A view of Granada

Seville may have the pasión and Córdoba a medieval charm, but Granada has an edge. Most visitors concentrate solely on the magnificent Alhambra, but if you explore further, you’ll find Andalucía’s hippest, most youthful city, with a ‘free tapas’ culture, innovative bars and intimate flamenco haunts.

Here the Islamic past feels recent, as Muslim North Africans make up some 10% of the population; there’s even a modern mosque in the medieval district of the Albayzín. And though Granada looks alpine, with the white-capped Sierra Nevada peaks startlingly close, you could just as easily go swimming down on the coast for the day and be back in time to enjoy the city’s nightlife.

Granada is located 2 hours away from Marbella.