A Comprehensive Guide about Living in Granada

Life in Granada

Culture and Leisure

Granada is home to the famous Alhambra, once a Moorish palace and citadel, which was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984. Today it is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Spain. The site, which is part fortress, part palace and part gardens, sits on a plateau overlooking the city and can be seen from almost everywhere in Granada.

Not far from the city is the Sierra Nevada ski station, which hosted the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 1996. This is a great location for ski and snowboard enthusiasts, and there are outdoor activities year round.

Granada is a lively and sociable city. Any night of the week, you will find people mingling and socializing in the squares, bars and restaurants of the city. There is also a small but well-connected expat community in Granada, so you’re likely to meet like-minded expats from your home country.

Education in Granada

In Granada it’s compulsory for children to start school in the September of the calendar year in which they turn six. Before this there are pre-schools available. The secondary school leaving certificate is the ESO, followed by the Bachillerato, which is the equivalent to the British A-Levels.

Each state school has a catchment area, and you can apply to any school within the zone that you live in. In order to enroll your child, you will need to be registered at the town hall on the electoral roll, provide copies of passports and birth certificates, and other paperwork.

There is only one international school in the wider province of Granada; Almunecar International School, which is located in the city of Jaén, an hour’s drive away. Many state schools have started a bilingual pilot project, where lessons are taught in Spanish, along with one other language, such as English, French or German.

Transportation in Granada

Granada is a compact city, making it very easy to get around on foot. You’ll quickly learn your way around and realize that a car probably isn’t necessary.

The city has a new bus service operated by Transortes Rober, covering the metropolitan area. These can be identified by the red buses that run from 07:00 to 23:00. There are travel cards called CrediBus available, where you can add pay as you go credit, or a monthly travel card that costs 41 euros for unlimited travel on the bus system.

The Granada metro, a light metro system, is under construction. It is due to be opened at some point in 2015, and will connect the neighborhoods of Albolote, Maracena and Armilla.

Taxis are very reasonably priced, and are a useful way for those living in Granada to get around, especially late at night. Licensed taxis are always white with a green diagonal stripe across the front door.