On this page you can find general information about the beautiful city of Paris. From its history to learning how to get around.
France is a safe country. The most touristic areas of the country, especially in Paris, have significant police protection, it is in them, as well as in public transport, where the highest rate of theft occurs, so it is advisable to take a minimum of precautions:
What if you should avoid some suburbs of big cities like Paris, Marseille or Toulouse. But since they are not touristic areas, they should not be included in our plans.
In the event of loss or theft, whether of objects or documentation, it is advisable to file a complaint at a Police Station: «main courante», if there has been no physical damage, and «plainte» in the event of robbery with aggression.
For European citizens, it is recommended that they apply for the European Health Card (TSE). In Spain, it can be requested at any of the Social Security service and information centers or through the Social Security website.
The Card entitles its holder to receive the health benefits that he may need during a temporary stay in France, regardless of the purpose of the stay.
This card entitles you to receive health benefits throughout the French public health network and in many affiliated private establishments, under the same conditions as French Social Security beneficiaries.
In many cases, these conditions include a co-payment system for the medical benefits received and the medicines purchased with a prescription. Specific details can be found here:
https://www.cleiss.fr/particuliers/venir/vacances/index_en.html
For citizens from outside Europe, a good travel insurance is recommended. Healthcare in France is tremendously expensive and, as they say: prevention is better than cure. You can consult them on the IATI website, specialists in travel insurance that, for being our reader, you will get a 5% discount on any of the insurance modalities.
The maximum speed on motorways is 130 km/h in normal weather conditions and 110 km/h in case of rain; 80 km/h on bidirectional national highways without central separation and 50 km/h in cities.
Driving with an alcohol level of more than 0.25 mg per liter of expired air, or 0.5 g in blood, is prohibited.
The French administration rigorously enforces traffic legislation, following the «zero tolerance» principle. Thus, a speeding of more than 40 km/h over the authorized limit is sanctioned with the immediate withdrawal of the driving license and a significant fine. In the event that speeding, whatever it may be, puts the lives of third parties at risk, the penalty can be one year in prison and a fine of more than €15,000 ($17,000). The sanction can reach 10 years in prison if there are aggravating circumstances.
Paris has three international airports and is one of the most visited cities in the world, being one of the ones that receives the most flights.
It is the most important airport in Paris and the second in Europe by number of passengers (after Heathrow in London). More than 76 million travelers passed through its terminals in 2019.
Charles de Gaulle Airport is huge and has 3 terminals. The second of these has different halls connected to each other. To move between the different terminals there is a free bus.
We recommend going long, long before the departure of the flight.
How to get from Charles de Gaulle Airport to Paris.
There are quite a few ways to get to Paris from Charles de Gaulle Airport.
1. Transfer service
It is certainly the most comfortable option but not the cheapest.
For this we recommend the Civitatis service, very good and professional.
2. RER
RER trains on line B connect Charles de Gaulle Airport with the center of Paris in approximately 30 minutes and their frequency is between 10 and 15 minutes.
The price of the ticket is 11.45€ which corresponds to zones 1 to 5. This same ticket will be used to transfer to the Paris metro.
More information on the Paris Airports website.
3. RoissyBus shuttle
The Roissybus is a bus that connects Charles de Gaulle Airport with the Opera square. It takes approximately 60 minutes and the ticket price is 16.20€. The frequency is between 15 and 30 minutes depending on the time slot.
More information on the Paris Airports website.
4. Bus
There are two urban bus lines that arrive in Paris from Charles de Gaulle:
Bus 350: Connects the airport with the Gare de l’Est station.
Bus 351: Connects the airport with Plaza Nation.
The journey takes about 60 minutes and the price is 2.10€. The frequency is between 15 and 35 minutes.
Hours are from 5:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.
If you arrive after 9:30 p.m., you can take one of the two night bus routes (Noctilien) that connect Charles de Gaulle with Gare de l’Est station. The lines are 140 and 143 and their price is 8€.
5. Taxi
The taxi between Charles de Gaulle Airport is between 50€ and 70€, depending on the destination.
Go to the downtown area on the right bank of the Seine River, where, for example, the Pompidou Center is located, the price is closed and it is €53.
Go to the central area of the left bank of the river, where the Eiffel Tower is located, the price is also closed and is €58.
6. Go to Disneyland Paris
If your destination is Disneyland, the most direct way to get there is by taking the Disneyland Magical Shuttle from €23 with a duration of approximately 45 minutes.
If your flight arrives at Charles de Gaulle Airport and your connection departs from Paris Orly airport, you can take the RER B train to Antony and transfer to the Orlyval light rail there.
The frequency is between 4 and 7 minutes and the journey takes about 30 minutes. The train work between 6 am and 11:35 pm. The price of RER+Orlyval tickets is €12.10.
Orly (ORY) is the second largest airport in Paris after Charles de Gaulle. In 2018, more than 32 million passengers passed through its terminals. It has two terminals: South and West. If you want to move between both terminals you can do it for free on the Orlyval automatic train.
How to get to Paris from Orly
1. Transfer service
It is certainly the most comfortable option but not the cheapest.
For this we recommend the Civitatis service, very good and professional.
2. Orlyval and RER B
The Orlyval automatic train connects Orly Airport with the Antony RER station, where we can take line B.
The frequency is between 3 and 7 minutes, and the journey takes about 30 minutes. The price is 14.10€.
More information on the Paris Airports website.
