Granada is an irresistible city that reveals small corners from which to fall in love with the city, or to fall in love with the majesty of its imposing Alhambra.
The city offers a wide range of viewpoints. Although I have not yet been able to discover them all – the list is almost endless – here you will find some travel inspiration.
Best viewpoints in Granada
A visit to a viewpoint is a real social ritual in Granada.
Visiting the city? You can’t land in the city without having brought a list of viewpoints to go to.
It’s Sunday and you don’t have any plans after the tapas? let’s go to a viewpoint!
Although it’s true that – out of idleness, the kind that invades you when you live in a place – you always end up going to the same places. You know the streets perfectly well enough to get to them without the need for Google Maps, and that’s enough to make your feet go in that direction almost without thinking about it.
Although, undoubtedly, wandering in search of new places from which to contemplate the icon of the city is stimulating. Just as it is to lose yourself in the narrow streets of the Albaicín – a must in Granada – or to go into the Sacromonte in search of them.
Will you join me to discover some of Granada’s viewpoints?
📍 Mirador de San Nicolás
Mirador de San Nicolás is an institution in Granada. Nobody can resist going up to it to enjoy an extremely beautiful panoramic view of the city. Its strategic location attracts thousands of tourists every year. It is well worth a visit to stop and enjoy the scenery. My advice to avoid the inevitable crowds is to visit it in the early hours of the morning. You will be able to see it practically empty, as in the photograph.
📍 Mirador Mezquita Mayor de Granada
Just a few metres from the emblematic Mirador de San Nicolás, you will find Mirador Mezquita Mayor, whose gardens are home to some equally incredible views of the Alhambra, and of the city of Granada itself. It sounds paradoxical – and it is! But it is a vantage point that escapes the crowds and where you can enjoy the views without being crowded. In addition, the building hides beautiful nooks and crannies and a lovely Arabic-style fountain.
📍Mirador Placeta de Carvajales
This viewpoint has everything you could ask for from a good viewpoint in Granada: views of the Alhambra ✅, benches to sit on ✅ and peace and quiet ✅. It is not the emptiest viewpoint, but it is one of the most welcoming to succumb to the charms of Granada. For me it is one of the best in the city.
📍Mirador Carmen de la Victoria
Granada is the city of the Carmenes. Its Albaicín and Sacromonte are the neighbourhoods where these cármenes are located. Some of them can still be visited.
The cármenes are a type of dwelling of Moorish heritage typical of these parts of the city. They have a small garden and orchard, and were conceived as a place of enjoyment. Hence, some of them, such as this one, enjoy unbeatable views of the Alhambra. Specifically, this Carmen, the Carmen de la Victoria, belongs to the University of Granada. It is a guest residence, where courses are taught, and to which tourists can go to explore its gardens🌲
📍Mirador Mario Maya o de la Vereda de Enmedio
This viewpoint has been one of my latest discoveries in Granada.
Finding it was similar to what you feel when, after wandering all over the city, you find a free seat on the metro. A ration of happiness comparable to a Sunday of sofa and Netflix in the middle of winter 😌. I knew it as Mario Maya, but – as I found out later – it’s usually called Mirador de la Vereda de Enmedio. The reason for its name? 🤔 Easy. It is located in a street of that name, in the heart of Sacromonte, near the famous caves with which it shares its name.
📍Mirador Ojo de Granada
Strange as it may seem, it is not unusual to come across a place with unbeatable views of the city and not remember its name. Granada has an infinite number of hidden corners to contemplate it. Hence, the best way to find them is by wandering through its narrow streets 🗺.
I visited this viewpoint countless times during my time at university in Granada, and I never knew what its name was. In fact, I discovered it the day before writing this article because I remembered it was near Té Ábaco – a place I highly recommend 👌. This viewpoint is located near Calle Elvira, less than 10 minutes from Arco Elvira and the Cathedral.
📍 Mirador de la Churra
There are only two ways to find new viewpoints in Granada: researching in the first Google search results, or someone decides to take you to one whose name you have never heard in your life 🤯. And that’s exactly what happened to me with this viewpoint.
It’s located in Plaza Nueva, and accessing it is super easy. You just have to go up the Cuesta Gomérez, which is on the right hand side of Plaza Nueva and takes you to the Alhambra Forest. Once you are going up that slope, turn left into an alley that leads to the Placeta de la Miga. Below this viewpoint there is a bar called “Huerto del Loro”, if you fancy a beer or a coffee with a view ☕.