What to see at the Alhambra

Alhambra visiting rules

• A ticket here costs about 20 euros, and you must buy it online only, and only 3-5 days ahead out of season, while in season much earlier... The ticket website is https://compratickets.alhambra-patronato.es. The ticket is issued in a person's name, so entry is only possible with a passport.
• When you buy the "Visita Diurna General - Alcazaba / Palacios Nazaríes / Generalife" ticket, you pay for entry to the palace and park grounds from 8:30 to 20:00. Note that the ticket shows a specific time - this is the entry time to the Nasrid Palaces (Palacios Nazaríes) specifically.
• The Alcazaba fortress, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife gardens are three units combined into the single Alhambra complex, and they can be visited in any order. But the route described in the article, a little further below, is more logical.
• There are signposts everywhere. Near the entrance to the fortress with towers, the Alcazaba, you will see the queue for the Nasrid Palaces. If your ticket is for 14:30, you can join the queue from 14:05, that is, half an hour ahead. Note that you will not stand in the queue for that half hour; you will enter the palace within 10-15 minutes. The queue is limited by passport checks, which also applies to the main entrance to the Alhambra.
• When you set the route here in your navigator, make sure the way runs along the bypass road. The centre of the historic city is full of "bricks and white circles" signs for locals. Driving through the city centre is only possible by taxi. From the city centre, from the Plaza Isabel la Católica stop, bus C30 runs to the Alhambra entrance. You can see the bus route on the website http://www.movilidadgranada.com/bus_linea.php?linea=C30
• It is convenient to reach the Alhambra by car by entering Aparcamiento complejo Alhambra in the navigator. There are car parks P1, P2, P3. They are all in one place, and from the third car park you can see whether the first is full. Parking is paid - 3 hours comes to 10 euros. There are many spaces, but in season they are hardly enough... From lunchtime on, if the car park is full, it is easier to wait 30 minutes, and because of the high turnover spaces will definitely appear. If the car park is full at 10-11 am, you should look for other parking options and get there by bus or taxi.
• On the palace grounds you are asked to wear your backpack on your front.
• Dogs are allowed into the Alhambra (we saw several). They are most likely only not allowed into the palaces.

What to see at the Alhambra

Note that movement around the Alhambra is organised as one-way. There are signposts everywhere, including ones with the approximate visiting time. The Alcazaba and the Nasrid Palaces are in the same place. You can enter the Alcazaba and the Nasrid Palaces only once on one ticket. Movement is strictly one-way. The most logical route is: enter through the Access Pavilion of the Alhambra - walk 10 minutes to the Alcazaba fortress (red arrows) - visiting the fortress with towers takes 30-50 minutes - at the exit from the fortress there is a queue for the Nasrid Palaces (yellow arrows, 15-30 minutes) - visiting the Nasrid Palaces takes 30-50 minutes - follow the signs to the Generalife gardens (yellow arrows, 15-20 minutes before the gardens begin) - we visit the Generalife park for about 30-50 minutes (yellow arrows). Return along the blue arrows. In total, seeing the Alhambra will take 2-3 hours at the very least! On the grounds there are places to buy a snack and coffee, and there are toilets.

• The Alcazaba - a fortress with viewing towers

There are three main towers here, from which a superb view of the city of Granada opens: Torre del Cubo, Torre de la Vela and the highest, Torre de las Armas. A visit takes 30-40 minutes in winter. Because of the large number of people, the visit may take longer, as a queue forms to enter the towers and to get to their edges for photos! It also takes 10 minutes to walk here from the main entrance, the Access Pavilion of the Alhambra (Pabellón de Acceso a la Alhambra). In the high summer season you can use the second entrance, Puerta de la Justicia, to avoid the queue, which forms in a snake-like pattern, as at an airport.

• Nasrid Palaces (Palacios Nazaríes) - a palace complex with a garden

This is a most beautiful palace with park grounds. Allow from half an hour to an hour for a visit, depending on how closely you study all the stucco and paintings!

• The Generalife - beautiful park gardens

This is basically a park with flowers and fountains. The whole route is marked, and you should follow exactly that. The park has several garden levels, and they are easier to get through by following the arrows) Allow from half an hour to an hour for a visit, depending on how often you stop and take photos.

Winter is a convenient time to visit the Alhambra: there are no particularly big crowds and the sun does not scorch. The downside, though, is that many plants hibernate in winter, and the Generalife gardens are definitely not at their best...

The charm of the Alhambra is that you will spend these 2-3 hours in a superb, beautiful place. Strolling unhurriedly, you will enjoy the ancient palace and the old town of Granada. The main thing is to take the rules described above into account when you visit, and to choose your season! Walking under the scorching sun in a crowd of people... is not much fun) In winter, although fewer plants are in bloom / green, even the Generalife gardens still look impressive!