROUGH FORGOTTEN SECRETS
This tour is called “A journey through the forgotten secrets” is in the historic center of Granada, from 10 am to 5 pm. In these visits children become “guides” of the city in an interactive experience of discovery. They’ll feel like the heroes of the story, having fun as they are motivated to learn. This memorable experience will give each child the keys to become a great discoverer of secrets! The visit is based around a story of characters who lived in Granada 500 years ago, and children are encouraged to look for hidden secrets around the city. We’ll disguise ourselves to get to the bottom of the story and use a teaching text designed the appropriate age. Children from 4-13 or 14 will have a great time making their own discoveries and leading us through the city.
Duration: approximately 2.5 hours, but can be adapted to your needs.
