At first glance, Zurich would seem to be the city of money and private banking, nice shoes and the ultimate in education, the city of luxury and shopping, of lakes and parks. But Zurich is also a city with a very interesting cultural side to it and some daring designers.

A good reference point for finding your way around Zurich is the Hauptbahnhof or, in other words, the central railway station. This enormous station will be your starting point or destination on any trip to or from the airport and from where you can catch the urban trams and buses that travel around the city. In the Swiss capital, public transport is the best option. Forget the taxis unless you want to pay about 30 euros per trip. Speaking of money, the Switzerland still uses the Swiss Franc and paying for things in euros is expensive. We recommend you use a card whenever you can. The cost of living in Switzerland is approximately two and a half times that of Spain. For example, a breakfast of white coffee and a croissant will cost you about eight euros.

Old Zurich is close to the central station, just across the River Limmat. Pedestrian cobbled streets, many bookshops and perfect for a stroll around here.

After, I head over to Langstrasse between districts 4 and 5. A Swiss friend highly recommended it to me because it is the best place to find the most modern and exciting part of the city.

Langstrasse was once a rather vulgar street – if that word can be used to describe the this luxurious city– where you can still find the odd erotic cinema and presumably a few places devoted to decadence. However, the modern reality is completely different. Langstrasse is where we can find such original cultural offerings as Perla-Mode. I walk inside and allow myself to be seduced by the words of Stefan. Perla-Mode is, according to Stefan, a group of artists who have taken over number 84 Langstrasse to develop contemporary art, thought and culture. A series of different rooms enable artists to exhibit their works, people to attend informal talks and chats on culture, art and anthropology and also house an improvised cinema built using old seats from the football stadium and wooden palets to show films that are later discussed in a small room. Wonderful. Perla-Mode consists of the Corner College and Motto Books, where you can find numerous books and magazines on architecture, photography and design from all over the world. Stefan tells me that there are plans to demolish the building to build housing blocks and that Perla-Mode will most probably no longer exist in February 2012. If you are in the Swiss capital before then, it is worth calling by to meet this group of artists to see what they have done to the place.

Just opposite Perla-Mode, I find Soho – an enormous erotic clothing store with various fetish items, leather boots and, as Sonja explains (the girl who approaches me as I enter the shop), things to help make life a little less boring.

I make my way along Langstrasse and find many more shops, some more interesting than others. I’m heading towards Joseffstrasse, following the directions given to me by the people of Zurich. Langstrasse itself is home to all kinds of shops: shoe shops, food outlets, kiosks, fashion shops, etc.

Before stopping to eat somewhere that was recommended to me, the Bistro Föifi 30 at 48 Josefstrasse, I venture over to explore a curious-looking shop, Senior Design Factory. Seduced by the window display, I walk inside and speak to one of its creators, Deborah Biffi, who tells me the story of this social design project that she began in 2008 with her partner Benjamin Moser. The history of Senior Design Factory began with a university degree project they decided to move from paper to reality and which materialised in the space where I’m standing. The project seeks to work with older people no younger than 75. They work with them on the creation of hand-made craftwork designed by them. All the wisdom and experience of many years manifested in wonderful decoration items. Some of them are rather surprising: from kitchen items to lamps or household decorations. Wool is a main feature of the items on sale in this shop. On Saturdays, workshops are held in which the older people teach youngsters the secrets behind their creativity.

The shop itself and its social purpose fascinated me and I was chatting for a long time with Deborah. As I leave, I see that the Bistro Föifi 30 is full to bursting and I am recommended a Turkish restaurant on Gasometerstrasse, Bar Valentins. After a bite to eat, I head down Josefstrasse towards the viaduct. I am told there are some very interesting things to see over there, and they were certainly right.

Before reaching the viaduct, I find Josefwiesse – a lovely park where parents are playing with their children and where others can have a drink while the kids run around in the park. A touch of the mountain countryside in the heart of the city.

As I leave Josefwiesse, I come across the famous viaduct. It is right next to the park and called Im Viadukt on Viaduktstrasse. Each archway of the viaduct is home to a fashion shop, a bar or another of many varied businesses. I take a look around and decide to enter Famous Ape. An original Swiss shop with two establishments: this one in Zurich and another in Geneva. Anina tells me a little about the shop and lets me look around. Goyagoya is another of the shops I decide to take a closer look at. Women’s clothing from German designers and some hard-to-find brands because they produce their work using traditional methods. 52 different shops and a market, the MarktHalle. Accessories and bicycles in Velos, workshops like Daniel Blunschi, flowers in Marsano, hairdressing and clothing in Fashionslave or fashionable bars like Ambrossi Coffee Bar.

