Seville may have the passion and Cordoba 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.