3. Tram
Tram line 7 connects Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro station (terminus of Paris metro line 7) with Athis-Mons via Orly 4. The line passes through Paris-Orly airport with a stop at Orly 4 and the Coeur d’Orly area (Ibis, Ibis Budget and Novotel hotels).
The journey takes about 45 minutes to/from the Villejuif-Louis Aragon metro stop and the frequency is between 8 and 15 minutes. It works from 5.30 to 00.30. The price is 2.10€.
Tram line 9 connects the Porte de Choisy metro station (Paris metro line 7) with Orly Ville. It connects the Paris-Orly airport with the 183 bus.
The journey takes 1 hour to Orly airport, it works from 05:30 to 00:30. The price is €1.90.
Bus 183 provides access to Paris-Orly and the Rungis international market. Its route allows a connection on the T7 tramway (“Bretagne” stop), the T9 tramway (at “Choisy-le-Roi RER” and “Robert Peary”) as well as the RER C (at “Pont de Rungis – Aéroport d’ Orly” and “Choisy-le-Roi RER”).
More information on the Paris Airports website.
4. Orlybus
This is a shuttle bus service between Paris-Orly airport and Place Denfert-Rochereau.
The journey takes about 30 minutes with a frequency between 10 and 15 minutes. The Orlybus runs from 05:35 to 00:30. The ticket price is 11.20€.
More information on the Paris Airports website.
5. Taxi
The price of a taxi from Orly Airport to the center of Paris is between €70 and €80.
Beauvais Airport, 85 km north of Paris is a small airport in Tillé, a small town located near Beauvais. Beauvais is the airport where low cost airlines.
How to get to Paris from Beauvais airport
1. Transfer service
It is certainly the most comfortable option but not the cheapest.
For this we recommend the Civitatis service, very good and professional.
2. Bus
Paris-Beauvais Airport offers a regular direct bus service between central Paris at Porte Maillot station and the airport.
The journey takes about 75 minutes and the price is 16.90€ (one way). The return ticket price is 29.90€
To return from Paris to the airport, buses leave 3 hours before the flight from the bus park on Boulevard Pershingla next to Porte Maillot station.
3. Taxi
It is not a recommended transport due to its high cost, between 170€ and 210€.
More information on the Paris-Beauvais Airport website.
The first line of the Paris metro was inaugurated on July 19, 1900 and connected Porte de Vincennes with Porte Maillot. Since its inauguration, the network has been gradually expanding, having opened the last line in 1998, which is considered one of the most modern in the world. Today it has 303 stations and 219 kilometers of tracks.
It is the third longest metro network in Western Europe, only surpassed by London and Madrid.
The metro is the fastest way to get around Paris. The metro network consists of 16 lines that communicate with each other and with the RER trains.
The hours are from 5.30 to 1.00.
There are several types of transport ticket: single ticket, called Ticket t+, and daily and weekly passes, Paris Visite and Passe Navigo. We will analyze these below.
More information on the Paris transport website.
The most popular transportation system after the subway. Paris has more than 60 lines and 40 night lines.
The advantage over the metro is that you see Paris during the journey. The downside is that, as long as you get stuck, you don’t get to the destination in life.
Night buses (Noctilien).
Noctilien buses are night buses that run between 00:30 and 07:00. The frequency of these buses is from 10 to 15 minutes on weekends and from 15 to 30 minutes on weekdays. They are identified by having the letter N before the number.
There are several types of transport ticket: single ticket, called Ticket t+, and daily and weekly passes, Paris Visite and Passe Navigo.
It is advisable to buy tickets in advance at metro stations, newsagents and tobacconists. If we buy them from the driver, it carries an extra fee of €0.40.
More information on the Paris transport website.
It worked until 1957, the year in which it was completely replaced by the metro, but at the end of the 20th century, the RATP company put it back into operation.
There are currently 9 tram lines in operation, although they are of little use to tourists.
More information on the Paris transport website.
The RER trains in Paris are regional trains that, in addition to reaching nearby places, complement the metro network when they run through the city center.
The Paris suburban network has five lines, more than 250 stations and almost 600 kilometers of track. The RER lines are named with letters: A, B, C, D and E. The most interesting from a tourist point of view are the first three.
RER A: Connects Disneyland Paris with the city center.
RER B: Connects Charles de Gaulle Airport with the center of Paris.
RER C: Arrives at Orly Airport and the Château de Versailles.
The lines have normal and express trains. The express do not stop at all stations so you have to take this into account and look carefully at the station screens. In these we also have to look at the destinations since they vary according to the hours on the same lines.
More information on the Paris transport website.
The Montmartre Funicular connects the lower part of the Montmartre neighborhood with its upper part, where the Basilica of the Sacred Heart is located.
The Montmartre Funicular became operational in the summer of 1900 and was then hydraulically powered using a system of cisterns that filled and emptied according to passenger load. It has undergone several renovations until reaching the current one, from 1991.
Its hours are from 6:00 to 00:45. There are several types of transport ticket: single ticket, called Ticket t+, and daily and weekly passes, Paris Visite and Passe Navigo.
The Batobus is a tourist boat that runs along the Seine river making stops at the main points of interest in Paris.
As with tourist buses, at each stop you can stop as long as you want and wait for the next boats.
The schedule in summer is from 10:00 to 19:00 and in winter from 10:00 to 17:00 and its frequency is 30 minutes in summer and 45 in winter.
Here you can buy your tickets in advance:
All tour bus companies offer open-top, double-decker buses with Spanish commentary via headphones.
We recommend Paris Big Bus (formerly Les Cars Rouges), the oldest tourist bus company in Paris. As its old name indicated, Big Bus Paris buses are red.