I leave the area to head over to the Cabaret Voltaire, temple to Dadaism and a must-see in Zurich. Before I get there, I stop off to visit the city’s great lake. I sit on a bench, like many other locals, and stare at the ducks, the Alps in the background and the edge of Zurich as it surrounds the lake.

The Cabaret Voltaire smells of history. In fact, it has a room containing exhibitions and where they offer performances that maintain the spirit that gave rise to the Dada movement. I like what I see and have a beer in the bar at the Cabaret Voltaire. Before leaving the culture centre, I visit the shop to buy a piece of history in the form of a souvenir.

In the evening, I go for a few beers at Sihlcity – a leisure centre that has risen out of the ruins of an old factory. In the middle of the square, they have kept the characteristic chimney that provides the industrial feel that the surroundings cry out for. There are hotels, shops, restaurants and a disco and concert hall, the Papiersaal, where you can have a few drinks of an evening.

Why not take a trip to Zurich? Have a look at our flights here!

The food thing in Moscow is rather odd – with exceptions, it’s usually simpler and better quality in economical eateries than in pretentious upmarket restaurants. Why should that be? We could go off on a historical, aesthetic, cultural, existential rant that would lead us back to Lenin’s czars, via the Cold War, and end up reflecting on certain post-Perestroika aesthetic criteria affecting much of Russia’s ruling classes, Yeltsin’s new rich now happily ensconced in capitalism. That aversion to minimalism; that Russianhorror vacuiexuded largely by the prevailing fashion, architecture and – of course – gastronomy.

Hence, by adopting the mantra that less is more – an idea many Russians eschew – you will win the gastronomic battle in a city as fascinating as it is hostile, but overwhelmingly beautiful, so different from what we pictured in our mind’s-eye. A city in which you need to have all your wits about you, the impelling need to come to grips with everything which is the driving force behind any journey. And, remain impervious to the odd diatribe hurled at you by Russians of any age and condition, who vent all their pent-up energy just to make it quite clear from the word go that they detest you and everything you stand for.

And, once you have experienced the cold and have been shouted at in Russian; once you have strolled along those huge avenues designed for tanks rather than people, and discovered, to your dismay, that in many respects Moscow is more like London than Moscow, then you will realise you have gained greater insight into the 20th century. And, that nobody who has not borne the brunt of being yelled at forcefully in Russian at least once in their life is in a position to voice an opinion about last century, or about its legacy, its influence on us and, in short, about who we are.

However, as we dedicated long, endless hours of strolling about to existential reflection, we also ate. At times, amazingly poor food, in mainly pseudo-modern restaurants. At others, very tasty food, in those places we are interested in here – notably more modest restaurants. Here, then, is the selection of our ten favourite restaurants in Moscow:

1. Caffe del Parco (Via di Camaldoli, 7)

Take note, hipsters. This will be your favourite restaurant in Moscow, located in what is surely about to become your landmark district in the city – Red October – alongside the river, by way of a Russian version of Williamsburg-Malasaña-Shoreditch still in the making, and that is the best part about it. There aren’t many establishments there yet, although there is the odd interesting store, a bookshop and a good number of restaurants with recycled furniture, bars, DJs and nightlife. Caffe del Parco, recently opened by a Sicilian who settled in Moscow some years ago, is a charming, minimalist café-restaurant where they have recovered the nonna’s recipes and where we were lucky enough to taste one of the best risottos ever. Just another of the thousands of paradoxes Moscow metes out to the visitor.

2. Cafe Mart

Pressing on with our modern streak, this cafe, one of two branches of the Moscow Modern Art Museum, is located in a delightful garden adorned with statues by the Georgian artist, Tsereteli, and packed with families dedicated to the noble art of brunch, with a host of children scuttling about the dining-room or participating in one of the workshops held inside. Delicious coffee, pastries, sandwiches and the odd dish on the simple, unpretentious menu featuring a combination of French cuisine with Georgian specialities in a setting that could well be somewhere in Berlin or Amsterdam.

