Parque Nacional Sierra Nevada

The mountains of the Sierra Nevada, designated Andalucía’s second national park in 1999, rise to the south of Granada, a startling backdrop to the city, snowcapped for much of the year and offering good trekking and also skiing from late November until late May. The ski slopes are at Solynieve, an unimaginative, developed resort just 28km away from the city centre. From here, you can make the two- to three-hour trek up to Veleta (3400m), the second-highest peak of the range (and of the Iberian Peninsula); this is a perfectly feasible day-trip from Granada by bus.