The Big Bus Paris itinerary has a total duration of 2:15 hours and makes 11 stops, allowing you to get on and off at each of them.
The Big Bus operates from 9:30 a.m. to 8:15 p.m. and its frequency ranges between 10 and 20 minutes, depending on the time of year.
Here you can easily buy tickets in advance:
Taxis in Paris are normal cars and the only thing that identifies them is the sign on the roof. Inside they must have a taximeter and a plate indicating the license number.
The minimum service has a cost of €7 so, unless you run out of transport at dawn, it will not be worth using it.
Ticket t+
Ticket t+ is the name by which the single ticket for the Paris transport network is known. This ticket allows the use of the main means of transport for 90 minutes (except Orlyval, Roissybus, buses 299, 350, 351 and Noctiliens and Tram Express 11).
It comes in the form of a cardboard ticket or loaded onto a contactless medium.
The t+ Ticket does not allow you to go / return on the same line, or interrupt the trip and then continue on the same line.
The price is 2.10€. The 10-trip t+ Ticket costs €16.90.
Passe Navigo
The Passe Navigo is the most used transport pass by the inhabitants of Paris and is the cheapest way to get around the city for long stays.
We have the Passe Navigo Semaine, which is valid for the whole week and has several inconvenients:
| ZONE | WEEK PRICE | MONTH PRICE |
| Zone 1-5 | 30€ | 84.10€ |
| Zone 2-3 | 27.45€ | 76.70€ |
| Zone 3-4 | 26.60€ | 74.70€ |
| Zone 4-5 | 26.10€ | 72.90€ |
The Passe Navigo can be purchased at Metro stations, RER stations and at airports.
There is also the Passe Navigo Jour, valid for one day with unlimited travel.
| ZONE | PRICE |
| Zone 1-2, 2-3, 3-4, 4-5 | 8.45€ |
| Zone 1-3, 2-4, 3-5 | 11.30€ |
| Zone 1-4, 2-5 | 14€ |
| Zone 1-5 | 20.10€ |
Your Navigo Jour pass is valid for unlimited travel in certain areas of the Île-de-France network. Keep in mind that the Navigo Jour pass does not have any zoning.
To choose the zones of your pass, just take into account the zones of your starting point and your arrival point. For example, if you are looking for a pass to go from Aulnay-Sous-Bois (zone 4) to Evry (zone 5), buy an «all zones» pass, since you have to go through Paris.
Mobilis Pass
The Mobilis Pass is valid for a full day from midnight to midnight the following day.
The Mobilis pass is personal: do not forget to write your name, surnames and date of use on the coupon so that it is valid.
The prices are exactly the same as the Navigo Jours Pass.
Paris Visite Pass
The Paris Visite card allows the traveler unlimited use of the Metro, Bus, RER, Tramway, Orlyval, Montmartrobus, Noctilien and Funicular de Montmartre and, in addition, small discounts are obtained in some attractions, among others, the Opera, the cruise the Seine or the tourist bus.
The Paris Visite card is available in periods of 1, 2, 3 and 5 days. For the calculation of days, full days are counted, so the first day is counted when we use it for the first time, regardless of the time.
It must be completed with your last name, first name and date of use in order to use it and, of course, it must be validated before any trip.
| VALIDITY | 1 DAY | 2 DAYS | 3 DAYS | 5 DAYS |
| Zone 1-3 | 13.55€ | 22.05€ | 30.10€ | 43.30€ |
| Zone 1-5 | 28.50€ | 43.30€ | 60.70€ | 74.30€ |
The Paris Visite pass is considerably more expensive than the Navigo, so it is not recommended, especially for passes of more than one day.
It is known that already during the Chassean period (4000 and 3800 BC) there was a permanent settlement in the current Bercy district. This is attested by the remains of three canoes found in an old branch of the Seine River dating from that period.
It is believed that the foundation of the city dates back to the years 250-200 BC. by the Gallic people of the Parisians (parisii) although the exact location of the first settlement is not known, although it is believed that it was on the Île de la Cité.
The Roman city extends on the left bank and on the Ile de la Cité; takes the name of Lutetia (Lutèce). At this time the city was a small city with barely 10,000 inhabitants, although it evolved thanks to river traffic.
The strategic position of Lutetia against the great invasions made it the place of residence of the Emperor Julian between 357 and 360, and then of Valentinian I in 365-366. It is at that time that the city takes the name of Paris.
In the year 508, after conquering most of Gaul, Clovis I made Paris his capital and established his main residence there (Palais des Thermes), and had several religious buildings built there, including the Basilica of the Holy Apostles, where he is buried
The eastern extension of the kingdom of the Franks under the reign of Charlemagne caused Paris to lose its privileged political position.
From the middle of the 9th century, it formed part of the territory of the Robertians, who took the title of Count of Paris.
In 885-886, besieged by the Normans, the city managed to successfully resist them, while preventing their access to the river. This episode brings great prestige to Paris and his Count Eudes, who helped in his defense. On the other hand, it marks a stage in the decline of the Carolingian Empire, having considered the behavior of Carlos the Fat during the events unworthy.
Robert the Pious had the Palais de la Cité and several abbeys restored, while Louis VI and later Louis VII established their court and chancery there. At the same time, the city prospered, becoming an important place for the trade in wheat, fish, and cloth, uniting Parisian merchants within a “house of water merchants” favored by Louis VII in 1170-1171.
