Alcaicería is Granada’s busy and colourful marketplace. Alcaicería is a generic Arabic word used to denote bazaars. Grananda’s marketplace can be traced back to Moorish times. Unlike most Moorish traditions, it survived the Christian conquest. An unexpected fire burnt down Granada’s original Alcaicería, a labyrinth of shops with rust-coloured doors, in the 19th century. A replica of the original bazaar was built. The new market has lesser shops and the evidence of Neo-Moorish architecture can be seen everywhere.

The current Alcaicería is a maze of shops selling trinkets, colourful bags and clothes, souvenirs, ornaments, stained-glass lamps and locally produced ceramics. Do be cautious of petty thieves posing as street vendors and gypsy women offering to read your fortune for ‘free’. Pick pocketing is common in the area and there are a number of scams to lure tourists into parting with their hard-earned money. Walking around in Granada’s Alcaicería makes one think of countries like Morocco and Tunisia. This is part of what makes Granada stand out amidst other Spanish cities.