Discovering glorious Granada with Vueling

The city of Granada is one of the oldest in Spain, with different districts housing a variety of heritage sites across the ages. The traditional neighbourhood of Sacromonte is full of picturesque, white-washed troglodyte houses (or cuevas), where cave-dwellers lived. Formerly a gypsy neighbourhood, it now boasts fantastic flamenco dance shows.

Alhambra is an enormous palatial castle built in the 13th century by the ruling Spanish Moors, which towers above the city. It’s one of the most famous examples of Islamic architecture west of Istanbul, and the dazzling Unesco site is Granada’s most visited attraction, where visitors can walk around at their own pace or on guided tours.

Granada is encircled by 45 miles of Costa Tropical coastline, offering dozens of beaches and small coves. A combination of the local landscape and rich biodiversity means the Granada coast is the ideal place to learn to dive. There are eleven diving schools based in Almu car, La Herradura, Calahonda and Gualchos-Castell de Ferro.

Visitors to the Costa Tropical can also try golf, paragliding, water sports, boat trips and hiking through inland villages.

Granada’s Sierra Nevada Mountain range is another huge draw, with high-quality slopes and snow. The mountains offer nearly 50 miles of open slopes with a thickness ranging from 40cm to 1 metre of powder snow. Freestylers will enjoy the 165m halfpipe and jumping modules, while those who are learning can choose from fifteen ski schools.

There’s plenty to entertain non-skiers in the Sierra Nevada range too, which is teeming with wildlife as a Spanish national park, and is home to the largest number of endemic plants in Europe.

DIRECT FLIGHTS

There’s so much in Granada and the surrounding countryside to appeal to visitors in all seasons, making it the ideal year-round destination. Vueling flies from Gatwick to Granada three times a week, and as a leader in the Spanish domestic market the carrier can be relied on for low-cost fares and friendly service throughout the year.