It was Philip Augustus who made Paris the undisputed capital of the kingdom, over which he was the first of the Capetians to exercise strong control; this position was further strengthened during the reigns of Louis IX and Felipe IV “the beautiful”.
The city also became the symbol of royal power, which sought to endow it with buildings worthy of its rank: the Notre-Dame cathedral was completed around 1250, the Sainte-Chapelle which houses Christ’s crown of thorns in 1248, the Palais de la Cité was renovated and enlarged, and the Parisian market was covered and walled up (Halles). Paris continues to grow, the left bank was repopulated in the 13th century; at the beginning of the 14th century, its population was estimated at around 200,000, making it the most populous city in Europe.
In 1348, the city was first struck by the plague, which ravaged Europe between 1347 and 1351; this evil then reaches him in a cyclical way for several centuries. During the Hundred Years’ War it was exposed to English attacks, which led Charles V to build a new wall on the right bank that included the suburbs. At the end of the war, Paris retreated behind its walls and its population was reduced to around 100,000 inhabitants, half that of a century before.
In 1528, Francis I officially established his residence in Paris. Under his reign, the city prospered and Paris reached 280,000 inhabitants and remained the largest city in the Christian world.
In 1677, King Louis XIV transferred his residence to Versailles and, five years later, the seat of government was also transferred. During his reign, the Sun King only came to Paris for official ceremonies, thus displaying a hostility towards the city that Parisians did not appreciate.
In 1715, the regent Philippe d’Orléans left Versailles for the Palais-Royal. The young Louis XV settles into the Tuileries Palace for a brief return of royalty to Paris. Starting in 1722, Louis XV returned to the Palace of Versailles, breaking the fragile reconciliation with the Parisian people.
Louis XV took a personal interest in the city in 1749 when he decided to develop the Place Louis XV (now Place de la Concorde), the creation of the military school in 1752 and, above all, the construction of a dedicated church at Sainte-Geneviève in 1754 , better known under the current name of Panthéon.
The French Revolution began in Versailles with the convocation of the Estates General but the Parisians, affected by the economic crisis, aware of the political problems due to the philosophy of the Enlightenment and moved by resentment towards the royal power that had abandoned the city for more of a century, gave it a new course.
The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, linked to the uprising of the cabinetmakers of the Faubourg Saint-Antoine, was a first step. On October 5, the riot, sparked by women in the Parisian markets, reached Versailles in the afternoon. On the morning of the 6th, the castle was invaded and the king had to agree to reside in Paris at the Tuileries Palace and convene the Constituent Assembly there, which moved to the Manège des Tuileries on October 19.
On July 14, 1790, the Fête de la Fédération took place on the Champ-de-Mars, a place that on July 17, 1791 was the scene of a dramatic execution. On the night of August 9, 1792, a revolutionary commune took possession of the town hall. On August 10, the crowd besieged the Tuileries Palace with the support of the new municipal government. King Louis XVI and the royal family are imprisoned in the tower of the palace. The French monarchy is de facto abolished. After the elections of 1792, the representatives of the Paris Commune, very radical, opposed the group of Girondins at the National Convention (representing the more moderate opinion of the middle class of the provinces) who would be isolated in 1793.
On January 21, 1793, Louis XVI was guillotined at Place Louis XV, renamed “Place de la Révolution.” He was followed to the gallows by 1,119 people, including Marie Antoinette, Danton, Lavoisier, and finally Robespierre and his followers on July 27, 1794.
On December 2, 1804, Napoleon Bonaparte, who seized power in 1799, was crowned Emperor by Pope Pius VII in Notre-Dame Cathedral. He decided to establish Paris as the capital of his Empire and intended to make it the “new Rome”. For this he ordered the construction of the triumphal arches of the Star and the Carrousel, as well as the imperial palace of the Stock Exchange (completed under the Restoration) and the Vendôme column.
In 1814, the Battle of Paris led to the capitulation of the capital and then led to Napoleon’s first abdication and the Restoration. The Cossacks of the Russian army occupy certain points in the city. The allied armies leave the city after June 3, 1814, the date of the departure of Tsar Alexander I.
At the end of the Hundred Days, the fall of the Empire in July 1815 brought the English and Prussian armies to Paris, even camping on the Champs Elysées. Louis XVIII, back from his exile in Ghent, settled again in the Tuileries.
With the arrival of the Second Empire in 1852, Paris was radically transformed. From a medieval structure, with old and unhealthy buildings, almost devoid of important roads, it has become a modern city in less than twenty years. Napoleon III had precise ideas about urban planning and housing.
During the Belle Époque, the economic expansion of Paris is important; in 1913 the city had one hundred thousand companies that employed one million workers. Between 1900 and 1913, 175 cinemas were created in Paris, many department stores opened and contributed to the influence of the city of light. Paris then becomes the second international financial center almost on par with London.
Two universal exhibitions leave a great mark on the city, with the Eiffel Tower being built for the one in 1889 (on the centenary of the French Revolution), the city’s main icon. The first subway line, the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Alexandre-III bridge are built in 1900.
From the Belle Époque to the Roaring Twenties, Paris experienced the height of its cultural influence (especially in the Montparnasse and Montmartre neighborhoods) and was home to many artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Braque, and Fernand Léger.
The interwar period took place in a context of social and economic crisis. After the bombings most of the city is in ruins.
During World War II, Paris is occupied by the Wehrmacht on June 14, 1940. As the Allied troops approach, the Resistance triggers an armed uprising on August 19, 1944. The Liberation of Paris took place on August 25 with the entry into Paris of General Leclerc’s 2nd Armored Division and Major General Raymond O. Barton’s US 4th Infantry Division.
