Guejar Sierra

A true mountain village set amongst stunning scenery just 15 kilometres from Granada and 20 to the ski slopes of Pradolino. It has a typical mountain atmosphere, relaxed and welcoming the village centre being a labyrinth of tiny streets and passageways in true 'Andaluz' style. The village is extremely well catered for with 3 Mini-markets, a variety of other shops and banks.

Local Cuisine, Bars and Restaurants :

A Walkers paradise:

There are many walks starting in and around Guejar Sierra with detailed maps and guides to time and difficulty available at the tourist office. One famous walk is the Via Verde, a former mountain railway line which has been converted to a 6km long walking and cycling track starting at the river Genil below the village and heading up the valley. If this is too much how about doing the first 2.5 km and having lunch at the Maitena restaurant before walking off the lunch with a gentle stroll back downhill.

          Wild roses high above Guejar Sierra

Travel & Locations:

• Village centre 4 minutes walk
• Reservoir 15 minutes walk
• Ski slopes 20 minutes by car
• Alhambra Palace 15 minutes by car
• Granada 15 minutes by car
• Airport 30 minutes by car
• Costa Tropical 1 hour by car

Skiing, Adventure and Sports Activities

The ski resort of Pradollino has 87km of pisted slopes and being a modern resort plenty of snow machines. The resort base is at 2100m with the top station at 3300m. There are 24 lifts and the longest run is 'El Aguila' at 5.9km and if you have not had enough during the day you can ski at night on Saturdays.

There is plenty of opportunity to enjoy other sports such as climbing canoeing, rafting, kayaking, mountain biking, parascending and horse riding. Details can be found in our welcome book or if you want to book ahead this can be arranged through our agent.

Granada:

Granada got its current name when the Arabs invaded the Iberian peninsular in the 8th century and it was the last city to fall to the christians in 1492. It has many wonderful buildings from this time including the Cathedral with the Royal chapel, the Monastery of La Cartuja and many churches built in the unique 'Mudejar' style. The hill facing the Alhambra is the old Moorish casbah, called the Albaicin, a maze of narrow streets and whitewashed houses with inner courtyards, all beautifully tiled. At its highest point is the Plaza de San Nicolas, famous for its splendid view of the Alhambra palace.

The Alhambra palace

The Alhambra Palace is often hailed as the most exciting, sensual and romantic of all European monuments. Set on a wooded hill above the city, it was built in the 14th century by the sultans of Granada. It represents the splendid climax of Moorish art but, much more than this, it also reveals the brilliance and spirit of their culture at a time when the rest of Europe was only just emerging from the Dark Ages. It is a series of palaces & gardens built in the 14th century the main ones being the Generalife, or summer palace, with its magnificent fountains and in the centre the massive Palace of Charles V.

Sierra Nevada National Park :

The Sierra Nevada National Park commences at almost sea level rising to just under 3500 metres with numerous peaks over 3000 metres, the highest being Mulhacen at 3482m closely followed by Veleta at 3396m. This is the second largest mountain range( after the Alps) in Europe. Once the snows have gone the area offers some of the most varied collections of flora and fauna to be found in Europe. It is also a birdwatchers paradise with more than 60 species to be found. Nesting birds of prey include Egyptian Vultures, Bonelli and Golden eagles, peregrine falcons and kestrels. The most common mammal is the Spanish Ibex, a type of mountain goat, wild cats and wild boar.

Las Alpujarras :

This is the region that lies between the Sierra Nevada range and the sea. Perched on the steep sides of the mountains with fast flowing streams and wooded valleys are many beautiful towns and villages. Bubion,Pampaneira and Capileira are three delightful villages with a magnificent position in the Poqueira gorge which are well worth visiting visiting. Higher still is Trevelez, Spain's highest inhabited village, where some of the best cured ham(jamon serrano) is produced.

The Costa Tropical

It has a unique coastline, just 1 hour away, and is different to any other part of southern Spain Here rugged hills thrust up steeply from valley floors or plunge spectacularly into the sea. The three main coastal towns are Motril, Salobrena and Almunecar all offering different attractions but Almunecar is the most important holiday resort in the province. It has been significantly developed over the last few years but not to the extent of resorts on the Costa del Sol. It retains a pleasantly laidback atmosphere & the old town , founded as a fishing settlement by the Phoenicians in the first millennium BC, remains delightfully untouched. This is a good sized town with a large variety of shops & covered market for high quality fresh produce plus a street market every friday. The locals are very fond of their fiestas and there are huge parades each day in the week leading up to Easter. Also worth a visit is the beautiful bay of La Herradura which has many bars/restaurants on the beach. There are Diving schools, paragliding, dinghy and windsurfer rental. A large catamaran with crew is also available for hire.

Andalucia

It is often said that the rich tapestry of Spain originates from this one province of Andalucia. Birthplace of Flamenco and Bullfights, of Velaquez and Picasso, it is a land of orange blossom, snow white Pueblos and ruined castles. Here under the burning Andalucian sun lie the magnificent remains of almost 1,000 years of Moorish rule. Artists, poets, seekers of harmony in life and art, the Moors left to Andalucia a remarkable heritage which includes two of the most beautiful buildings in the world, the Mezquita in Cordoba and the Alhambra in Granada. Andalucia has an enormous diversity of landscapes with beautiful beaches set against the imposing mountain backdrop of the Sierras.

Cordoba

Cordoba (180 km) under Moorish rule was once the largest and most civilised city in the western world, and the Mezquita or Great Mosque still represents the zenith of Moslem architecture.

Seville

Seville (270 km) has been ruled in various stages in history by the Romans, the Visigoths, the Moors and finally reclaimed by the Christians in the 13th century. It is reflected particularly in the architecture with buildings of Moorish, Mudejar, Renaissance and Baroque style. Andalucia's capital city is now a compact maze of streets with a fascinating selection of places to visit.