Mirador de la Lona beats San Nicolás for sunset in every way except crowds
San Nicolás is in every guidebook and fills up from 4:30pm in summer. La Lona is 15 minutes further up the hill, faces a completely different direction (west toward the cathedral and Sierra Nevada skyline, not south toward the Alhambra), and on most evenings holds a dozen people at most. The small bar on site means you can arrive at 6pm, wait for golden hour in a chair with a drink, and leave after the last light. On clear winter mornings, the snow on the peaks catches the first pink light while the city below is still in shadow.