Granada has the Federico García Lorca Granada-Jaén airport (yes, it is also the Jaén airport… almost 100 km from this city) located about 20 km from the city.
We can get there in three ways:
Bus:
On bus line 245. the price is €3 each way and the last stop is the city’s congress palace. The schedules are a real gibberish since they are adapted to the few flights that the airport has. You can check the schedules on the official website of the Granada Transport Consortium.
Taxi:
We can take a taxi at the arrivals gate of the airport and its price is between €30 and €35.
Since Granada airport is small and has hardly any international flights, another “secondary” airport to fly to Granada from is Málaga-Costa del Sol International Airport. This is located 135 km from Granada and has some direct buses from the airport to the city of Granada.
The bus leaves from outside the arrivals floor, the price is €12.21 and the journey takes approximately 2 hours, to the Granada bus station.
More information on the Alsa website.
The Granada train station is located very close to the city center. It was inaugurated in 1874 and has Medium and Long Distance services, as well as High Speed.
After the arrival of High Speed to Granada, Renfe offers direct AVE connections with Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Malaga and Cordoba.
For schedules, prices and purchase of tickets, consult the Renfe website.
We can get to Granada by bus from almost anywhere in Spain and from some European countries. The bus station is located in the northern district of the city, about 3 km from the city center.
To get from the bus station to the center we can take bus lines 5, 21 and 33 next to the station exit. The ticket price is €1.40.
Find your ideal hotel at the best price in Granada with Agoda:
Granada is a very small city with a network of narrow and complicated streets for motorized mobility. All tourist spots can be visited on foot without problems.
The city has a relatively good bus service. The price of the ordinary ticket is €1.40.
We can also buy transport wallet cards at kiosks and tobacconists, with which the price per journey drops to €0.82. These cards are really convenient, because they can be recharged on the bus itself, paying the driver directly.
The lines that we will use the most are surely the 33 that runs through the entire center of the city and the C30 that goes from the center to the Alhambra.
More information on the official website of Transportes Rober.
The Granada metro has a single line that crosses the city. It is quite useless as it does not reach any tourist spot. Maybe we can use it to go from the bus or train station to our hotel. The price of the ordinary ticket is €1.35 and with the wallet card, the same as for buses, €0.82.
More information on the official website of the Metropolitan of Granada.
Granada, in Andalusia, the city where I was going to spend a season and that has become 17 years. Here I will be exchanging information on tourist sites and little-known corners for those who want to come and visit the city.
Remember to always travel with travel insurance. With IATI, specialists in travel insurance, you have a 5% discount for being our reader.
What to see in Granada
Find a multitude of activities to do in Granada with Civitatis:
Granada is the capital of the homonymous province, located in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia. It is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, at the confluence of four rivers, the Darro, the Genil, the Monachil and the Beiro. It is located 738 meters high, about 40 km from Sierra Nevada, the roof of the Iberian Peninsula, with the Mulhacén peak at 3479 meters and 70 km from the Mediterranean coast.
It is believed that in the Monachil area, about 7 km east of today’s Granada, there was already an important settlement of the Argaric culture (2300-1500 BC). At the end of the Bronze Age in the Cerro de los Infantes, in the present Pinos Puente, there was also a human settlement between 800 and 700 BC. which later became an important Iberian settlement called Ilurco.
The oldest remains that have been found were those of Iltuir, an Iberian oppidum dating from the 7th century BC. on the top of the San Nicolás hill, on the right bank of the Darro river, in what is now the Albayzín neighborhood.
Between the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. C. the apogee of the Iberian culture takes place that gives place to the consolidation of important urban centers, like the one of Iltuir and Ilurco, that dispute the domain of the Vega of Genil River.
Discover the best activities and tours in Granada with Civitatis:
Between the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. It is renamed Iliberri and is included in the area controlled by the Bastetanos and, later, by the Carthaginians.
After Carthage’s victory over Rome in the First Punic War (264-241 BC), Hamilcar Barca and his son-in-law Hasdrubal take control of the entire Guadalquivir valley in 237 BC. But after the defeat of the Carthaginians in the Second Punic War, it is the Romans who take control.
Around the year 190 B.C. the Roman general Lucio Emilio Paulo Macedónico was defeated in Ilurco. 10 years later, Tiberio Sempronio Graco conquers the entire area and Iliberis became part of the Roman Empire, although through an agreement. From then on, with the acceptance of César as a municipality of Hispania Ulterior, it was renamed Municipium Florentinum Iliberitanum. Later it was included in Baetica and, finally, around the first century AD. C., incorporated into the Conventus Astigitanus.
After the decline and disappearance of the Roman Empire, and the formation of the Emirate of Córdoba between the 8th and 11th centuries, the city was practically uninhabited. It is believed that there was only a small population center around the Hisn Garnata fortress, the name by which the ancient Ilíberis was known in Muslim times, built on the remains of an Ibero-Roman oppidum, used by Sawwar ben Hamdun as a bulwark in front of to the rebellion of the muladíes (880-918).
Between the years 712 and 1012, the important population center was Medinat Elvira, at the foot of Sierra Elvira between the current municipalities of Pinos Puente and Atarfe, which became one of the most important cities in al-Andalus, being the capital of the Coria of Elvira.
