Carmen de los Mártires sits on one of Granada's most historically charged spots, where Christian prisoners were once held in underground silos during the final years of Moorish rule. The name itself tells the story – this is where Queen Isabella founded a small hermitage to honor the martyrs after Granada fell in 1492.

What you'll find today is something quite different: over seven hectares of themed gardens that feel almost accidentally beautiful. The original romantic garden design from the mid-1800s has evolved in ways its creators never intended, and somehow that makes it more interesting.

The entrance greets you with a small grotto surrounded by ferns, then opens into what was once a proper rosaleda. The rose garden lost its battle against growing trees decades ago – the shade killed most roses, so they planted other flowering species instead. Now they just call it the Florera, which feels more honest.

The neoclassical palace at the center hosts events now, but you can appreciate its Tuscan portico and the internal patio with Corinthian columns. There's also a recreated Nasrid patio that the Duke of Infantado added in 1944, complete with a long pool inspired by the Alhambra's courtyards.

My favorite section might be the Palmeras garden, though calling it a "garden" feels generous. What started as a small English-style parterre with curved paths gradually became a palm forest. They planted four or five palms in the late 1800s, then kept adding more until the canopy closed completely overhead. Walking through feels like entering a natural cathedral.

The artificial lake at the eastern edge comes with its own medieval tower replica on a small island. From here you can catch views of Sierra Nevada and the Suspiro del Moro hills, supposedly where Boabdil took his last look at Granada before leaving forever.

The whole place operates on city time – it opens and closes when it wants to, maintenance happens sporadically, and some sections look better than others depending on when you visit. An audio guide helps piece together the layered history if you want the full story.

Granada has flashier attractions, but Carmen de los Mártires offers something rarer: gardens that show their age and accidents honestly, in a setting where major historical moments actually unfolded.