The main boulevard in Granada is Gran Via de Colon and the small and pretty square with the Cathedral and other monuments - Plaza de Isabel la Catolica, is its beating heart. On the south-west side of the square magnificently raises the Cathedral of Granada. This is a grandiose church, which main part is a Renaissance master piece. Its building was begun by Diego de Siloe in 1528 and the façade was completed by Alonso Cano in 1667, the same year when he died. The Capilla Real or the Royal Chapel is the most impressive part of the Cathedral. Situated at the southern side, its entrance is from Lonja - the old Stock Exchange of Granada with a very pleasant loggia. Commissioned by the Catholic conquerors of the city - Isabel and Fernando, the chapel was meant to be their tomb and was built for only 15 years. It is a real harmony of sumptuous late Gothic architecture, decorated with a lavishness befitting its function to keep the royal tombs. The grave stones of Fernando and Isabel were created by the Florentine sculptor Domenico Fancelli. Bartolome Ordonez did the grave stones of their daughter Juana the Mad and her husband – Philip the Handsome. They are located under a high vaulted ceiling and the lead coffins are laid under the floor, into the crypt. Don’t miss the gilt fence of wrought iron in front of the grave stones, which is another master piece worked by Maestro Bartolome de Jaen.

The small museum attached to the chapel, will definitely impress you with medieval chalices, crosses, the crown and the scepter of Queen Isabel, the sword of Fernando and the battle flags carried by the Christian troops during the conquering of Granada. The museum also shows a striking collection of Flemish and Italian paintings depicting Isabel. Compared to the Royal Chapel, the Cathedral itself looks simple although its superb lighting and height. In Capilla Mayor you can see the sculptures of Isabel and Fernando praying, a work by Pedro de Mena. There are also paintings by Alonso Cano.

The Cathedral was built over the remains of a huge mosque. Only the building of La Madraza, situated opposite of the Royal Chapel, survived from this Muslim temple. It was an Islam school in the 14th century. During the Baroque La Madraza was reconstructed and decorated in the typical local Andalusian style of the period. Today, it is a part of the Granada University. Behind Calle de Los Reyes you can see another hidden relic from the Moorish epoch – Corral del Carbon. It is an unusually grey building, the only entirely preserved caravanserai throughout Spain, turned into a coal depot after the city was captured from the Moors and later reconstructed into a residential house. The ancient Moorish silk bazaar Alcaiceria is situated between the Cathedral and La Madraza. The original market burnt into a fire and after that it was restored again. Today it is lined up with expensive souvenir shops.

Going along Calle de San Jeronimo in a western direction from the Cathedral you will reach the 16th-century Monastery of Saint Jerome (Monasterio de San Jeronimo). This real jewel of the Spanish Renaissance architecture distinguishes with a two-rowed monastery gallery, created by the architect of the Cathedral - Diego de Siloe. In the monastery church you can see amazing frescoes from 18th century. It also keeps the tomb of Gonzalo Fernandez de Cordoba or also known as El Gran Capitan, a Spanish general (1453-1515) who made Spain one of the most powerful states in the world for more than a century. The monastery is still inhabited by nuns and you can buy some of their lovingly prepared pastries and jams or, if you have luck, you can listen to their chants.

From the Monastery of Saint Jerome you can take bus number 18 or Line C from Gran Via de Colon and get off at Monasterio de la Cartuja, a Cartesian monastery built in the 16-18th centuries. Being the largest Baroque structure in Granada, a real architectural gem, it is situated 2 km from the city centre, in north-eastern direction. The Cartesians lived in an ascetic way but decorated their monasteries luxuriantly and this one is incomparable. Only the monstrance is composed of a complex decoration including gilt, marble, Venetian glass, frescoes, incrustations and abundance of sculptured cherubim, flowers and rambling vines. The whole this beauty created in the period between 1704 and 1720 by Francisco Hurtado Izquierdo can be rivaled only by the later sacristy of the church. Here you will see the sculpture of St Bruno by Jose de Mora, St. Mary Magdalene by Alfonso Cano and the frescoed dome worked by Thomas de Ferrer. The church shines with its gilt altar pieces and its doors are incrusted with mother-of-pearl, ivory, mahogany and turtle shells.

Another interesting sight in the centre of Granada is the family's summer home of the poet Federico Garcia Lorca - Huerta de San Vicente, now turned into a museum devoted to his life. Here he wrote most of his works. In that time the hoes was surrounded by a garden, later swallowed by the suburbs. The furnishings are original and the exhibition include his manuscripts, pictures and some interesting paintings made by his friends, among them is also Salvador Dali. As the number of visitors to the house is restricted you should reserve a guided tour in advance.