After the formation of the Taifa Kingdoms, between 1010 and 1025, Zawi ben Ziri as-Sinhayi (المنصور الزاوي بن زيري بن مانادو), Berber chief of the Zirid dynasty and founder of the Taifa of Granada, produced a massive relocation after the assault, fire and ruin of the city of Ilbira and its main mosque. These settle in the center of the Albayzín hill, known as Alcazaba Cadima (al-Qasba Qadima), demolishing the remains of previous settlements.
In the Almoravid era, which goes from the years 1090 to 1147, the urban structure of the city changes very little. The Almoravids expanded the walled enclosure, opening entrance gates such as the New Gate or bāb al-Ziyad; or the Monaita or Bib-Albunaida Gate, which are still preserved today; as well as the Torres Bermejas.
In the Almohad period, from 1147 to 1269, the structure of the city did not change much either. Some important buildings are built such as the Dar-al-Bayda palace, today the Cuarto Real de Santo Domingo; the Alcázar del Genil or Qasar al-Sayyid and the cemetery located next to Puerta Elvira or maqbarat al-faqth Sa’ad ben Malik is expanded, which today occupies a large underground car park.
With the arrival of the Nasrid Kingdom during the second half of the 13th century, the city grew steadily, so the defensive walls of Nayd and the great Rabad al-bayyazin, to the north, had to be expanded.
The city is organized into six walled districts and two extra-mural neighborhoods:
In 1491 the Castilian army entered the Vega de Granada and laid siege to the city. On November 25, the Capitulations are signed in Sant Fe, in which a two-month period was agreed for the delivery of the city. Before expiring that term, on January 2, 1492, Boabdil, the last Nasrid sultan, delivered the city.
With the capitulations, the people of Granada could continue to practice their religion freely and publicly, their properties would be respected and the validity of Islamic law in disputes between Muslims would be maintained, creating the figure of mixed judges when it came to disputes with Christians. The kings name Hernando de Talavera, Isabel’s confessor, first archbishop of Granada.
In 1499, Fray Francisco Jiménez de Cisneros, the queen’s new confessor and Archbishop of Toledo, began a harsh campaign of forced conversions, with the confiscation and burning of books, the imprisonment of alfaquíes, and inquisitorial proceedings. This policy generated serious riots in the Albayzín after the conversion of mosques into churches. After this, the Catholic Monarchs took advantage of these events to declare the Capitulations null and void and order a first expulsion of the Moors and the confinement of the rest in a ghetto located in Bib-Rambla.
During the War of the Communities of Castile (1520-1522), Granada remained faithful to Carlos I and the Captain General, the Marquis of Mondéjar, was in charge of dominating the situation.
During the 16th century, Queen Juana I of Castilla (the crazy one) and, later, her son King Carlos I, invested large sums in the maintenance and repair of the Alhambra and other buildings of interest, which facilitated the survival of of this architecture. The Royal Chapel (1505) is also built, in which Kings Isabel and Fernando are buried in 1521; the Royal Hospital (1511); the Cathedral and the Palace of Carlos V, inside the Alhambra enclosure, a tome that doesn’t even hit glue. The guy stayed in glory.
On January 28, 1810, the French troops of General Sebastiani occupy Granada. They stayed here until September 16, 1812. They carried out numerous fortification works in the surroundings of the Alhambra and the Castle of Santa Elena. They also developed some urban works such as the landscaping of the Paseo del Salón and the Bomba and the Green Bridge over the Genil River, located at the end of those, although to raise this they topped the tower of the Monastery of San Jerónimo. Before leaving the city, they destroyed several towers of the Alhambra walls and other buildings that had military use.
After this begins a time of economic and political decline, which improves in 1868 with the rise of the sugar industry. Added to the arrival of the railway, it facilitates the promotion of commerce and a new urban development. Numerous buildings from the Muslim era are demolished to build the Gran Vía and the Darro river is arched giving rise to Reyes Católicos street.
With the economic bonanza a significant population explosion occurs, doubling the population of the city in just 40 years. But, between 1926 and 1940, all the sugar mills in Granada were closed, causing a serious economic crisis. This fact led, on July 20, 1936, to a military conspiracy against the Republic, rising up and taking control of the city.
The outbreak of the civil war leaves Granada as an isolated insurgent zone between areas controlled by the Republican government, which gives rise to a large number of arrests and political executions (García Lorca among them): 3,969 people were shot between 1936 and 1956 on the walls of the Granada cemetery.
The serious impact of the war, added to the loss of the industrial fabric and the exclusion of Granada from the areas supported by the National Industry Protection Law of 1939, caused the city to stagnate economically and regress in its demography.
After the war, Granada became one of the cities with the lowest income in the entire country, becoming practically a university city. In the last third of the 20th century, a powerful tertiary sector developed thanks to tourism.
On April 19, 1956, the second most important earthquake in the history of the capital occurred, known over the years as the Albolote earthquake.
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Eating in Iceland is not cheap, leaving the Pylsur (hot dogs) or large supermarkets, the economic effort is quite large.
Here we are going to list the places where we ate throughout the country, to try to spend “little” and eat well.
Several times we ate at the KFC franchise, which is safe and is the cheapest, but not the best. A bucket of chicken for two people is around 3,000 ISK (€20). If you like McDonald or Burger King, forget it, in Iceland there are none.
Something that surprised us about Iceland is that all the restaurants we visited have vegan options, even fast food franchises.
To eat a good fish & chips and try a delicious traditional Plokkari. They also have fish soup and some burgers.
They have a fairly small menu, making the choice easy.
There are two places in the city, one at Tryggvagata 8 and the other at Frakkastígur 12. You can eat for around €17 per person.