3. Harat’s Pub

This small, cosy Irish pub on Arbat street, a broad pedestrian avenue that acts as the nerve centre of the city’s shopping and leisure milieu, happens to be one of the few options for having a drink. It is an unusual spot, run by a friendly Muscovite and former resident of Andalusia who loves Latin culture to the extent that he cares less about heading an Irish pub and is unfazed by its siting in one of Moscow’s mainstream precincts where one would expect to find some Russification, rather than forays into the cosmopolitan. He and his rock clientele seem to be enthusiasts of the Spanish beat, so that when you step inside you are hit by a full-blown “Lega-lega-li-za-ción” seemingly blaring out from some boomboxes. Indeed, the crowd here are fans of Spain, Ska-P, imported birras and Ireland in all their magnitude, and this strange yet endearing mix makes for one of Moscow’s most entertaining bars.

4.  Varenichnaya N.1 (Arbat, 29)

This is our favourite restaurant in the city, an unpretentious, pleasant, centrally located and economical eatery also on Arbat street which offers traditional Russian cuisine in the form of such dishes as vareniki (a pasta pie with various fillings, topped with a delicious sauce), pelmini (a similar dish of Ukrainian origin) and chebureki (traditional meat-filled pasties). They also have a selection of traditional pancakes, cocktails with or without alcohol, coffee and homemade pastries. All set in large, crowded but very cosy premises with motley adornments revealing extraordinary good taste juxtaposed with others striking one as just the opposite. This matters not the least when you sink your teeth into one of the economically priced delicacies served by charming staff who, surprisingly, are able to communicate in English.

5. Varvary

A rundown of gastronomy in Moscow is not complete without mention of Anatoly Komm, the country’s first chef to earn a Michelin star, who has an avant-garde restaurant offering haute cuisine known as Varvary. If you can afford it, it is worth booking a table in the dining-room run by this eccentric and unclassifiable chef who applies the latest cutting-edge techniques to a base of traditional Russian cooking (soups, smoked food). Komm regrets the terrible autarky Russia is going through and the indigenous people’s reluctance to open up to influences from neighbouring Europe, and he must know what he’s talking about. This is not the case with his luxury Muscovite restaurant, which offers molecular cuisine for customers with informed tastes, worlds apart from those “new rich”, as Kromm puts it, practically uneducated and with rather pompous tastes. The dishes crafted by this sensitive, art-loving man are noteworthy for their spectacular aesthetic, among other things.

6. Monsieur Croissant (Baumanskaya, 42)

You need to move away from the centre and approach the area of Baumanskaya, which we strongly urge you to do if you want to discover the real Moscow, which is much warmer and welcoming, far from the inclemencies of a centre as hostile as it is spectacular. And, if you decide to confront the beautiful although complicated Moscow metro system, this small restaurant is a great choice, whether you want to breakfast on one of its buns or pastries or have a simple but well prepared lunch, such as pasta with vegetables or the soup of the day. Nearby is a Hotel Mercure, where we happen to be staying, at a laughable price compared to downtown rates and just two metro stops from Red Square.

7. Tamerlan

This mega-restaurant with its mock luxury comes with a clientele dressed as if they’re were all attending a wedding downing vodkas like they were water. This Asian restaurant is a good option if you’re feeling like some glamour, as the Eurasian cuisine is outstanding, the price, reasonable and the decor, striking and attractive.

8. Chemodan (Gogolevskiy Blvd., 25/1)

It would be unforgivable to leave Moscow without having dined at least once in Chemodan, a delightful, absolutely unclassifiable restaurant that breaks the mould of what one would imagine contemporary Moscow to be like. Chemodan is located in the vicinity of Arbat and has an ambience (with its grand lamps, wallpaper, carpets and paintings hung on the walls) more reminiscent of a bar of intellectuals in the Paris of the twenties than what you would expect in Putin’s Russia. As you open the door and are met by a charming little old man, with the sound of Bésame mucho in the background, you know you’ve come to the right place. There, you give yourself over to cuisine with Russian roots, selecting from a well-worked menu featuring pampered, sensitively crafted dishes from all over the country.

9. Café Pushkin

Only if you have around €300 in your pocket should you venture into Café Pushkin, a legendary locale which is worth mentioning for figuring in all possible world rankings for both the best restaurants and the most beautiful ones. Don, therefore, your best attire and take your place like some Cinderella in this majestic environment lined with fine woods and where even the most secluded corner is lavished with tasteful luxury. Prepare to savour Russian cuisine with French touches – or, might that be the other way around? Despite the charm of the establishment, however, the dishes may not satisfy those diners seeking haute cuisine in its pure state.

