Between Salobreña and Motril there is the CN-323, a road which leads
to Granada.The road climbs between slopes coved with almond and fruit
trees and passes through lovely scenery.
There is the turn off for Lanjaron, the point of
departure of the itinerary through the Upper Alpujarra, which will be
described later on. From this point onward the excursion takes place at
the foot of the Sierra Nevada.
A walk includes the added attraction of the magnificent background consisting of the Sierra Nevada and El Albaicin as well as the Christian part of Granada city. Inside La Alhambra there is a Parador, which occupies a convent standing on the site of an Arab palace.
La Carrera del Darro, a boulevard on the Darro, one of the two Granada rivers, lies between the towers of La Alhambra and El Albaicin. The aristocratic western façades along the river on this side are the boundary of this lovely area, which is almost a proclamation of urban Muslim architecture. Small, winding streets climb the slope of El Albaicin between whitewashed houses, cypresses and palm-trees. The panorama once again fully justifies the pleasant walk.
On a walk through the centre the traveller discovers areas exclusive to Granada city: La Alcaiceria, which is a maze of little, narrow streets like passageways, Bilbarrambla Square, El Corral del Carbon and other places of similar attraction.
Outside there is yet another place of interest: El Sacromonte, an area where gypsies have their cave dwellings, some of which are used as restaurants and for flamenco shows today.
A local road climbs rapidly to a height of 2,500m in the Sierra Nevada. The skiing resort, the Parador and other facilities have turned these parts into a crowded place.
The same road continues to climb almost as far as the Veleta, a 3,398m peak, in the vicinity of the Mulhacen (46km from Granada), which is the highest peak (3,482m) in the Iberian peninsula. The view from there covers the whole southern slope of the sierra and the region of Las Alpujarras. There is a forest track between the Mulhacen and the village of Capileira, but it is suggested that the traveller take a much longer, though much safer, route, by which he gets to know the most fascinating parts of Las Alpujarras, a region which treats its Moorish inheritance with the utmost care.