It is a hot dog stand famous because former US President Bill Clinton ate one and said it was the best he had ever tasted.
The queue is huge. We were around 30 minutes. Standard price and good hot dogs, but nothing to get excited about. One more tourist tour to do.
They have several stalls but the original one is on Tryggvagata 1. The price of the pylsur is 600 ISK (€3.90).
This is a family restaurant located in the city of Grindavik, on the Reykjanes peninsula.
Pizzas, burgers, fish & chips and that style of food. A little of everything. Very well priced, very good food and very good service.
From about €20 per person.
Address: Hafnargata 7a, 240 Grindavik, Iceland.
Web:http://papas.is/
Restaurant located in the tourist complex of Geysir, in the Golden Circle. Quite a variety of food at a very good price. Most of it located in hot beds from which they serve you directly.
Everything was very rich.
Price from between €15 and €20 per person.
Adress: 8M5X+Q44, 806, Iceland.
Small restaurant in Vík í Mýrdal with some traditional Icelandic dishes, as well as burgers, sandwiches and, special mention, cakes. Very cozy atmosphere, with very good service and very reasonable price. From about €20 per person.
Adress: Víkurbraut 28, 870 Vík, Iceland.
Web:https://www.halldorskaffi.is/
A food truck in the Jökulsárlón lake parking lot. Warm lobster bisque, pylsur and lobster sandwiches. Very good price.
Prices from €4.25 for a pylsur to €13 for a lobster sandwich.
Address: on the side of the Jökulsárlón lake car park.
Small fish & chip shop located next to a large Verslun supermarket. The fish & chips were a bit regular (the least good we ate) and quite expensive.
The price of the portion is €17.60. The small €13.
Adress: Hraunvegur 8, 660 Skútustaðahreppur, Iceland.
At the entrance to the city of Hólmavík, there is a supermarket from the Krambúðin chain. Next to it is this restaurant-cafeteria called Veitingasala, which offers pylsur, hamburgers and little else.
Simple and quite cheap. There’s nothing wrong.
Price from around €15 per person.
Adress: Höfðatún 4 510, 510 Hólmavík, Iceland.
Nice restaurant-pub in Ísafjörður that offers fish of the day, some pasta and meat. It’s not cheap but it’s really good.
Price around €25 per person.
Adress: Aðalstræti 7, 400 Ísafjörður, Iceland.
It is a pizza-burger restaurant located in the city of Búðardalur, at the exit of the Westfjords. Great pizzas and delicious salads. They also have meat dishes.
Very good service and reasonable prices.
Prices from €12 for the cheapest hamburger to €22 for the lamb dish.
Adress: 465M+XQQ, Dalbraut, 370 Búðardalur, Iceland.
Located in the city of Grundarfjörður, a small and cozy place where they serve pizzas, pasta and some traditional dishes. Do not persecute the plokkari.
Price: about €20/23 per person.
Adress: Nesvegur, 350 Grundarfjörður, Iceland.
A small food truck located in the car park of the Snæfellsnes Visitor Center. Tasty burgers and great sandwiches. And at a great price; about €15 per person.
Adress: Breiðabliki, 342 Stykkishólmur, Iceland.
If you want to eat even cheaper, you will always have supermarkets. The cheapest are the Bónus and Krónan.
You will find both throughout the Icelandic geography.
Here we leave you a map with the restaurants in which we ate those days:
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Here you can find the waterfalls that impressed us the most on our trip around Iceland.
Faxi is a waterfall on the Tungufljót river. It is 7 meters high and 80 meters wide and has been described as the smaller sister of Gulfoss.
To access Faxi you have to pay 700 ISK (€5). If you eat in the restaurant and spend at least 2,000 ISK, they discount the 700 of the entrance fee.
How to get there: Faxi is located 104km from Reykjavik.
Öxarárfoss is a small waterfall about 14 meters high. Of course, it does not impress due to its size, but the setting in which it is located is really beautiful.
The Icelandic writer Björn Th. Björnsson wrote:
“Although Öxarárfoss is not large in size, it is peculiarly beautiful and has a lot to do with it. It falls from a smooth edge and is reasonably wide to give it particularly graceful proportions. The boulders are below, but not covering, creating a lot of spray. But this is how the sun behaves here, in the last part of the day it stands obliquely along the gap and shines on the waterfall, so rare to see. The surroundings created by the crack hammers do not in the least enhance the beauty, whether the waterfall is in light mode in summer or in icy bands in winter.”
How to get there: Öxarárfoss is located 52km from Reykjavik.
Goðafoss Waterfall is located on the Skjálfandafljót River, the fourth largest river in Iceland. It is one of the most spectacular waterfalls in the country, falling from a height of 12 meters over a width of 30 meters.
The name Goðafoss means waterfall of the gods or waterfall of the ‘goði’ (priest) and comes from a fascinating story:
When Iceland was established between the 9th and 10th centuries, the majority of the population were Norwegian descendants who followed the Old Norse religion and worshiped deities such as Thor, Odin, Loki and Freya.
In 930, after establishing the Commonwealth, the pressure for its Christianization began. Around the year 1000, Norway threatens an invasion if they continue to maintain their pagan religion. This is discussed in Þingvellir where Þorgeir Ljósvetningagoði, the priest Ásatrú (or goði) and spokesman for the law, is given the responsibility of making the decision.
He spends a day and a night reflecting and praying to the gods for the right decision. He finally communicates that, for the people’s sake, Christianity would be the official religion, but pagans could practice the Norse religion in private.
