Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of visiting the city of Granada, which is one of the top tourist stops in Spain. There was a magical presence about Granada from the moment we arrived.
The mountains in the background, or the Sierra Nevada, were an amazing way to make the city stand out. Because it is nestled in the mountains, Granada has a mountainous terrain. The air was also much cooler than Sevilla because of its location.
The heavy Moorish, influence was easy to see while exploring the city. Granada was the crown jewel of the Moorish empire until 1492, when King Ferdinand and Queen Isabel conquered it. Granada was the last place to fall to Ferdinand and Isabel, so the Moors left an ingrained mark in the city’s history.
Shops and restaurants capitalized on the Moorish history by making travellers feel like they were transported into a different time. Scarfs, lamps, jewelry and dinnerware were painted colorfully and easily caught my eye.
The first night in Granada we were treated to a traditional flamenco show. The passion and fiery motions of the dancers and singers were mesmerizing. It was unbelievable to see the dancers tap and move with such ease.
The next day people had free time to explore on their own, so I went to El Mirador de San Nicholas, a lookout point over Granada. It was a long and steep trek to find El Mirador, but in the end, the walk was completely worth the view.
The mountains, Alhambra palace and rustic homes of the city knitted together to form one of the most majestic and breathtaking views I had ever seen. It almost seemed unreal that a view so stunning could exist.
Once I finished exploring, our group had an extensive tour of the Alhambra palace, where the sultans or leaders of Moorish Spain lived. The palace was like a city in itself with beautiful gardens, views of the city and architecture everywhere we walked. Being able to see the luxury Spanish rulers lived in was a very special experience.
Some people talked about trying to decide between Granada and Seville for their location, and I can see why it was a difficult decision. They both are beautiful places that anyone would enjoy. Each city had its pros and cons, though.
Granada is more isolated than other Spanish cities. It does not have the beach or airports close by, which makes traveling harder to do. The city is also pretty small, so if you like trying new activities all the time it might not be the best fit. The nightlife is pretty quiet, so if you are interested in a lively scene it may be better to try a larger city like Sevilla.
Anyone interested in winter sports would love Granada’s location because of the mountains. It has one of the most popular skiing resorts in Europe. The weather is also more temperate and less humid than Sevilla, so if you do not want a ton of sun, Granada may be better.
In either case, you would be able to study in a city with a beautiful location and scenery. Sevilla is a larger city, with access to Portugal and beach towns. Because of its size, Sevilla is not the kinds of place you can explore all the activities in a few weeks. It would be quite difficult to get bored with the amount of things to do there.
On the other hand, Sevilla is much more humid and deals with more extremes weather wise. If you are not a city type person and you would rather have less people around, Granada may be better to consider.
Many of the locals do not speak English in Sevilla, so someone without a ton of Spanish speaking experience may want to try going to somewhere else, like Granada.
One important tip to remember is no matter where you decide to go, you can always make a weekend or side trip to the city you did not choose. Whatever decision you make, you can count on having a wonderful time abroad, whether in Spain or halfway across the globe.