What You Need to Know When You’re Moving to Granada

Relocating to Granada

About the City

Granada is located in the foothills of the stunning Sierra Nevada Mountains, covered with snow year round, in the southern Spanish province of Andalucía. Despite sitting at an altitude of 783 meters above sea level, the city is only an hour’s drive from the Mediterranean coast.

Today the city is home to about 250,000 people. The wider metropolitan area of Granada has over 470,000 people, making it the 13th largest urban area in the country. The university brings in approximately 80,000 students from Spain and around the world.

While most people are Spanish, the city is home to people from all over the world, with South Americans making up the largest numbers of foreigners. Popular with tourists, Granada is a beautiful city with lots to offer those visiting or considering making it their home.

Finding Accommodation

Accommodation in Granada is very reasonable when compared to other cities in Spain. There’s a wide range on offer, from small rustic inner city apartments, to modern luxury apartments and larger traditional Spanish houses further out from the city center. Rentals tend to go very quickly due to the high number of students, especially in the summer months, and many are never advertised online.

It’s therefore advisable to book a hotel or short term rental for a few weeks when you first arrive. This gives you time to explore different neighborhoods and enquire with local real estate agents before deciding on a property to rent.

One neighborhood popular with expats moving to Granada is the Albaicin — a residential zone with beautiful 16th-century exteriors, although many have been renovated so you can expect 21st-century interiors with all the modern conveniences. The Albaicin is conveniently located about 15 minutes’ walk from the city center.

The Climate in Granada

Granada experiences four distinct seasons. The winters are relatively mild with temperatures ranging from 1 to 12 degrees Celsius, and rarely drops below zero. This is the perfect time to enjoy the winter sports on offer at the Sierra Nevada ski station.

In spring and autumn the weather is warm with lots of sunshine. This is when the hillsides are bursting with color and it’s a great time to explore the outdoors, especially the mountains. It’s great for city life and dining al fresco.

The summers are hot, with the temperatures between 17 and 33 degrees Celsius. Although not as humid as other parts of Spain, many locals escape from the heat by going to the coast. As a rule, Granada is very sunny throughout the year, and the city experiences very little rainfall — it’s said that Granada enjoys 333 days of sunshine a year.