3 tours of the Alhambra of Granada

Discover how to get there, where and when to get your ticket and up to 3+1 different itineraries to customize your visit to the Alhambra in Granada.

If you are planning a trip to Granada, here are the basic tips to see the Alhambra and, above all, get your pass!

Do you want to visit her tomorrow? Then it's probably already too late...

How to get your ticket

The influx of tourists in the Alhambra has become massive due to its fame (more than deserved).

To ensure its conservation, for years only 300 people have been allowed to enter the Nasrid Palaces every 30 minutes, which means 5400 people per day in winter and 6600 in summer.

For this reason, although it is theoretically possible to purchase it at the box office, it is recommended that you buy your ticket in advance (up to 3 months) through the official sales page.

Types of entrance to the Alhambra and prices

The general ticket costs 14€.

It is the most common and gives you access to the Nasrid Palaces, the gardens, the Alcazaba and the Generalife.

There are also other alternatives:

• Night visit to the Nasrid Palaces 8€.
• Night visit to the gardens and Generalife 5€.
• Single visit to the gardens, Generalife and Alcazaba 7€ (recommended option when the general tour is sold out).
• Others: combined, guided by specialists...

Did you know that you can enter the walls of the Alhambra for free? 

If you enter on foot through the Puerta de la Justicia you can stroll through the streets of the walled enclosure and visit the Palace of Charles V without having to buy a ticket.

However, this way you will be missing the real magic of the Alhambra (gardens, Nasrid Palaces, Alcazaba, Generalife...).

Alhambra opening hours

Except for the Nasrid Palaces, your general pass gives you access to the rest of the site for one day (all day):

• Winter hours ➞ 8:30 - 18:00.
• Summer hours ➞ 8:30 - 20:00.

However, the time to visit the Nasrid Palaces is the time shown on your ticket.

To avoid exceeding the maximum capacity limit, they have ensured that the entrance is controlled by a computer system. Therefore, workers do not have the remotest option to make exceptions for anyone.

So make sure you are at the entrance gate to the Nasrid Palaces at your time (I have marked the spot on the map at the bottom of this page).

As soon as the next shift starts (30 minutes after yours) you will lose the right to enter them. Take it seriously if you don't want to miss what, in my opinion, is the jewel of the Alhambra.

Itineraries through the Alhambra

In general it takes about 3 hours to tour the entire Alhambra. Although this will always depend on the type of photographer you bring with you...

It took us a little longer 😉.

In any case, set aside a morning or afternoon to enjoy it as it deserves.

Below are 3 possible itineraries and a final recommendation (this last one is the one you should pay more attention to):

Tour 1: at short notice

When you arrive just at the time of entry to the Nasrid Palaces, go straight to them:

1. Access pavilion.
2. Nasrid Palaces.
3. The Partal and the gardens.
4. Generalife and its gardens.
5. Palace of Carlos V.
6. The Alcazaba.
7. Gate of Justice.

The visits to the Palace of Charles V and the Alcazaba you can change the order between them, but I recommend you to finish the visit on high, with breathtaking views of Granada from the Torre de la Vela 😉.

• Pro: you start with the most beautiful of the Alhambra, the Nasrid Palaces, when you are still fresh.
• Cons: The trip is longer because you have to pass twice through the Royal Street of the Alhambra.

Tour 2: if you arrive one hour early

In this case you can take the opportunity to reduce a little the distance you are going to walk:

1. Access pavilion.
2. Palace of Carlos V.
3. The Alcazaba.
4. Nasrid Palaces.
5. The Partal and the gardens.
6. Generalife and its gardens.
7. Access pavilion.

Again, the Alcazaba and the Palace of Charles V are interchangeable.

• Pro: the complete itinerary is shorter.
• Cons: You must calculate the schedule well so as not to arrive late to the Nasrid Palaces.

Tour 3: if you arrive too early at the Alhambra

Is it 2 hours before your turn to enter the Nasrid Palaces? Then this is your option:

1. Access pavilion.
2. Generalife and its gardens.
3. Palace of Carlos V.
4. The Alcazaba.
5. Nasrid Palaces.
6. The Partal and the gardens.
7. Access pavilion.

Moreover, if you still have enough time to enter the Nasrid Palaces, you can visit the Partal and its gardens first by entering through the gate behind the palace of Charles V (marked on the map at the bottom of the page).

• Pro: you leave the icing for last, the Nasrid Palaces (in my opinion).
• Cons: You may arrive at them too tired from so much walking.

Extra tour: whichever comes up

And you'll think: 'I don't need to read information for that'.

I thought the same thing: 'If I had known, I wouldn't have planned so much '.

I'll tell you:

We had entrance to the Nasrid Palaces at 9.00 a.m., so we wanted to do the itinerary 1...

