101 Granada Spain
The Granada Spain no nonsense tips you need to plan your travel.
When is the best time to visit Granada, Spain?
See this Granada year round calendar with activities and fiestas.
Find Useful Information about Granada Airport and connections here.
If you have more time to investigate see this guide to the whole province of Granada. Alpujarras, Coast and ski resort.
The Alhambra Palace – The basics
This monument is visited everyday by thousands of people. It is extremely important to book ahead. Reserving as soon as you can you will guarantee that you get a ticket on the day that you are in Granada.
The reason that ticket numbers are limited to a certain number is to protect the conversation of the Palace interior.
Buy online Alhambra tickets
You can buy tickets online at Ticketmaster. It´s best to do this as far in advance as possible. You will get a confirmation number after completing the purchase. You will need to print the tickets in Granada when you arrive.
As well as in the Alhambra itself when you arrive, you can also do this in the shop Tienda de la Alhambra in Plaza Nueva Square, which is located in the city centre.
Book day tickets well in advance as they often sell out. Especially April – June.
Skip the line tickets are also available in case the ticketmaster ones have already sold out.
How to pick up Tickets
Once you have bought your ticket online you can collect you ticket at the Alhambra ticket offices when you arrive.
There is a window for people who have prepaid their tickets and usually no queue at all.
Please note that since the end of 2013 it is no longer possible to print the tickets in Servicaixa cash machines.
Ticket office Alhambra palace
Which ticket to buy?
There are two options for planning your visit. Night time or daytime visit. When you go to purchase online tickets you need to take care when you select which ticket you are buying.
The night time visit is to enter the Nazrid palaces only. This is includes the famous patio of the Lions. The day time ticket includes Alcazaba, Nazrid palace and rest of the complex.
Generalife Garden visit refers to the White Summer palace and it´s gardens. This visit is a great compliment once you have seen the rest of the monument. In spring and summer the fragrance from the plants and colors from the flowers are spectacular.
Entrance time on your ticket – Really important information
When you are heading to the Alhambra palace for your visit, it is very important to arrive earlier than the time printed on the ticket.
The time printed on the ticket is not the time to go in the Main entrance.
It is the time which you have been allocated too visit a certain area of the monument. If you arrive at the Nasrid palace door later that the time printed on your ticket you will not be allowed entrance. They are not flexible on this point at all.
Please note that the door for Nasrid Palace is quite a way from the Main entrance. You will need about 30 mins to get from the main entrance to the Palacio Nazaries. (you could get a Little lost on route, this allows plenty of time)
Also remember to save your ticket after going into the Alhambra. You may need to show this on different doors further along the visit.
The full visit:
If you go for the whole day, wear comfy shoes or trainers. Along the route there are dusty tracks, cobbles, steps to climb and smooth marble floors. Please make sure you are prepared for the day, some parts of the visit are outside. You may need to take a jumper/coat or lashings of sun cream and hat depending on the time of year. I recommend the Audio guide for the daytime visit. Following the numbers on this guided route ensures you take a logical path around the huge complex to prevent having to back track and walk further.
Wall Inscription inside the Alhambra Granada
Food at the Alhambra
There are a few restaurants at the entrance to the Alhambra. Restaurante El Mimbre or Jardines de Alberto. Both reasonably priced but not inside the complex. Inside the complex itself there are sandwiches, baguettes and hot drinks sold in a small hut near to Alcazaba. Vending machines and the toilets are located close to Palacio Carlos V. This is in the centre of the Alhambra complex. A packed lunch would be a good choice if you plan to be there all day.
How to get to the Alhambra
• Take a small red bus C3 from Plaza Isabel la Catolica (ticket 1.20 euros)
• If you want you can walk up the steep hill from Plaza Nueva. Take Cuesta Gomerez all the way up through the woods and you will arrive at Hotel Washington Irving & then to the Ticket office and main entrance.
• A taxi will cost around 6 euros to go the the Alhambra ticket office (of course the final cost depends on where you are in the city) I think this is the best option, especially if there are two or more people. The walk downhill is better after the visit, for a pleasant stroll.
Should you have more than one day in Granada, check out this post: Free things to do in Granada Spain
El barrio del Albaicin – Escapada a Granada
Albaicin area
Take in the famous view from the Saint Nicolas Square or Mirador de San Nicolas. See this: Best view in Granada, Spain
You can get a taxi up the hill for about 6 euros or you can get a small red bus from Plaza Nueva. The driver can tell you which stop to get off if you ask him clearly for Mirador San Nicolas.
Once you get off the bus walk up the slope and then up the cobbled stairs to see the beautiful view. This is spectacular at Sunset.
Here are two posts written about the Albaicin & Mirador San Nicolas area.
- A walk in the Albaicin
- Have dinner in a typical Carmen such as Mirador de Morayma.
- Read more about Typical Carmens in Granada Spain .
For a different view over the city. Get a taxi to the Hotel Alhambra Palace, have a snack or a coffee on the terrace, see the city sprawl below from their balcony.
Granada´s Jewish District – El Realejo
Granada doesn´t have a Synagogue or specific monument to visit as other Spanish cities do, such as Cordoba or Girona. Although there is a history to the Jewish quarter of Granada
Read more: Granada & its Jewish quarter
If you are considering Moving to Granada Spain Read these FAQs
Find out and Explore the Granada Province here
Typical Granada Food
Read this post about typical dishes in Granada and find out on this post where the classic Tapas bars are in Granada Spain
This guide to food timetables and seasonal dishes may also help.Eat in Granada
Typical Gifts & Souvenirs
Need to take gifts home? Here are 15 gift ideas from Granada & Andalusia These are things that I would actually buy myself.
