In the shadow of the great Sierra Nevada, the city of Granada is arguably one of the most cosmopolitan and historically-rich on the entire Iberian Peninsula. With a past that bears the influences of Moorish invaders, Christian crusaders and Spanish imperialists alike, its various sights range from arabesque palaces, to Catholic basilicas, forming a veneer that’s part white-washed Andalusia, part mystical North Africa.

First-time visitors love to lose themselves amidst the sea of churches and palaces that forms Granada’s old centre, flitting between the towering Cathedral of Granada (the second-largest in the country), the regal tombs of the Royal Chapel, and the sprawling Alhambra on the hill—Granada’s undisputed pièce de résistance and the onetime stronghold of Arabic sultans in Spain. Others enjoy wandering the city’s various districts and spying out its hidden crevices; people-watching from the charming cafés of Plaza Nueva serving free tapas, lining up for a informal flamenco performance, or enjoying the arabesque streets of Albayzin.

Your Granada tour guide will tell you that this city also represents a gateway to the fabled hinterlands of the greater region, offering up rugged mountain biking and laid-back beachcombing alike on the stretches of the Costa del Sol, and even skiing on the slopes of the Sierra Nevada to the south.