Granada · Spain
Plaza Larga and the Arco de las Pesas
A practical guide to Plaza Larga and the Arco de las Pesas in Granada's Albaicín: the neighborhood market, the false weights hanging in the Zirid gate, what time to go and which terraces to avoid.
If San Nicolás is the tourists' Albaicín, Plaza Larga is the residents'. Fifteen minutes is enough, and don't leave without looking up inside the arch.
Plaza Larga is the market square of the upper Albaicín: small, irregular and cobbled, with vegetable stalls on weekdays, neighborhood shops and café terraces. On its west side stands the Arco de las Pesas, an 11th-century gate in the old Zirid wall. It’s the spot in the neighborhood where you can still see residents’ daily life.
Our experience
We passed through on Thursday, May 21, on the afternoon climb. We set off at 16:10 up the Cuesta del Chapiz, when the sun was already dropping behind the ridge and the lanes were in shade. At the square we walked through the Arco de las Pesas, with its false weights hanging overhead, and went on toward the church of San Salvador and the Palacio de Dar al-Horra, on the way to the Mirador de San Nicolás. The whole route is in our Albaicín guide and in our Alhambra day.
A bit of history
In Arabic the square was called Rahbat al-Ziyada, the square of the enlargement. It lay inside the Alcazaba Cadima, the 11th-century Zirid citadel, back when this hill was the center of Granada, before the Nasrids settled on the Alhambra. It was the citadel’s market, with butchers, fruit sellers and fishmongers.
The arch was the main gate in that wall, the Cerca Real, leading to the neighborhood growing outside. The Muslims called it Bab al-Ziyada. The name Arco de las Pesas (Arch of the Weights) came after the Morisco war of the late 16th century, when the resettled square became the center of the new Christian Albaicín: market inspectors confiscated merchants’ rigged weights and displayed them at the gate as a warning. The square was renamed El Ensanche, a literal translation of the Arabic name, and over time it became Plaza Larga (Long Square) because of its elongated shape.
The honest take
It’s on the route of every group heading up to the viewpoints, terrace prices have risen and some old shops now sell souvenirs. Even so, the square still works for the people who live here, and on a weekday afternoon it’s usually at its quiet moment.
What to see, in order
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The square
Irregular and elongated, shaped like a T, with whitewashed houses of two to four stories and some Mudéjar wooden eaves.
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The stalls and neighborhood shops
On weekday mornings vegetable stalls set up on the north side. Around the square there's a butcher, a small grocery and a fishmonger serving residents.
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The Arco de las Pesas
The Puerta Nueva of the 11th-century Zirid wall, on the west side. It's one of the first bent-entrance gates in Hispano-Muslim architecture: the passage turns at a right angle to slow down a rider.
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The hanging weights
Inside the passage, high up, blackened weights hang from iron spikes: the false weights confiscated from cheating merchants. Almost everyone walks under them without noticing.
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The inner face of the arch
Walk through, turn around and look: the inside face is more decorated than the outside.
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The little fountain under the vine
A small tiled fountain on the south side, under a vine trellis. It's easy to miss.
Tips we wish we’d known
Tips
- On the terraces, coffee can cost more than twice what it does at the bar. Check the terrace price column before sitting down, or order inside.
- Bar Aixa, on the north side, is the one recent reviews recommend as the neighborhood option; the tourist restaurant on the square has bad reviews.
- The morning stalls are cash only. Bring small bills.
- At night the square empties early: it's not a place to go out.
Do
- Walk up after 16:00, when the Albaicín's lanes are already in shade.
- Go through the arch, stop at the bend and look up.
- Keep your bag on your lap or between your feet, never hanging on the back of the chair.
Don’t
- Don't order paella on the terraces: it isn't a Granada dish, and the €15 version is reheated.
- Don't take the rosemary sprig or sign clipboard petitions.
- Don't pay the photographer offering a "romantic shot" under the arch.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Arco de las Pesas?
An 11th-century gate in the Albaicín's Zirid wall, also called the Puerta Nueva. Its name comes from the false weights that were hung there after the Christian conquest.
When is the market at Plaza Larga?
On weekday mornings there are vegetable stalls. On Saturdays from 10:00 to 15:00 a bigger market sets up with flowers, fruit, bread and cheeses.
How much time do you need?
About 15 minutes for the square and the arch. With a coffee at the bar, half an hour.
Is it near the Mirador de San Nicolás?
Yes, about a ten-minute walk.