Nightlife in Granada
One of the most popular aspects of Granada is the free tapas. No other city in Spain offers free tapas with the purchase of a drink, and the tapas in Granada are both generous and delicious. With the purchase of 2 or 3 drinks, you can eat dinner for very little money, and your night will begin in a fun, relaxed way. To start the night, most people choose a tapas bar and go have a few drinks and snacks before heading out for the night. Most bars don’t open until 20:30 or so, and therefore close their doors around midnight.
After satisfying your dinner needs, you have many options for what to do next. Close to Plaza Nueva is a street lined with Arabic teahouses, shops, and vendors. Stepping onto Calle Calderería Nueva is like stepping into a different country, with the incense, teapots, hookah bars, and brightly colored fabrics for sale. For a relaxing evening, choose any of the teterías (tea shops) along the road, order a pot of tea, some Arabic desserts, and smoke some hookah until the early hours of the morning. These little cafés are a great place to chat with friends and relax, instead of a crazy night on the town.
For a different type of relaxation, head to the Arab Hammam Baths in Calle Santa Ana, or any of the other bath houses scattered throughout the city. With 90 minutes soaking in baths of cold, warm, and hot waters, plus the use of a steam room, free calming tea, and a short relaxing message, your tension will fade away. Dating back to the times of the Romans and Moors, these baths have long been a pastime of people throughout Andalucia, and the decor alone is worth the money.
Another option is to start the evening with a typical Andalucian pastime and attend a flamenco show. A wide variety of shows are offered throughout the city, and the most popular destination is the hill of El Sacromonte on the northern edge of the city. Located in the former gypsy caves, El Sacromonte is now one of the most ‘touristy’ places to see flamenco, but the music and dancing is still as authentic as it was centuries ago.
While these options are both relaxing and cultural, the true Granada nightlife lies in the plentitude of bars and clubs all through the city. Mae West, a 5 floor nightclub which charges a £10 entry fee, gives you two ‘copas’ (mixed drinks) with the entry. Each room in the club has a different theme and different music playing, giving you plenty of options to dance the night away. Granada 10 is another dance club, frequented by a younger crowd, and the line outside forms early in the evening. For a cheap drink, head to the Chupitería on Calle Pedro Antonio de Alarcón and select a shot from one of more than 100 options. No matter where you go, or what you do, in Granada a good time is to be had by all!
