Mirador de San Nicolas (San Nicolas Lookout), Granada (must see)

The San Nicolas Lookout is the best-known viewpoint in Granada’s Albaicín and one of the clearest places from which to understand the city’s geography. From the terrace, the Alhambra stretches across the opposite Sabika Hill, with the Sierra Nevada rising behind it. The view places the Nasrid palaces, defensive walls, towers, surrounding woodland, and mountains within the same panorama. San Cristóbal is another reputedly spectacular viewpoint over the city.

San Nicolas became internationally famous partly through a story associated with former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who is said to have described the view from here as “the most beautiful sunset in the world.” Whether or not the quotation is exact, sunset remains the most popular time to visit. On clear evenings, tourists, locals, and travelers gather in the square to watch the Alhambra’s reddish walls glow in the setting sun. The name Alhambra derives from Arabic and is generally translated as “the red castle.” Street vendors, souvenir sellers, musicians, and flamenco performers often add to the festive atmosphere.

The lookout takes its name from the nearby Church of Saint Nicholas, built in 1525 on the site of a former mosque after the Christian conquest. The church has been damaged or destroyed by fire several times, but its original bell tower survives. For a small fee, visitors can climb the tower for an even higher perspective over the Alhambra and Granada.

The viewpoint is worth visiting well before or after sunset, too. In daylight, architectural details of the Alhambra are easier to distinguish, while late afternoon brings changing light to its reddish walls. The surrounding Albaicín, with its steep lanes, whitewashed houses, cisterns, and small squares, preserves the scale of medieval Muslim Granada.

Expect a steep climb through the neighborhood, but the journey is part of the experience. Narrow lanes repeatedly reveal glimpses of the Alhambra before the entire complex suddenly comes into view.