10. Beverly Hills Diner

Lastly, a big lark, which we’re eager to not leave unmentioned as it is surely the most telling joke we have seen in Moscow. This is the most American of eateries, where you would expect Olivia Newton-John to make her entry at any time. It stands in downtown Moscow, with neon lights that appear to be proudly blaring out to the world that – yes – they won the Cold War. You bite your tongue and see for yourself, with some resentment, that you’re not quite sure what victory is being celebrated. You realise that, after so much salmon and Russian sauces, what you really fancy is the pleasure of the familiar, being able to finally sink your teeth into a hamburger.

Come and experience it for yourself! Check out our flights here

Text and photos by Laura Conde (Gastronomistas)

It’s a hot day in Zurich, on the cusp of summer, and many of the locals have emerged with their swimming gear under their arms. Indeed, bourgeois Zurich, set atop the podium of the cities with the best quality of life in the world, does not only display economic prowess, picture postcard beauty and a national pride for the punctuality of its transport. Zurich is, above all, the paradise of “badis”, which is what they affectionately call their open-air public baths dotted across the whole city on the shores of the Zürichsee (Lake Zurich) and the Limmat and Sihl rivers, like some sweetwater alter ego which rises year after year when the temperatures hits the highs.

Be Water my Friend!

You only need about five minutes to realise that here water is king. They keep it clean, flaunt it and pay homage to it. Not only is this the city with the most drinking water sources in the world – about 1,200 of them. The water that is dispensed is also of unbeatable quality and its flavour up there with the top gourmet mineral waters.

With some thirty bathing facilities, plus nearly twenty open-air swimming pools, no other city in Europe can boast such a high concentration of public baths per capita. Open daily from May to September at sunrise, the badis are the focal point of social life. Each facility has developed its own character over time and there are options to suit all audiences and pockets. And, there’s more! At nightfall, a large number of these pools take on a new life, being transformed into badi-bars serving drinks and dinner, as well as hosting film screenings and providing music until well into the wee hours.

Inspired by the modest size of this small-scale metropolis and determined to save a few francs on transport, we decide to hire a bike at Züri rollt, the free municipal service which, by depositing 20 francs, enables you to enjoy the city on wheels. In the spirit of “do as the locals do”, we set out on our tour.

The Romans Bathed Here!

Zurich’s bathing tradition is no recent fad. Its history goes back 2,000 years, when the Romans unveiled the first public baths in ancient Turicum, Zurich’s Latin name. The ruins of Thermengasse, in the heart of the old town, can still be visited, and detailed information on this ancestral tradition is provided there.

But, it was not until the early-19th century that the bathing scene really took off and the city became swamped with badis. What to begin with emerged as an alternative to providing homes with running water soon spread like wildfire, and by 1900 there were already 20 public baths in existence, although with gender separation, of course!

With such precedents, no wonder that open-air bathing has become ingrained in Zurich’s DNA. The locals take visits to their badis very seriously, while visitors soon find their niche amid such alluring offerings.

Women and Men and Vice Versa

We went on a stroll through the calm waters of the historic centre. The first stop on our route was the veteran Frauenbadi. Built in 1837 on the banks of the river Limmat and reserved exclusively for women ever since its inception, there is no better place to sunbathe if you want the finest views of the Grossmünster, Zurich’s striking cathedral. Rebuilt in Art Nouveau style, the baths preserve all the character of the Belle Époque, with a large timber cloister surrounding the pool, sunbathing platforms and accesses to the crystal-clear waters of the river. By night, this classic badi turns into an elegant Barfussbar, featuring live music, literary nights and dancing, where men and women sip their cocktails, on condition they go barefoot.

And, just as opposite poles attract each other, a few minutes away stands the Flussbad Schanzengraben, the latter’s male counterpart, an oasis of tranquility for men only. This charming badi is the oldest bathing facility in the city as it has been operating since 1864. Surrounded by the remains of an old city wall, the current here is slow and swimming is risk-free. Outside of swimming hours, the premises turn into the Rimini Bar, a highly popular restaurant with an intimate atmosphere in summer, when men and women relax in the chill-out area while dinner is being barbecued. The venue, in discrete, glamorous, 100% Swiss style, is the perfect spot for snacking and having something to drink al fresco, dancing to the rhythm of guest DJs and shopping in their weekly market, featuring local designs and vintage apparel.

