Granada or Seville: which Andalusian city is best for you?
Spain is up there with France and Italy for its sheer number of city break options. Seville is one of the big hitters, along with Madrid and Barcelona, but it's not the only superb option in the sultry southern region of Andalusia.
Granada is rightly famous for its remarkable Alhambra, but there is more to Granada these days as a steady stream of savvy city breakers are finding.
Both come washed with Moorish history and burst with glorious food and architecture, both have long hot summers, and both are well set up for tourists. So, which wins out in a straight contest between Seville and Granada?
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The vibe
Seville, Spain's fourth largest city, is one of its most thrilling Spanish metropolises, alive with tourists rumbling around on horse-drawn carriages during the day, along with boats bobbing around on its lifeblood river. Then at night it really buzzes as all the tapas bars get going in earnest, with flamenco shows swaggering on into the night in the home of flamenco.
Granada is much smaller than Seville and, by comparison, much quieter and more laidback. Yes, it is crowded during the day with tourists making a beeline for you know where, but after dark it doesn't quite have the same buzz as Seville.
Saying that, it doesn't die off at night as it used to a couple of decades ago. Seville still kicks off with a bang, though, winning this one.
The Alcazar versus the Alhambra
Is this contest within a contest even fair? Not really, but then again, few historic sights in Europe can hold their own against Granada's Alhambra, not just a European glory indeed, but one of the wonders of the world.
This majestic palace and fortress complex dominates the city. If you're intrigued by Islamic architecture and Moorish grandeur, you could lose yourself here for days in this UNESCO World Heritage-listed marvel. It is without doubt the finest Moorish building in Spain. Think ornate tiles, soaring columns, water features and greenery; there really is nothing like it.
Back in Seville, the Alcazar, or the Royal Alcazar of Seville, is in itself a joy. It swirls the Iberian Mudejar style in with Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance to conjure up a UNESCO World Heritage oasis that breathes greatness into Seville's centre.
More ornate tiles abound alongside gardens, sweeping arches, salons and patios. Seriously good effort, Seville, but there is just no seeing past the Alhambra, so it's a win for Granada.
Historic centres
Seville boasts one of the most impressive old quarters in Spain. Its vaulting cathedral and the General Archive of the Indies are both part of the UNESCO World Heritage designation along with the Alcazar.
This deeply historic core is awash with cobbles, orange trees and horse-drawn carriages: a living Andalusian postcard.
There are myriad churches to explore, lashings of museums, and plenty of refreshment stops en route, all part of a historic experience Disney could not have made more entertaining. And Seville comes too with that rich waft of history and authenticity that Disney can only dream of.
Granada's old town was always going to be dominated, quite literally, by the Alhambra. Granada's old town sports a grand cathedral of its own. The Alcaicería, meanwhile, is the old bazaar and ripples with echoes of the city's Moorish past.
Granada wears its history on its sleeve, its cobbled streets still tingling with influences from its Jewish, Roma and Muslim communities. A win here still for Seville, but a solid showing for Granada even beyond the Alhambra.
The home of tapas
Surely this is a no-brainer for Seville as the birthplace of tapas? It is not, though, so cut-and-dried, and Granada has a surprise up its sleeve that ties into Seville's tradition.
Seville is, of course, the capital of tapas, its streets bursting with tapas bars where you can tuck into the likes of tortilla and jamon serrano, washed down with the Andalusian tipple, sherry.
The city overflows with tapas options, from the oldest tapas bar El Rinconcillo, where the locals have been quaffing tapas since 1670, through to a new wave of stylish tapas haunts appealing to a younger crowd.
Traditionally, all the tapas in Seville were free, originating as lids to cover sherry glasses with a few snacks on top, but these days that is something you see less and less, with tourism playing a large part in the change.
On to Granada's trump card: many bars here still offer free tapas, a godsend in these cash-strapped times. So it's a late rally from Granada, but for the tradition and sheer breadth of venue choice, Seville shades it.
After dark
There are tapas bars in both cities, and lashings of bars in both cities in general, but this is Andalusia, so it has to be a night of flamenco. Seville is deeply etched into Andalusian culture, a rich, thrilling cultural phenomenon you have to savour at least once.
The dance is brought alive with the distinctive guitar and the piercing, soul-ravaging intensity of the songs. Seville is the epicentre of flamenco culture, its blend of music and dance bringing the streets of the historic Triana quarter across the river to life.
You will find the most authentic traditional tablaos venues here. There are different palos, or styles, of flamenco, so it's worth trying a few different venues. Granada also has a solid flamenco scene, though it is nothing on the scale of Seville.
It does offer the atmospheric experience of flamenco in Sacromonte, where some of the earliest flamenco emerged from the local caves. For the range and accessibility of the flamenco, I'm siding with Seville on this one.
Day trips
The cheekiest day trip from each city is to the other one. Trains between them take from two and a half hours, so it's a long day trip for the dedicated. Seville is less than an hour by train from Jerez if you want to nip down to the famous sherry bodegas.
You can swirl around two or three in a day with a leisurely lunch. It's less than an hour and a half by train to Cadiz. The oldest city in Europe has great beaches, delicious seafood and a gorgeous historic core.
From Granada, it's about an hour drive south to Nerja for its beaches and laidback vibe. Literally the most obvious day-trip option is to the Sierra Nevada mountain range. The hiking here is superb, with 4x4 guided trips available too. On day trips, we'll call this an honourable draw, especially as you can get between the two of them.
And the winner? Well, Granada, Alhambra aside, was always going to have a tough time against one of Europe's great city break destinations in Seville. But it has put up a perhaps surprisingly strong showing across the board, running close to Seville.
Seville remains the winning choice for a city break, but if you've been there already, or fancy something different, Granada beckons. It's a city that, much like Seville, definitely warrants more than a day trip.
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Seville vs Granada
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The above graphs compare the climate in Seville with the climate in Granada. Find out more about conditions across the country in our complete guide to the climate in Spain.
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