Albaicin

The Albaicin occupies the hill facing the Alhambra across the Darro ravine and keeps the street plan of the Moorish city: narrow stepped lanes running at odd angles, high whitewashed walls, and behind them the carmenes, walled houses with terraced gardens of cypress, jasmine and fruit trees hidden from the street. It was inscribed by UNESCO in 1994 as an extension of the Alhambra listing. The Mirador de San Nicolas gives the classic view of the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada behind, best in late afternoon and consequently crowded. Remains of the eleventh-century walls, Moorish cisterns, the El Banuelo bath house and the Dar al-Horra palace survive within the quarter.

What you actually see

• Mirador de San Nicolas - the classic Alhambra view with the sierra behind.
• The carmen gardens - walled terraced gardens hidden behind high walls.
• El Banuelo - an eleventh-century Moorish bath house.
• The stepped lanes - a Moorish street plan largely intact.

When to go

Spring and autumn; late afternoon and sunset draw crowds to San Nicolas, so slightly earlier or a different mirador is quieter. Summer heat makes the climb hard, and the lanes are steep in any season.

Honest expectations

The lanes are steep, cobbled and confusing, and getting lost is normal. San Nicolas is heavily crowded at sunset with buskers and vendors, and pickpocketing is reported there. Cars are impractical; the minibuses are the sensible option.

Nearby

Sacromonte adjoins the quarter to the east; the Alhambra is across the ravine and the cathedral below.