Alps, Sand and Sport at the Zürichsee

After a dip in the heart of Zurich, we head for the lake, where you can swim in the company of ducks and swans. The history of the Zürichsee is closely linked to that of the city. The jetties and walkways fringing the shores, inaugurated in 1887, marked Zurich’s entry into the modern era – the city thereby reclaimed land from the lake, decongesting the crowded medieval city.

On the right bank, having passed by the Opera and the emblematic Bellevueplatz, stands the coolest badi of all, the Seebad Utoquai. A bathe in its waters is like travelling back to the 19th century. Having first opened in 1890, this historic badi is a veritable institution in Zurich. Stretches of the original timber building are still intact and the set of pools there makes up one of the trendiest corners in town. There are areas for men, women and mixed, direct accesses to the lake, floating platforms and terraces for sunbathing, all patronised by seemly guests sipping on drinks, chatting congenially or heading to the massage area. If you’re feeling peckish, the restaurant serves dishes and tapas with Mediterranean aromas. But, if what you’re seeking is peace and quiet, you won’t find it here. The surrounding area throngs with boats, yachts and stand up paddles until well into the night. But, it is definitely the place to be for sybarites eager to catch the last shafts of sunlight before the sun sets into the lake.

Cut to a different setting as we switch to the opposite, left bank. We bathe while gazing at the Alps in the Seebad Enge! Open all year around, in summer guests can enjoy mixed pools and floating platforms on the lake, while the sauna is set aside for the colder months. Truth be told, not much swimming gets done here. What with beauty therapy and yoga sessions, relaxation techniques and stand up paddle classes, this badi is first and foremost a social precinct for folks in their thirties where they can show off their latest models of swimwear as well as stare and be stared back at. At the weekend it fills up with youngsters who come for brunch. The badi does not close at night – the bar and barbecue grind into motion, while open-air concerts, poetry slams and cocktails take over.

A beach of fine sand with a Mediterranean air? You have come to Strandbad Mythenquai, the ideal spot for families with children, as it boasts shallow waters and a deep-green lawn where you can lay down your towel, have a picnic or read. The bravest among you can leap off the formidable diving boards, with 1, 3 and 5-metre-high platforms, into the outrageously crystal-clear waters in this urban lake.

Downstream in Zürich West

Welcome to the freestyle paradise! We have arrived in Zurich West, the hyper-creative district and bastion of the young, cool set. Here, anything goes although, if you don’t fancy sticking out like a sore thumb, jump in and let the current carry you downstream.

The badi par excellence is the Flussbad Oberer Letten, an urban venue plastered with graffiti on the banks of the Limmat where there are no written rules – follow the locals and judge for yourself. Whether you choose to sunbathe on the platforms, have a picnic or a refreshing spritz at the Primitivo at Happy Hour – coinciding with afterwork at around 5 p.m.– make sure you are sporting a very fit body and dressed in line with the latest trend. You have come to the heart of hipsterland! If you’re feeling hot, leave your “rags” right where you are and leap into the water – you have four hundred metres of free swimming ahead of you. By night it is the turn of the highly popular Panama Bar to come alive. They serve food and DJ dance music at what is one of the best rave-ups in town.

If you still have an ounce of energy left, continue downstream with your sights set on the Silo, a concrete behemoth unveiled in 2016 for grain storage which is now the second tallest tower in the city. Half way along you will come to the Flussbad Unterer Letten. Here, the current is faster, as attested by the hordes of youngsters who descend on the spot with their airbeds and inflatable dinghies ready to sail downstream. Bathers who jump in are abandoned to their fate, being willy-nilly dragged along by the current. Some struggle in vain against the current in an attempt to swim upstream, but few achieve this. Those who remain on the riverside sit around chatting, drinking wine, unwrapping their picnic baskets or relaxing on the lawn. Oh, yes – in summer, the badi hosts two weeks of open-air independent cinema.

This is Zurich’s “dolce vita”, which reaches its peak during the bathing season – a microcosm which first-time sightseers are amazed at. If you’re thinking of visiting Switzerland’s biggest city in summer, book your Vueling here.

Text by Núria Gurina i Puig

Photos by Zürich Tourism/Caroline Minjolle; Tourism/Elisabeth Real; Zürich Tourism/Martin Rütschi; Roland Fischer; Núria Gurina

By Laura Conde from gastronomistas

If you started to think of reasons to visit Granada, you would probably get, without even trying too hard, about 10,000 in the first minute. This city is Andalucía is comfortably at an age where modernity has arrived but it knows its place. It's a beautiful city where history is read in cobblestoned streets between cold beers and tapas.

