With 60.000 students, Granada is the intellectual center of AndalucÌa. Granada's outstanding monument is the Alhambra. This fortified palace was home of the last Moorish kings in Spain who were finally defeated by Isabel and Fernando in 1492. Inside the walls are found the chambers and patios of the royal palace; the formal gardens and summer palace of the Generalife; and the eleventh century fortress the Alcazaba. Carlos V's renaissance palace built inside the Alhambra during the 16th century marks a curious contrast to the earlier Moorish architecture.

On the hillside opposite the Alhambra is the ancient and charming Moorish barrio, the Albaicín. From here one has a fabulous view of the Alambra and in the distance, of Granada's second great attraction, the Sierra Nevada. Only thirty miles away the sierras snowcapped peaks rise to three and a half thousand meters providing opportunities for trekking, horseback riding and in wintertime, skiing.