It’s good to see your comments about Spain. We had planned the trip for late may with visiting Madrid, Granada and Cordoba. We had hoped a lot for this trip. But unfortunately the Spanish embassy in Tehran didn’t grant us the visa, despite the fact that we had booked and paid for the tickets and hotels. They said they wre not justified by our application which included 60 euros for each person + documents showing that we owned a house and bank statement, But i will live until one time i see Spain.
I´m considering buying a business for the Grenada and Almeria area. You seem to have a great knowledge of this area of Andalucia, can you help us at all with a few words of advice.
Thank you so much.
Hi,
Of course, I know Almeria and Granada well.
I have lived and worked here since 2006.
I will email you with some information
Thanks for stopping by!
Molly
I am planing a trip to Granada this June. Like the information on this blog from advice on ticket to Alhambra, food, transportation and location for best view of the town. Thank you!
Thanks for reading! Enjoy your travels in Andalusia
Hi Molly,
Great info for a first timer…. Thanks So much for sharing!
From what I have read & understood; The Alhambra has many different parts to be seen –
1. The Nasrid Palaces
2. The Carlos V Palace
3. The Alcazaba
4. The Medina
5. Rauda – Royal Cemetery
6. Generalife Gardens and Palace
I have a few specific questions, would be great if you can help – I have a “Alhambra General” ticket booked for May 5th, 2017 and the entry time to Nasrid Palace is 18:00 H
Q1 – Does my ticket include a right to visit all 6 places, mentioned above? In what order should i go to each of them?
Q2 – I tried booking an audio guide, but with time against me & zero understanding of spanish, that did not happen. Can i get a map of the place, or any guided tour on the spot (in english)
Q3 – Can I Reach Alhambra early, say by 2 PM on May 5th, collect my tickets from the ticketing office on premises itself? or Will there be a very long Queue? should I collect my tickets a day before?
Q4 – Despite the entry time to Nasrid Palace being 6 PM, will I be allowed entry to the other 5 places to see (As above) before 6 PM?
Q5 – The ticket only mentions the entry time on the Nasrid palace, once I am inside, can I take as long as I please? or would I be asked to leave after a specific time interval?
Q6 – How long would a complete the visit to Nasrid palace take? I would not want to miss anything, and usually take a lot of photographs. I plan to travel back to Madrid by an overnight train/Bus after this.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Best,
Mahima
Q1 – Does my ticket include a right to visit all 6 places, mentioned above? In what order should i go to each of them?
If you have the GENERAL ticket then yes, you can visit the entire complex.
Q2 – I tried booking an audio guide, but with time against me & zero understanding of spanish, that did not happen. Can i get a map of the place, or any guided tour on the spot (in english)
You can get a map and an audio guide there when you arrive. (no queues)
For a Guided Tour you need to book ahead of time.
Q3 – Can I Reach Alhambra early, say by 2 PM on May 5th, collect my tickets from the ticketing office on premises itself? or Will there be a very long Queue? should I collect my tickets a day before?
Yes, you can collect the tickets when you arrive. There are large machines (looks like ATM) towards the back with NO QUEUE to print out your pre booked tickets. Allow 15 mins to find this and walk into the main entrance.
Q4 – Despite the entry time to Nasrid Palace being 6 PM, will I be allowed entry to the other 5 places to see (As above) before 6 PM?
The area around the Palacio de Carlos V and Alhambra Museum can be visited at any time at all as no ticket is required.
You can visit the Alcazaba that same afternoon with no time restriction at all and the same for the Generalife
The Alcazaba and Carlos V are close to the Nasrid Palace (with special entry time) where the Generalife gardens are far away. (15-20 mins walk)
Q5 – The ticket only mentions the entry time on the Nasrid palace, once I am inside, can I take as long as I please? or would I be asked to leave after a specific time interval?
Yes you can stay as long as you want. The restriction is the entry time.
Q6 – How long would a complete the visit to Nasrid palace take? I would not want to miss anything, and usually take a lot of photographs. I plan to travel back to Madrid by an overnight train/Bus after this.
Nasrid palace I would allow 1 hour but you make take less time.
Enjoy your visit
I hope these details clarify your doubts
thanks ! this has been a great help
Hi Molly,
I’m moving to granada with my 11 year old boy, hoping to rent in the Albaicin for a while and was wondering if you would share your thoughts on the following
Is the Albaicin a good area to live?
Also I believe Granada to be busy with tourists year round, is that the case, is it as busy through the winter months as it is during the summer?
As a child I remember very cold winters in Granada, is that still the case, are we going to freeze and does it rain alot? When we left Granada at the end of September in was 29deg!
Lastly I remember Granada with a lot of live & fun, is it still a great place to live?
Many thanks for your time and sharing your knowledge
Diana
Hi Diana
Yes indeed Granada is a lively city with lots of activities year round.
The Albaicin quarter is beautifully quaint however can be difficult to access by car or for parking.
it depends on what you are looking for.
I will drop you a detailed email answering your questions with a longer reply
thanks for reading
Molly