Granada has this thing we call duende (a certain magic). It has a neighbourhood, the Albaicín, which rates amongst the most alluring places in the world. It has the Alhambra, kilometres of tapas, wonderful people and an unquestionable, elusive charm.

You won't find the city's special charm anywhere else in the world. In order to put it into words, we could choose one of the famous passages from Tales of the Alhambra by Washington Irving, an Englishman who fell head over heels for Granada as soon as he stepped foot in it. But instead we are going all post-modern and choose a sentence that we heard during our trip that, we believe, captures the essence of Granada's 'love at first sight' quality; 'Granada is the perfect place to escape to with your lover'. And it is. Even if you are monogamous through and through, or one-night stands just aren't your thing, there are a million reasons to visit Granada. Here are the first twenty.

THE SIGHTS

1- The Alhambra. What can one say about this authentic onslaught of the senses? The Alhambra is a thing of beauty, in its purest form, without additives, right in front of your eyes. It speaks of a history, more recent than we think, that bridges two Spains - in other words, a stroll through our past. As there is little say about the Alhambra that hasn't already been written, we humbly offer some practical advise for those that wish to lose themselves amongst its gorgeous mosaics that seem to have stepped out of A Thousand and One Nights: A) Hire a guide. Having someone narrate the thousand year-old history of the Alhambra, and by default the city of Granada itself, is worth its weight in gold. B) Don't book said guide for the for the morning after a night on the town when you visited about 90% of the city's bars and the temperature is 35 degrees in the shade. This can't end well.
Alhambra. Calle Real de la Alhambra, s/n.

2- El Mirador de San Nicolás. Always busy, but a must do. Every evening dozens of visitors come to this viewpoint to see (and photograph) the sun setting over the Alhambra. It's spectacular show of light, colour and incomparable beauty.
Mirador de San Nicolás. San Nicolás, s/n.

3-El Albaicín. The Mirador de San Nicolás is situated in El Albaicín, the old Jewish neighbourhood. It's still a maze of curving cobblestoned streets, hidden taverns and flamenco tablaos, shops and restaurants. There is only one way to see it - by getting lost (and leaving your watch at the hotel).

THE FOOD

4- Remojón. This orange and cod salad is one of the star dishes around these parts, and made us fall in love with local oranges. Gazpacho aside, it was the perfect starter course on our holiday and ideal for the hot temperatures. Pictured is a plate of remojón we ate at a gorgeous place called the Mirador de Morayma; a restaurant with enticing views of the Alhambra. It's quite touristy, so perhaps not entirely suitable for intrepid travellers wanting a more authentic experience.
Mirador de Morayma. Pianista García Carrillo, 2.

5- Damasqueros. One of our favourite restaurants in the city is located in a street of the same name. Chef Lola Marín's creative cuisine has its roots in Andalucía and can only be enjoyed through a tasting menu (39 €) – an experience that proved to us that, thankfully, Granada is about more than tapas and sherry.
Damasqueros. Damasqueros, 3.

6-Estrellas de San Nicolás. Once the home of the flamenco legend Enrique Morente and now one of the most popular restaurants in the city, especially for visitors. The reason? A charming space with an attractive terrace from where you can watch the sunset over the Alhambra. Not to mention a menu that offers gazpacho and fondues or where traditional Andalucian dishes co-reside with international ones. The glass-enclosed dining room defines charm and good taste, but a table on the terrace is ringside to live flamenco guitar.
Estrellas de San Nicolás. Atarazana Vieja, 1.

7- The Tapas. In Granada, if you ask for a small beer at noon (only in order to get through the afternoon and avoid an attack of Stendhal syndrome of course!) the bartender will give you a plate of 'tapas'. Or at least what he (and perhaps your mother) considers 'tapas' – for us it's more akin to a full serving of paella or lamb stew with chips. This will cost you all of 2€. So, if you are the moderate type, this will suffice for lunch. If not, you will barely need a third round.

8- The Calle Navas and its surroundings. The tapas epicentre of Granada is situated on the Calle Navas – the main drag – but also the surrounding streets. It's always buzzing with groups of people of all ages enjoying tapas, wine and beer. It the place to socialise, make new friends and who knows? Perhaps be enticed to party until dawn in a mythical spot that everyone talks about and you should visit if it's the last thing you do. Here’s the deal: As you mingle, someone is bound to say, 'You have to go to Maué' or 'You haven't been to Maué' yet?'. More details below...

