Hajj on HorsebackDigital guide · Instant download

Granada, the way someone who grew up there walks it.

Mosques, viewpoints timed to the hour, the back routes up to the Alhambra and the villages of the Alpujarras. Recorded by Abdelkader, who grew up in the city, and edited into one guide you carry on your phone.

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9chapters Hour by hourviewpoints timed to the light 1day trip into the mountains
Hajj on Horseback
Granada
The Insider's Guide
With Abdelkader
Why this guide exists

Most visitors see the Alhambra, queue, and leave.

They miss the city that sits around it. The Albaicín, the old Muslim quarter on the opposite hill, still runs on the street plan it had five hundred years ago, with its aljibes (the old cisterns) and its walled garden houses called carmens. Granada also has a living Muslim community again, with a mosque on that same hill looking straight across at the Alhambra.

Abdelkader grew up here. When people from the Hajj on Horseback community asked him where to go, he kept sending the same voice notes: which viewpoint to stand at for sunset, which path up to the Alhambra nobody else takes, where to pray, where to eat halal, and how to get out to the mountain villages for a day.

This guide is those voice notes, checked, ordered and written up so you can follow them on the ground.

It is short on purpose. You get the places he would take a friend to, how to reach them, and why each one is worth the walk.

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Inside the guide

Every entry tells you where, how and why.

Chapter 4 · Walking trails

The back way up to the Alhambra

Cuesta del Rey Chico, also called Cuesta de los Chinos

Where

The path starts down by the river Darro, near the Paseo de los Tristes, and climbs in the valley between the Alhambra walls and the Generalife gardens.

How to get there

Walk along the Carrera del Darro from Plaza Nueva, keep the river on your right, and take the cobbled path uphill once you reach the end of the paseo. Wear shoes with grip.

Why go

It is far quieter than the main climb from Plaza Nueva, you walk under the walls instead of looking at them from a distance, and the name comes from Boabdil, el Rey Chico, the last Nasrid ruler of Granada.

Sample entry. The guide follows this format throughout.

What's included

Nine chapters, in the order you will use them.

  1. 1

    Granada at a glance

    The layout of the city, getting around on foot and by minibus, and staying connected with an e-SIM.

  2. 2

    Mosques to visit

    Where to pray in the Albaicín, and the old mosque buildings you can still read in the churches built over them.

  3. 3

    Viewpoints, hour by hour

    The miradors ordered by the time of day the light is best on each one.

  4. 4

    Walking trails

    Routes graded by effort, from flat river walks to the climbs above Sacromonte.

  5. 5

    The carmens

    The walled hillside houses and gardens of the Albaicín, and which ones you can step inside.

  6. 6

    Halal food

    Where to eat, with the full list kept on a web page you open from a QR code so it stays current.

  7. 7

    Into the Alpujarras

    A day out to the white villages on the southern slopes of the Sierra Nevada.

  8. 8

    How to spend your time

    Ready-made plans for a short stay and a longer one.

  9. 9

    About Hajj on Horseback

    Who we are, the retreat, and the next guide in the series.

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Photo of Abdelkader in Granada
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Your guide

Abdelkader

Abdelkader grew up in Granada and speaks at Hajj on Horseback events. He recorded this guide route by route, the way he would explain it to a friend arriving for the first time.

Hajj on Horseback edited those recordings, checked the facts and names, and built them into the book, keeping his voice and the Arabic and Spanish names he uses for each place.

Before you buy

Who this is for.

This is for you if

  • You are visiting Granada and want the Andalusi history, not just the ticketed sights.
  • You want mosques and halal food sorted before you land.
  • You would rather follow one local's picks than read fifty reviews.
  • You are happy walking steep, cobbled streets.

This is not for you if

  • You want a hotel, nightlife or shopping guide.
  • You need a full guide to Spain or Andalucía.
  • You want a room-by-room tour of the Alhambra palaces.
Readers

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Granada: The Insider's Guide

Everything you need for the trip, on your phone.

  • Nine chapters of routes, viewpoints and mosques
  • Halal food list kept up to date online
  • Day trip plan into the Alpujarras
  • PDF for phone, tablet, laptop or Kindle
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Questions

Before you ask.

What format is the guide?

A PDF. It opens on any phone, tablet or laptop, and you can send it to a Kindle.

When do I get it?

Straight after payment, as a download link.

Is it only for Muslim visitors?

No. Mosques and halal food have their own chapters because many of our readers ask for them, but the viewpoints, walks, carmens and day trip are for anyone visiting the city.

How current are the restaurant picks?

Restaurants change, so the food list lives on a web page linked by a QR code in the book. We update the page, so your copy never goes out of date.

Will I have mobile data out there?

Chapter 1 covers staying connected, including an e-SIM option you can set up before you fly.

Does it cover the Alhambra?

It covers the routes up to it and the viewpoints facing it. It is not a room-by-room tour of the palaces.

What if it is not for me?

[Add your refund policy here.]

Hajj on Horseback

Arrive knowing where to go.

One guide, written by someone who grew up there.

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