Visiting the Alhambra Palace in Granada
The Alhambra is the essential sight in Southern Spain. You know, the one on every guidebook cover, the one all your friends rave about, the one Rick Steves recommends… well you get the point.
What you might not realize is that the attraction is so popular that visitors are limited to just 6,600 per day. (Yes I thought that was an odd number as well.) “Ok, sounds straightforward, I’ll just buy a ticket” you’re thinking. Unfortunately it’s not that easy!
Keep reading for my tips on how to score tickets to see the iconic Alhambra in Granada, Spain!
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The Alhambra Ticket Lotto
Well unfortunately, 6,600 tickets sounds like a lot but the Alhambra is such an iconic sight that tickets sell out fast and the recommended guideline is to buy them 90 days in advance. Plus, even though they allot that many per day, tickets are further restricted down so that no more than 300 people can enter the Palace section every 30 minutes.
I first searched for tickets 60 days out from my trip and only had 1 morning option of Alhambra palace tour tickets online left to me!
Alhambra Time Slots
Another thing to note is that tickets are sold in time slots. This was a new concept to me, but if you’ve already been to Barcelona and seen the Gaudi sights, you’re probably familiar with this process.
When you buy a ticket for a time, you’re committing to that specific time window. Show up early? Feel free to wait. Show up late? You’re out of luck.
I found the whole process a bit confusing especially since it wasn’t super clearly outlined in guidebooks, so I thought I’d write a post on what I learned in a tips and tricks guide to visiting the Alhambra!
Read more: : How to Visit the Best of Spain & Portugal
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The Alhambra
The Alhambra is Spain’s most popular attraction clocking in over 2.3 million visitors per year. The site is a fortress-palace complex with 3 main parts:
the Alcazaba
palatial fortification aka ruins
the Palacios Nazaries
the Nasrid Palace (main attraction)
the Generalife
the architect’s gardens
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Where to Buy Alhambra Tickets Online?
You can purchase tickets for the Alhambra online through their site. If you don’t want to wait in line, you can purchase skip the line tickets on Viator, which also includes a guide.
There are a couple ticket options. The two most popular are the Alhambra General ticket, which gives you access to all the main highlights or an Alhambra at Night – Palaces ticket, which allows you to visit the Palaces lit up at night (the gardens at night are a separate ticket).
Most people buy the General ticket which includes the entire complex during the daytime. Serious photographers or Alhambra lovers can consider the night option as an add on. I chose to buy just the General daytime Alhambra ticket.
Timing Your Alhambra visit
The Nasrid Palaces are an enclosed attraction, with only 300 people are allowed to enter every 30 minutes for crowd control reasons. You must enter within the 30 minute window printed on your ticket, otherwise they will not let you in.
In spring and summer, there’s typically a wait, so I would arrive 30 min – 1 hour ahead of your designated window to prepare for long lines. I found that time slots were strictly adhered to in Spain.
Read more: Everything You Must Do in Cordoba, Spain
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How many days to spend in Granada?
I’d recommend planning 3 days in Granada and looking at Alhambra tickets first before you confirm hotel dates and trains/flights. It’d be very disappointing to visit Granada without seeing the Alhambra!
Where to Stay in Granada: Anacapri Granada
This is a charming boutique hotel with complimentary breakfast and wifi. The best part was its location right on the old town and <5 minutes from the old bazaar and pathway to the Alhambra. If you want an affordable and centrally located hotel, the Anacapari is a great choice!
Book: Hotels.com, Booking.com
Check prices: TripAdvisor
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For those who are fine walking to the Alhambra and plan to see the Nasrid Palaces first, the Anacapri Hotel is a short 5 minute walk to the entrance gate and then about a 15 minute uphill walk. Alternatively, for those who prefer to take the bus, the Anacapri hotel is about a 6 min walk to the bus stop. Either way the hotel makes for a very convenient for a sightseeing base!
We stayed at the hotel for 2 nights and 3 days. You can read more about my Granada travel guide here for the best things to do and recommendations on what to eat!
Other Affordable and Centrally Located Hotels in Granada:
1 | Hotel Casa 1800 – close to the main sights, this hotel is in a restored old building with a gorgeous courtyard. Complimentary tea and breakfast.