9- Hens' and Bachelor Parties. How on earth can you not go to Maué when the person that is telling you to is a bearded, 90-kilogram guy wearing a Playboy bunny costume? Or a group of school friends dressed up as nurses? Granada is a paradise for Bachelor and Hens’ nights; every weekend it hosts dozens of groups celebrating the 'last night of freedom'. On the weekends they tend to conglomerate around the Calle Navas to eat, drink, bond and of course, give you a hard time for having never been to Maué. Take a prime seat on a terrace and watch them pass by. It's pure comedy, and worth the trip to Granada alone.

10- Castañeda. On and around Calle Elvira, another epicentre of tapas and shopping (mostly tiny places selling Arabic objects), Castañeda is a much-loved, always bustling establishment that has jamón legs and chorizos hanging from the ceiling, a bull's head on the wall and some incredible tapas.
Castañeda. Almireceros, 1-3.

11- Cannelle. Looking for a healthy breakfast? With homemade cakes, special menus, magazine and books? A place that is totally child-friendly? Cannelle is such a place; a cafe that could easily be in London or Paris, full of good vibes and a good time.
Cannelle. Acera del Darro, 44.

THE NIGHTLIFE

12- Ganivet. A bastion of Granada's nightlife, this central bar-club, situated below stone arches, has two cave-like rooms; one blasting out commercial hits and the other Spanish pop. Always packed with thirty-something patrons, it has a good, clean vibe and great drinks.
Ganivet. Ángel Ganivet, 13.

13- Bambino. Mainstream flamenco where the age of the clientele is considerably lower than that of Ganivet's. Bambino is deliciously unpredictable, very curious, at times explosive and others about as lively as a funeral. But how can you come to Granada and not dance to Navajita Plateá in a disco?
Bambino. Arabial, 45.

14- Mondrian. If you feel like some rock and roll then look no further. Situated in a lovely, cobblestoned lane, it is different to other bars such as Ganivet in so much as its full of messy-haired patrons wearing un-ironed shirts and sports shoes. In fact, you get the feeling that a guy in a black leather jacket and boots will appear at the door at any moment. He will take a seat at the bar, order a Voll-Damm beer, turn around and look at you with a tortured face and at that precise moment you will realise it is rockero Miguel Ríos. The mojitos are excellent.
Mondrian. Santa Inés, 4.

15- Mae West. Mega-club of the first order that is open until 6am. From 3am onwards, after the bars have closed, every nighthawk in Granada, ascends this temple of commercial hits and heavy drinking where time stands still. It's a strange place that brings together people of all ages until well into the early hours after an intense evening of Bachelor and Hens' party observation and other prankish behaviour. Be assured: Mae West is the closest rival in Granada to Maué. A legend.
Mae West. Centro Comercial Neptuno. Arabial, s/n.

16- Aliatar. This is a major club with disco music, a more mature crowd and bar that serves gin and tonics to discerning clients. It's a place you can go to at any time to enjoy and well-prepared drink (the cocktails are made with expert hands). Park your bag and jacket on top of the grand piano in the centre of the dance floor and let loose to 'Lady Marmalade'. A classic.
Aliatar. Recogidas, 2.

17- Tablao flamenco Albayzin.
Choosing a tablao should be as simple as wandering around the Albaicín, following your nose (and heart) and letting yourself be seduced by the emotions that local flamenco brings. Actually we came across this one on the advice of our hotel, who organise package deals that include transport, supper and show. That way, we were able to experience it at a good price.
Tablao Flamenco Albayzin. Carretera de Murcia s/n.

AND ALSO..

18- La lonja. Leaving food aside for the moment, it would be remiss not to recommend this singular shop. Somewhere between shabby and cool (but always in good taste) it sells all sorts of vintage pieces, from furniture to objects.
La lonja. Buensuceso, 31.

19- The warmth of its people. It's not a cliché for nothing: they couldn't be nicer.

20- Your lover? If you have one they are as a good reason as any to visit Granada. If not you can always (like we did) take full advantage of the city's bars. After three days, you will have no idea where your hotel is but will be on first name terms with all the porters. Or did you think that a killer hangover and passing out halfway through our 'Alhambra morning' was pure poetic license?

Makes you want to go, right? Do it! Check out our prices here!