To symbolize his decision, he returned to his home in northern Iceland and cast idols of the old gods into a beautiful waterfall. Since then, it would be known as Goðafoss.
How to get there: Goðafoss is located 422km from Reykjavik and 34km from Akureyri.
Skógafoss is located in the course of the Skógá river and has a height of 60 meters and a width of 25.
According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, hid a treasure in a cavern behind the waterfall.
From one side of the waterfall there are some stairs with a few steps: 400! Here we find a platform to see the waterfall from above. There are also spectacular views of the entire area.
On the eastern side of the waterfall, a hiking trail leads to the Fimmvörðuháls pass between the Eyjafjallajökull and Mýrdalsjökull glaciers. Then it goes down to Þórsmörk on the other side and continues like the famous Laugavegur to Landmannalaugar.
How to get there: Skógafoss is located 156km from Reykjavik.
Svöðufoss is a beautiful 10-meter-high waterfall that pours between basalt columns into the Hólmkelsá River.
The setting in which it is located is truly spectacular, with the watchful summit of the Snæfellsjökull volcano with its glaciers.
Snæfellsjökull is a stratovolcano 700,000 years old and 1,446 meters high. The mountain is actually called ‘Snæfell’ (Snow Mountain), although ‘jökull’ (Glacier) is often added to help distinguish it from other mountains of the same name.
In August 2012, it ran out of snow for the first time in its history. Fact that generated concern among the locals that climate change threatens the nature of the mountain.
How to get there: Svöðufoss is located 200km from Reykjavik and 43km from Arnarstapi.
Dynjandi is the largest waterfall in the Westfjords. It is located near the bay of Dynjandisvogur and the fjord Arnarfjörður.
Dynjandi is known as the “Bridal Veil” for its resemblance to this garment. It has a 100-meter drop and is 30 meters wide at the top and 60 at the base.
The walk from the car park to Dynjandi is approx 200m uphill with some steps.
How to get there: Dynjandi is located 361km from Reykjavik and 59km from Ísafjörður.
Located in the Jökulsárgljúfur National Park, it is a spectacular waterfall 100 meters wide and 44 meters down. With a flow of between 200 and 500 m³ per second, it is the mightiest waterfall in all of Europe.
Nearby is the Selfoss waterfall. Smaller than its neighbour, it is a beautiful waterfall that flows wide down the basalt columns that surround the Jökulsá á Fjöllum river.
How to get there: Dettifoss is located 520km from Reykjavik, 133km from Akureyri and 161 from Egilsstaðir.
Gullfoss (Icelandic for Golden Waterfall) is the most famous waterfall in Iceland. Nestled in the Hvitá river canyon, it has two waterfalls, one 11 meters and the other 21. In total there are 32 meters of fall and a flow of between 80 and 140 cubic meters of water per second.
Next to the stairs that go up to the visitor center we find a small monument dedicated to Sigríður Tómasdóttir. She was an Icelandic environmentalist whose activism helped preserve the Gullfoss waterfalls, protecting them from industrialization. She is considered Iceland’s first ecologist.
A piece of advice: take a raincoat with you because if you go near the waterfall you will end up soaked.
How to get there: Gulfoss is located 116km from Reykjavik.
Brúarárfoss, a small but beautiful waterfall on the Brúarà river. It is neither the largest nor the mightiest in Iceland, but its turquoise waters are truly hypnotic.
From the car park you have to do a little trekking of about 3 km following the Brúarà river to reach the waterfall.
It is a relatively smooth path, although the day we were there it was extremely muddy and it was somewhat difficult to walk. In some sections it was literally impossible to walk and you had to go a little off the road.
Brúarárfoss is not the only waterfall on the way. We are going to find two more. The first is Hlauptungufoss, approximately 1.5 km from the car park.
Here we can already appreciate the incredible turquoise color of the water from the melting of the glaciers.
A little further on we come across the second: Miðfoss. As its name indicates, it is the one in the middle…
And now yes. At about 800 meters we find the spectacular Brúarárfoss. Judge for yourself. Although I have to say that the photos do not do justice to the color of the water.
The truth is that it is well worth the walk and having gotten into the mud up to our ankles.
How to get there: The Brúarárfoss car park is located 91km from Reykjavik. From here you have to walk about 3 km along a very easy path.
Svartifoss is a spectacular waterfall located to the south of the Vatnajökull glacier.
Svartifoss is one of the famous waterfalls in Iceland. It is not because of its height (20 m) or because of its flow. It is because of the spectacular setting in which it is located. It is surrounded by hexagonal basalt columns. These basalt columns have inspired Icelandic architects, such as the Hallgrímskirkja church in Reykjavík.
From the visitor center we must walk about 2 km to the waterfall. Shortly before halfway we come across Hundafoss, a 25 m high waterfall.
Its name is derived from the Icelandic word “hundur”, which means dog. The name comes from the fact that, during the flooding of the river, sometimes the dogs from the farms would float out of the waterfall.
How to get there: The Svartifoss car park is located 327km from Reykjavik, 141km from Vík í Mýrdal and 137km from Höfn. From the visitor center you have to walk about 2 km uphill
Háifoss was theoretically the highest waterfall in Iceland. The Fossá River pours its waters here at no less than 122 meters high. Recent measurements indicate that Hengifoss is the highest waterfall on the island at 128 metres.
Next to Háifoss is another large waterfall called Granni. The whole set forms an authentic spectacle of nature.
How to get there: The Háifoss car park is located 140km from Reykjavik.
