You should absolutely come to Granada to see the Alhambra; there’s nothing else like it in the world. But then why not stay a while to see what else Granada has to offer (that can’t be matched elsewhere)? Despite this being a blog dedicated to cycling, there’s room for a little off-the-bike exploration. This budding list of short hikes in Granada will enrich your visit with a few lesser-known sites that bear significance for the capital city. We’ll be adding to this list throughout the months of May and June 2026, so come back often!
- Goldmine of Granada
- Opposite the Alhambra
- Destination: the Alhambra
You’d be hard pressed to finish this sentence, “Granada is like…” because the city is a lone survivor — a consequence of topography, religion, resources, and invasions throughout thirteen centuries.
The Virgen de Fátima
Our first hike starts at the doors of the Santuário de la Virgen de Fátima, built in the mid 20th century to serve the surrounding neighborhood that was established following Spain’s civil war. What — or rather who — made the Virgen de Fátima famous in Granda was María Josefa Lozano, a local woman who was miraculously cured when she drank the water at the Shrine of Fátima in Fátima, Portugal. Her recovery inspired the faithful to trek to the site where you are now, so raise your water bottle and take a sip to the virgin.
Two days from today on May 13, the annual Virgen de Fátima procession will take place in Lancha de Genil. There’s always a “fiesta del pueblo” (village celebration) in honor of the event.
Where one is cured, another gets gold fever
Cross the road and continue up the trail to see remnants of Granada’s gold rush. Just in the past year, a massive public works project has been underway to preserve the galleries and tunnels from gold mining in the early 20th century. There’s a park with windows showing what’s below the surface, and there’s an abandoned factory where gold was washed. Continue hiking up for the spectacular view, and head east toward the mountains until you come to a dirt road that will take you back down to the Carretera de la Sierra.
The hike ends at Cenes de la Vega’s municipal building, and you can either walk back to the start, take a bus into Granada, or do what we did, which was go out for a tapa at one of our favorite places, El Peregrino (the pilgrim). The tapas are hearty and the terrace setting is excellent, no matter the season.
El Peregrino, Camino de las Fuentezuelas, n° 2, Cenes de la Vega
What lies opposite the Alhambra depends, of course, on your perspective. There’s the Albaicín, a designated World Heritage Site in the morning shadow of the Alhambra. Or there’s the Cathedral of Granada to the west, or there’s Llano de la Perdiz to the east, which opens on to the Iberian Peninsula if you choose to explore it by bike or foot.
Cerro del Sol
The view from Cerro del Sol. Curiously we’ve never seen the water this high (center left) in the Güéjar Sierra reservoir.
This time, instead of taking the right fork to level out at 2999’ (914 m.), we take the left fork to climb a little higher to Cerro del Sol at 3380’ (1030 m.) This is a popular spot to stop and take in the view of the Sierra Nevadas, which never seem to have a bad day. Cerro del Sol also represents the extent of the land used for agriculture and recreation that belonged to the Alhambra elites. Now Llano de la Perdiz (which includes Cerro del Sol) is a protected park for the enjoyment of everyone.
From here you’ll start descending in the direction of Jesús del Valle but without reaching the ruin at the crossroads of the valley below. Instead you’ll turn toward the mountains and descend down to the commercial center of Cenes de la Vega for a tapa at Las Rejas, which has hearty, homemade tapas Monday to Saturday.
As we publish these hikes, we’ll expand our range — similar to dropping a pebble in a pond to form concentric ripples, we’ll go a little farther from our start point each time.
Las Rejas, Avenida de la Sierra Nevada, 27, Cenes de la Vega
Destination: the Alhambra
This hike is actually all about the journey. It is not recommended if you have tickets to the Alhambra (which are totally worth it, to be sure) and need a way to get there. You’d be better off saving your energy for the Alhambra visit instead of hoofing it just to get there.
If, however, you missed out on scoring tickets to the monument, hit up “How to visit the Alhambra without tickets” for some pointers on how to get a taste for the place. Better yet, put those pointers with this hike and you’ve got a visit that’s nearly peerless. In other words, be different and take the scenic route to get to the Alhambra, it’s worth the going there every chance you get.
This hike is a point-to-point that starts at the city limits in the Lancha del Genil neighborhood. You’ll start out same as the previous hike but instead of climbing all the way to the top of Llano de la Perdiz, you’ll continue along the southern flank in the direction of Granada on a relatively easy dirt road that narrows into a footpath along the way.
Don’t look down!
There are a pair of narrow bridges along this route that are beautiful for their stonework. However, for folks who are used to much wider bridges, there’s a technique to crossing these. Look straight ahead to the other side, walk down the middle, and you’ll be fine.
