Location
Above the gorge
of the river Alhama
Alhama de Granada lies in the southwest of the province of Granada, about 50 kilometres from the capital and at around 895 metres above sea level. The municipality has more than five thousand inhabitants and sits on a great rocky outcrop, cut by the deep ravine of the river Alhama: the famous Tajos, which give the town its silhouette hanging at the edge of the precipice.
Its name, like that of Alhama de Almería, comes from the Arabic al-hamma: the spring of hot water. The whole history of the place revolves around those thermal waters, known and used since ancient times, and around the border crossing the town guarded for centuries.
History
From a Nasrid stronghold
to "Woe is me, Alhama!"
«¡Ay de mí Alhama!»
There is evidence that the Romans already made use of the hot springs that rise next to the town. With the arrival of the Muslims, the settlement grew up around those springs and around its strategic character: perched on the crest of the Tajos, Alhama was a fortress hard to take and one of the keys to the plain of Granada.
In 1482, the troops of the Catholic Monarchs stormed the town and wrested it from the Nasrid kingdom of Granada. The loss was a symbolic blow to the sultanate. From that moment comes the lament "Woe is me, Alhama!" (¡Ay de mí Alhama!), attributed to Sultan Abu l-Hasan, which passed into Spanish as an expression of grief and gave rise to a famous border ballad.
On the site of the former main mosque, the Catholic Monarchs ordered the church of the Encarnación to be built in the early 16th century. Centuries later, in 1884, a devastating earthquake struck the district and brought down much of the housing, a disaster that left its mark on the memory of the town.
What to see
A town of stone and water
The historic centre, declared a Historic-Artistic Site, is explored on foot among churches, viewpoints and streets hanging over the ravine.
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01
Los Tajos
The great gorge carved by the river Alhama in the limestone rock. Listed as a Natural Monument of Andalusia for its geological value, its vertical walls surround the town and are overlooked by several viewpoints. A path descends to the river and the baths.
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02
The Arab baths
Medieval baths from the 12th-14th centuries, of Nasrid date and on Roman foundations, considered among the best preserved of their kind. The water rises at around 40 degrees straight from the rock. They are kept beside the spa, on the outskirts of the town centre.
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03
Church of the Encarnación
A Gothic-Renaissance church ordered built by the Catholic Monarchs on the site of the former main mosque, around 1505. It is the main religious building of the town and houses a parish museum with sacred art.
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04
Church of El Carmen
A 16th-17th century church in Renaissance and Baroque style, next to the Fuente de la Carrera. Behind its chancel opens one of the best viewpoints over the river Alhama and the Tajos gorge.
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05
The historic centre
A maze of narrow streets that preserves notable buildings such as the Pósito, the former prison and the Hospital de la Reina, a legacy of the passage of Christians and Muslims through this border town.
Festivals and traditions
The festive calendar
The year begins with the procession of the Three Kings on 5 January, and the feast of the Candelaria on 2 February. Holy Week fills the streets of the historic centre with processions, on a route shaped by the steep drop of the Tajos.
Throughout the year, the calendar adds popular celebrations and events around wine and local produce, which bring residents and visitors together in the town's squares.
Gastronomy
Flavours of the district
The cooking of Alhama is that of inland Granada: hearty, slow-cooked and built around the pig-slaughter tradition. The district's pulses — chickpeas above all — and pork products are the basis of stews, pucheros and migas, with the olla jameña as the emblematic dish. In winter, migas with their fried morsels and a good potaje make up the meal; in summer the remojón granadino refreshes, a salad of orange, cod, black olives and olive oil. Among the local products, cured cheeses, cured meats and the local bread stand out.
To eat, the practical thing is to wander the historic centre and the area around the Plaza de la Constitución, where bars and taverns serving traditional cooking, tapas and grilled meats are concentrated; several viewpoints and terraces overlooking the Tajos let you eat with views of the gorge. The tourist office keeps an up-to-date list of bars, taverns and restaurants in the municipality, useful for booking in high season and on holidays.
