Monachil
The picturesque village of Monachil is set in a valley in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, 8 km from Granada, and is a perfect base for exploring both the mountains and the city. Within the municipal boundaries of Monachil are peaks of over 3000 metres, and the highest ski station in Europe, with 70 km of pistes open from December till April. A short walk from the village is the beautiful Cahorros gorge, well known to rock climbers all over the world. Besides rambling and climbing, outdoor activities on offer include mountain biking, paragliding and horse riding. The present village of Monachil dates back to Moorish times, but a ten minutes walk from Cueva de la Luz takes you to the remains of a fortified Bronze Age village built almost four thousand years ago. The villagers, the local fiestas, and the new residents combine together to make for a unique experience in this corner between Granada and the Sierra.
Granada
With the snow capped Sierra Nevada as a backdrop, the city of Granada has one of the most beautiful and spectacular settings in Europe, worthy of its most famous monument, the Moorish palace of the Alhambra. Surely as near to perfection as possible in this world, the Alhambra is one of the wonders of the world. Besides visiting the Alhambra and other monuments of the city, probably the best way to spend a day in Granada is simply to wander at random around the old quarter, climbing the maze of narrow cobbled streets that form the hilltop barrio of the Albaizin, with its breathtaking views of the Alhambra and the snow mountains behind, and on to the gypsy quarter of Sacromonte. For flamenco lovers a stroll around the cave dwellings of Sacromonte is a must. If you like you can take in a flamenco show in one of the zambras – lively singing and dancing but, it must be admitted, very much for tourists.
Lorca and de Falla
Granada was the home of Andalusia’s greatest poet and playwright, Federico Garcia Lorca, who did much to bring about a revival of flamenco and whose poems form the lyrics of innumerable flamenco songs. Together with the Granadino compositor Manuel de Falla, Lorca organised the first competition of Cante Jondo in 1922 in Granada, bringing together for the first time all the most important flamenco singers and giving the flamenco scene in Granada and flamenco in general a great boost.. You can visit Lorca’s and Manuel de Falla’s houses in Granada: La Huerta de San Vicente, now in a park in the centre of Granada that bears the poet’s name, and the Casa-Museo de Falla.
www.huertadesanvicente.com
www.centrofedericogarcialorca.es
www.manueldefalla.org
Arriving by Air
To Granada: Vueling and EasyJet fly directly to Granada. From Granada airport (www.aena.es) there is a bus to Granada centre. Get off at the stop Acera del Dauro and then walk two minutes to Paseo del Salon, from where you can catch a bus to Monachil Pueblo.
To Malaga: There are many budget flights to Malaga from all over Europe. Once you have arrived at the airport you will need to take a local train, bus or taxi to Malaga bus station, from where there are buses to Granada almost every hour between 07.00 to 21.00. The journey takes just under two hours. From Granada bus station take the number 3 bus to the city centre and get off near the Paseo del Salon.
To Madrid: In summer, flights tend to be a lot cheaper to Madrid than to Malaga. From Madrid airport take the metro to Mendez Alvaro, the nearest stop to the bus station Estacion del Sur. From here there are buses several times a day to Granada. The journey takes five hours.
Arriving by Bus and Train
There are regular buses and trains to Granada from all over Spain and Europe. See www.granadainfo.com/granadatravel.htm
Getting from Granada to Monachil
From the Paseo del
Salon (by the river Genil) there
are regular buses to Monachil.
These buses are with the company
Linan at ten minutes past the
hour, every hour from 8.10 until
22.10. (Be careful it says
Monachil Pueblo and not Monachil
Barrio, otherwise you will have a
mile walk at the other end.)
Getting to Monachil by car
Whichever direction you are coming from, when you are approaching Granada on the motorway you need to follow the signs to Sierra Nevada. Once you are on this stretch of the motorway ring road (Ronda Sur), take the second exit off, signposted La Zubia, Monachil, Vergeles. Follow the signs to Monachil. After the traffic lights you begin climbing the hill through Barrio Monachil, the new village. Follow the road round two sharp bends until you reach another set of traffic lights, where you go straight on and follow the road down into Monachil Pueblo, the old village. Cross the first bridge and park in the square – do not try to reach Cueva de la Luz by car!
The only place you are likely to go wrong is just before the first sharp bend in Barrio Monachil, where a side road on the right looks very like the continuation of the main road you are supposed to be following. If you reach a roundabout before the second set of traffic lights, you went wrong, but don’t worry. Just take the third turning off the roundabout, up the hill to the traffic lights, turn right, and you are back on the road down into Monachil Pueblo.
Walking to Carmen's
Studio in Monachil
Having parked your car in the square or got off the bus, look for a narrow street between Supermercado Rosario and Montana Activa bike shop (English spoken if you get lost). Follow this street for about 150m, where the street widens a bit to allow a couple of cars to park and you will find a path going steeply up on the right. Follow this right to the end, past a cave with a colourful door and up the stone steps to La Cueva de La Luz. If you get lost ask for Carmen or ring my mobile 657 540 838.
Where to stay in Monachil
There are several
attractive hotels and “casas
rurales” to rent where you can
stay alone or as a group. I can
recommend the following:
Hotel Rural El
Rio. 60 euros for a double
room, with the possibility of
putting up to four beds in the
room. Breakfast included. The
hotel restaurant offers a set
lunch which is not included in the
room price and has to be reserved
each morning. The hotel is just
ten minutes walk from La Cueva de
la Luz, along the river and
through typical village streets.
www.hotelruralelrio.com
0034 958 304 023
Hotel Alicia Carolina. Double
room 60 euros; single room 39
euros; family room 80 euros.
Breakfast included. It does not
have a restaurant but the hotel is
situated in the new part of
Monachil which has more shops and
restaurants and more frequent
buses to Granada. It is an
attractive half hour walk to Cueva
de la Luz, but there is a regular
minibus service if you don’t have
the time.
www.monachil.es
0034 958 500 393
Casa de Csilla and Shaun. A
very comfortable house in the
centre of the old village,
attractively restored in typical
Andalusian style, with several
bedrooms and bathrooms, a spacious
kitchen and a roof terrace with
views. The price varies depending
on numbers and length of stay, but
there is room for at least 8
people. It is five minutes walk
from Cueva de la Luz and even
closer to the supermarket and bus
stop to Granada.
www.ridesierranevada.com
y www.ownersdirect.com
0034 660884073
Casa de Katy. A typical
village house, small but ideal for
a couple with children because of
its enclosed patio with views of
the village and mountains. It is 7
minutes walk to La Cueva and the
price is about 60 euros per day.
Ring Katy on 0034 661 562 292
(English spoken).
Cueva la Chumbera. A
typical cave house just below
Cueva de la Luz. It has two
bedrooms, a sitting room with
kitchen and an outside bathroom.
It is in a very quiet area and
accommodates two to four people at
a very reasonable price. Ring Ana
on 0034 958 302 477 (English
spoken).
For more accommodation options visit: www.monachil.es.
Tourist Guides to Granada
Good websites to visit include:
Hotels in Granada
Contact information
Email: carmen976@hotmail.com
Mobile:
+34 657 540 838