The Alhambra in Granada is one of the most visited landmarks in Spain and it’s definitely a must-see destination if you’re ever in the Andalusia region. Designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984, the Alhambra is known for its Islamic architecture and is one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Islamic world. But due to its popularity, be sure to book your tickets well in advance. When I started planning our month-long trip to Europe, Alhambra was one of the first commitments I made. There are a few different types of tickets available, just make sure you are purchasing directly from the official website.
Tickets
For our visit, we booked the Alhambra General ticket which includes the complete visit of the complex, including the Nasrid Palaces. You must decide the date of your visit and your preferred entry time for the Nasrid Palaces when you book your tickets. This is the only area with a timed entry. The rest of the complex can be visited whenever you want on the same day.
Getting there
We were based in Malaga for this leg of the trip so we opted to bus from Malaga to Granada for a day trip to the Alhambra. You can also drive to Granada but there are traffic controls within the city center so if you want to explore other parts of Granada, other forms of transportation may be more convenient. Taxis, Ubers, and buses are all prevalent throughout the city.
Game Plan
Our game plan for the day was to see the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces, and lastly the Generalife. I purposely booked a later entry to the Nasrid Palaces to ensure we had enough time to get to the Alhambra from the bus station. I knew there weren’t many food options at the palace, so I planned to grab a quick lunch before entering the Alhambra. Bringing food to a picnic at the Alhambra might be another great option. We entered the complex through The Gate of Justice to see the Alcazaba first.
While waiting for our timed entry after visiting the Alcazaba, we picked up an audio guide right outside of the Palace of Charles V (Palacio de Carlos V). We thought we could just share an audio guide but we kept getting separated so I wouldn’t recommend sharing.
The old royal palace, The Nasrid Palace, was beautiful and definitely worth a visit. The courtyards, the reception halls, the royal quarters- there are so many details not to be missed.
Overall, it was a great day trip that left us wanting more. The Alhambra was bigger than I imagined but we managed to see everything we set out to see. It would have been nice if we were staying in Granada for at least a night so we could stay for sunset and take our time to explore the Albaicin.