Museums Granada Spain - Attractions

This is where the saint San Juan de Dios died in 1550. He was a guest of the aristocratic García de Pisa family. The mansion is now headquarters to the charitable order he founded, La Orden de los Hermanos Hospitalarios, as well as a museum and art gallery. The art gallery has an important collection of Flemish paintings, including works by Van Cleve and Gosart. The museum contains relics of the saint himself. You'll find the building behind the Real Chancillería (High Court), just before entering Carrera del Darro. It has a Gothic-style façade with the orders coat-of-arms carved in stone. Inside, stairs from the Moorish-style courtyard lead to an attractive first-floor patio and chapel supported by columns from below. Admission: free

You get wonderful views of the Alhambra from this riverside promenade, especially at night when the palaces and fortress on the hill are all spectacularly lit up. The pedestrianized area has many bars with terraces where you can sit, relax and take in the surroundings. To get here, take Carrera del Darro from the far end of Plaza Nueva and you'll pass three interesting historic sights on the way: the Bañuelo (Arab baths), the Convento de Santa Catalina de Zafra (functioning 16th-century convent) and the Museo Arqueológico y Etnológico (Archaeological Museum), which is housed in a beautiful Renaissance mansion called Casa de Castril. Locals call this area Paseo de los Tristes, which translates as something like "route of no return", because it leads to what was Granada's main cemetery. Most maps refer to it as the Paseo del Padre Manjón. Carry on in the same direction and you'll get to the gypsy district of Sacromonte.

There's only one mass per week, on Sunday at midday. The walk out from the Albayz along Camino del Sacromonte is well worth it. This was a popular pilgrimage route during the 17th century and the way was lined with stone crosses. People came to worship at the site where the bones of early Christian martyrs had been found, in an old Roman limekiln. During the guided tour of the Abbey, you'll be taken along underground passages to see where the bodies were found. There's a fabulous collection of religious art, important historical documents and old maps and plans of Granada on display in the museum and other rooms. Come on February 1st, St. Cecil's Day, for the pilgrimage, special mass and outdoor picnic.

This church stands where the Albayzín's main mosque stood and you can still visit the mosque's original tranquil courtyard, which is surrounded by a gallery of horseshoe arches. The 16th-century church that was first built here was burnt to the ground in 1936 during the Spanish Civil War and had to be rebuilt. It's worth spending a few minutes in the small museum.

It's worth making a journey up to Sacromonte to see this atmospheric cave museum - a temple to the gypsy art of flamenco. The collection of costumes, instruments, accessories and photos will help you understand the mysterious art form and the lifestyles of its performers. Famous visitors include Spain's current royal family, Hollywood actors like Anthony Quinn, Nobel prize winners and important politicians. Enrique Carmona owns the place. He's the son of Maria 'La Canastera,' a famous flamenco singer and actress. He organizes regular gypsy fiestas known as Zambras. If you want to experience one of these authentic all-night sessions of music and dance, make a reservation in advance.

Manuel de Fallawas, is a Spanish classical music composer whose legacy lives on after his demise. His abode in Granada was opened as a museum and later it came to be the Centro Cultural Manuel de Falla as the permanent location. There are guided visits to the exhibitions within the centre and regular educational workshops are held for the benefit of the people.

This museum houses personal items that belonged to the saint - San Juan de Dios - who died here in 1550. The magnificent aristocratic mansion, Casa de los Pisa, is now headquarters to the charitable order he founded. Remains of his habit are kept here along with wood from his coffin and his walking stick. The room where he died has been converted into a lovely chapel. There's also an important collection of religious art on show that includes a famous 16th-century Flemish triptych by Van Cleve and works by Gosart, Bocanegra, Montañes and Pablo de Rojas, among others. The religious order display their own specific collection of relics in the rooms surrounding an attractive central courtyard. Admission: free

This palace was built by orders of Charles I, better known as Charles V in an unprecedented architectural design consisting i a square building with an oval in the center of it marking the yard. A little bit confusing this disposition. the palace was built inside the complex that is the Alhambra and today is a museum of Arts.

Even though it's located on the Alhambra hill, you don't have to be visiting the Alhambra complex to come in here. What you see is a great display of paintings and sculpture with Christian religious themes created by local artists like Alonso Cano, Diego de Siloé and Pedro de Mena, during the 16th and 17th centuries. The last rooms show some minor paintings from the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum's library has a specialist collection of books on Renaissance and baroque art. You'll find it on the second floor of Palacio de Carlos V (Carlos V's Palace). Check for open hours as they are seasonal.   

A small village outside of Granada is home to Spain’s great poet, Federico Garcia Lorca. The town of Fuente Vaqueros has transformed the birthplace of the poet into a museum. Known for his love of his native Andalucia, a trip to the birthplace of Lorca will be a highlight for any literary buff.

According to archaeologists, 500,000 years ago, this high plain, El Altiplano Granadino was a great lake where elephants, rhinos, bears and lions came to drink and hunt. The earliest humans to reach the European continent from Africa may have settled here. Recent finds around the village of Orce have led scientists to believe that Stone Age people lived here one and a half million years ago. Have a look at the Orces Museo de la Prehistoria (Pre-history Museum) at a fragment of the oldest human skull to be found in Europe. The adventurous can spend the night in a cave dwelling. This is a remote, under-populated, poor and starkly beautiful part of the province.

A mostly community funded organization, the Centro Cultural Caja Granada de Puerta Real is into organizing cultural activities and exhibitions from all over. The centre has a space of around 3500 square meters, dedicated to a museum solely. Designed by architect Alberto Campo Baeza the centre also has a theatre that regularly hosts live acts as well.