- Olla jameña
- Remojón granadino (orange, cod and olives)
- Migas
- Chickpea potajes and pucheros
- Cured cheeses of the district
- Traditional pastries
Where to stay
A spa hotel
and rural houses
About three kilometres from the centre, beside the river Alhama and the Roman bridge, is the Hotel Balneario Alhama de Granada, a three-star hotel with thermal facilities: an outdoor pool of mineral-medicinal water, an indoor thermal circuit, hydromassage baths, sauna and wellness treatments, in a building of Arab-style design surrounded by nature, on the Ctra. del Balneario. Its waters, used since Roman times, are also aimed at skin treatments and rheumatic and respiratory conditions. Information and bookings on its official website.
In the town itself and its surroundings there are also guesthouses, apartments and rural houses, a convenient option for exploring the Tajos, the churches and the trails of the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Natural Park. The full list of accommodation in the municipality is at the tourist office of Alhama de Granada.
The nearest sea
The Costa Tropical,
a step away
Although Alhama is a mountain town, the sea is close. The Granada Costa Tropical — with Salobreña and Almuñécar as landmarks — is reached in just over an hour by road, heading south on the A-44 motorway.
It is a coast of sheltered beaches and mild climate, halfway between the inland sierras and the Mediterranean, which rounds off a visit to the spa town nicely.
How to get there
Access and distances
- Train station
- Alhama de Granada has no station in service; the nearest is at Loja, on the Granada–Antequera/Bobadilla line
- Airport
- Granada-Jaén / Federico García Lorca (GRX), about 45 min by car; Málaga (AGP) as the major alternative airport
- By car
- From Granada, about 55-60 km via the A-92 and A-402, around 50 min; it is the most convenient way to get there and travel around the district
- Costa Tropical
- Salobreña and Almuñécar, just over 1 h via the A-44
- From Almería
- About 200 km by road, around 2 h 20 min by car
Frequently asked questions
Everything for your visit
What to see and do in Alhama de Granada?
The essentials are to look out over the Tajos — the gorge of the river Alhama, declared a Natural Monument — from its viewpoints, to visit the Nasrid-era Arab baths, the church of the Encarnación and that of El Carmen, and to stroll through the historic centre, declared a Historic-Artistic Site. The surroundings, within the Sierras de Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama Natural Park, offer trails such as the path down to the river and the hot springs.
Where to eat in Alhama de Granada?
Around the historic centre and the Plaza de la Constitución area you will find bars and taverns serving inland Granada cooking: olla jameña, migas, remojón, chickpea potajes and grilled meats. The tourist office keeps an up-to-date list of establishments.
Where to stay in Alhama de Granada?
About 3 km from the town is the Hotel Balneario Alhama de Granada, with thermal facilities. In the centre and its surroundings there are also guesthouses, apartments and rural houses. The full list is at the tourist office.
How to get to Alhama de Granada?
The most convenient way is by car: from Granada it is about 55-60 km via the A-92 and A-402 (around 50 min). There is no train station in service; the nearest is at Loja. Granada airport (GRX) is about 45 min away and Málaga (AGP) is the major alternative.
How far is Alhama de Granada from Almería?
About 200 km by road, around 2 h 20 min by car.
Can you bathe in the thermal waters?
Yes. The water rises at around 40 degrees beside the river Alhama, in a natural setting. The Hotel Balneario Alhama de Granada offers a thermal pool, circuit and treatments; it is best to check opening times and bookings on its official website before going.
The four Alhama towns
Sisters through water
Spain has several towns called Alhama, and they all share the same origin: the Arabic al-hamma, "the spring of hot water". Alhama de Granada, Alhama de Almería, Alhama de Aragón and Alhama de Murcia were all born from the same act — making use of a thermal spring — and they carry that kinship in their name.
What here is water rising at 40 degrees at the foot of the Tajos is, in Alhama de Almería, the historic baths at the foot of the Sierra de Gádor. Different landscapes, one and the same water that links these thermal sisters.