1. Access pavilion.
2. Nasrid Palaces (wonderful).
3. El Partal and... it started pouring rain.
4. The exit door behind the Palace of Carlos V was temporarily closed.
5. We ran through the gardens in the rain.
6. We looked for a warm place to take shelter and warm up: the bar at the Hotel America was the winner.
7. We went to the Palace of Carlos V because it is under cover.
8. It stopped raining and we took the opportunity to admire the views from the Alcazaba.
9. We returned to the gardens of the Partal(access was now open, at good hours).
10. We arrived at the Generalife.
11. The storm returned.
12. We did our best to see their gardens while trying not to get too hot.
13. We left the same way we came in.

See, we went around more times than a live guy. And that didn't change the outcome at all.

You fall in love with the Alhambra no matter what. So... let yourself go.

How to get to the Alhambra

Car

The Alhambra site has 500 parking spaces divided into 4 areas. The one closest to the entrance pavilion will be the last one you will find (and the first to fill up) as you will always enter from the road coming from the San José Cemetery (not from the city center).

Unless you arrive early in the morning (8-8.30h) I recommend that you discard this option because they sell out quickly. There are other ways to get there that are more convenient.

Bus

There are several buses that connect Granada with the Alhambra.

• c30: you can get on at the stop next to the statue of Isabel la Católica and get off at the access pavilion.
• c32: although it also passes through the Albaicín, part of the route is the same as the c30 and also leaves you at the access pavilion.
• c35: on its route to the cemetery from Isabel la Católica square, it also makes some stops near the Alhambra, although you will have to walk a few meters.
• 13: If you are staying near the Palacio de Congresos de Granada, this bus will take you to the cemetery gate. From there you only have to walk the 500 meters that separate it from the access pavilion.

Tickets cost €1.40 per person/trip and are purchased directly on the bus. But remember to carry loose change as the driver can only change 10€ bills.

On foot

Do you prefer to walk up?

• From Plaza Nueva: walk along the Cuesta de Gomérez, a very pleasant tree-lined path.
• From the Paseo de los Tristes: it is shorter if you take the Cuesta de los Chinos overlooking the wall.

Did you notice that both roads are called 'Cuesta'? It's no coincidence 😉.

When to go

Always. Granada is beautiful at any time of the year.

This is my only recommendation if you are going up to the Alhambra:

1. Dress warmly in winter, it is colder than in the city center.
2. Avoid strong sun hours in July and August.
3. Chance of rain? Bring a pair of shoes that won't get wet and a raincoat/umbrella.

Where to eat

Although near the access to the Alhambra (and even inside it) there are certain places where you can eat, their number is limited and I have never tried them, so I can't tell you about them.

However, in the center there are thousands of places where you can try their famous tapas or eat traditional menus. Here are some of the places we tried during the 'alternative' route through Granada during our last visit.

Where to stay

Did you know that you can sleep inside the Alhambra?

I have not been lucky enough to do so, but there are 2 lodgings inside the walls:

The Parador de Granada and the Hotel América.

Staying in one of them allows you to stroll through the streets of the Alhambra in the middle of the night with almost no tourists. Can you think of anything better for a romantic getaway?

And outside the walls you have a thousand places to choose from (and I'm sure I'm not going far enough):

• With or without views of the Alhambra.
• In a cave house or in a more conventional lodging.
• Hostels, hotels, hostels, room in a shared house...

Our experience

We chose the Saray Hotel for 52.7€/night on average, 2 persons without breakfast.

I have mixed feelings about this hotel:

• Its location is perfect if, like us, you have to attend an event at the Palacio de Congresos. Otherwise, it is a bit far from the center.
• The facilities are very good. You can tell it is a 4 star hotel.
• The beds are very comfortable and you can hardly hear any noise from the rest of the rooms.
• The reception staff was very unfriendly.
• They have very strict check-in and check-out policies.
• They are not very environmentally friendly. They changed my towels every day even though I left them hanging as directed to reuse them.
• Breakfast is expensive (even more so if you get it from Booking, don't do it!).
• When we arrived, they offered us the cheapest breakfast (at 10€ instead of 14€ as requested by Booking) but they did not tell us that we had to book it one day in advance. One morning we wanted to try it but when we went down to breakfast they told us they had to charge us 12€ and did not listen to our explanations.
• One good thing, the Flamboyant cafeteria is very close to the hotel and their muffins with tomato are a delicious breakfast 😉.

Would you go back? To Granada, of course I would. Whenever I can 😉.

I don't think so at the Hotel Saray. I was treated in a cold and very square way, even though the rooms are excellent and it has a privileged position if you go to the Palacio de Congresos or arrive by bus from Granada airport.

But let everyone judge for themselves 😉.

Would you go back to a place where the treatment was bad but the place is high quality? Tell me about it in the comments. I'd love to hear your opinion.

Useful Links

• Purchase of general admission tickets to the Alhambra
• Purchase of other night, partial or combined tickets to the Alhambra.
• Get 5% off when you purchase travel insurance with IATI.
• Hotel offers in Granada.
• Flights to Granada: Trabber, eDreams, Momondo and Vueling.

And if you are visiting the Alhambra, you can't leave this city without taking a different route through Granada 😉.

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