Book: Hotels.com, Booking.com | Check prices: TripAdvisor
2 | NH Hotel Victoria – fantastically located in the heart of the city, this minimalist hotel has comfortable rooms and gorgeous decor.
Book: Hotels.com, Booking.com | Check prices: TripAdvisor
Read more: : 9 Fun Things to Do in Granada
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Alhambra Tickets: Morning or Afternoon?
This is up to your personal preference. A lot of tour groups will go in the morning so people try to avoid the crowds by going in the afternoon. The entire complex takes about 3 hours to see at minimum, with the gardens being most extensive.
I bought a morning pass with an 8am Nasrid Palace time window. I ended up being first in line and had the palace to myself for a blissful 30 minutes before the crowds swarmed (and I mean swarmed).
Personally, I think a morning option is best because it gives you ample time to explore the complex without having to constantly check the time. If you see the Nasrid Palaces first thing, you’ll have free time to wander the gardens and fortification ruins without having to constantly check the time to make sure you don’t miss your Nasrid Palace reservation window.
Read more: Visiting Seville? Read Our Travel Tips
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Visiting the Alhambra
The massive complex sits on a hill overlooking the town of Granada and can be accessed from two main gates. Both approaches start from the main square at Plaza Nueva.
Here is a map of the complex if you’d like to take a look in advance. It’s also helpful to save the Alhambra map to your phone before your trip. I found that they seemed to be a bit stingy about giving out maps and guides in Spain – in the Alhambra, audio guides and maps are only given out inside the luggage storage room (not by the complex entrances or palace gates, oddly enough).
Option 1: On Foot
The first option is to walk on foot. Start at Plaza Nueva and climb Cuesta de Gomerez on a secluded, shady path lined with green elms. When you reach the Puerta de las Granada (Gate of the Pomegranates) turn left and climb farther until you reach the Puerta de la Justica (Gate of Justice) entrance.
This is a beautiful walk but quite steep. The Justice Gate is the recommended Alhambra entrance if you buy an early morning ticket as it’s closest to the Nasrid Palaces and will save you a walk within the complex.
Walking on foot is convenient if you’ve pre-bought an 8am time slot but a steep 15 min uphill
Option 2: Via Bus
The second option is to take a minibus from Plaza Nueva. Either bus no. 30 or 32 is fine, they run every few minutes and cost €1.20 upon boarding. The minibus goes along the main road and instead of turning left, heads farther up to drop you off at the Main Entrance.
This entrance is for those who haven’t pre-purchased tickets and is physically closest to the Generalife gardens. If you have a ticket for an afternoon or late morning Nasrid Palace time slot, you can plan to visit the gardens first.
If you have an afternoon time slot, take the minibus and enjoy a leisurely ride
Read more: : How to Spend 1 Week in Southern Spain
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If You’re in Granada and Forgot to Buy Alhambra Tickets in Advance
Well.. I wish you had read my blog post earlier. Feel free to sign up for my newsletter to the right and get first access to all my new posts! self promotion plug ha!
If you forgot to buy tickets in advance and are in Granada, there are a couple last minute options to get Alhambra tickets the same day.
First check with your hotel to see if they have any. Some hotels buy a limited quantity for their guests. You could also book a night tour which covers the Nasrid Palace in full, but excludes the gardens.
How to Skip the Line at the Alhambra
If you book a tour option, you’ll get to skip the standard queue and have the bonus of joining an informed, guided tour. Viator offers an excellent 2.5 hour tour of the Alhambra and Generalife gardens that is fairly priced and also includes free hotel pick up and drop off.
While the guided tour is obviously slightly more expensive than purchasing the direct ticket, being part of a tour group avoids is much more convenient, avoids the steep hill (which left me out of breath) and skips the line. The Viator guided tour covers the Alhambra palace in depth, pointing out relics and reliefs you might not otherwise notice.
If you have the Rick Steves Spain book you can read his commentary for your own walkable tour, or you can book a more lively in-person tour – whichever is your personal travel style.
You can find more details about guided tours of the Alhambra here.
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And there you have it, my recommendations for seeing the Alhambra in the easiest way possible!
For the actual visit itself, I recommend picking up a copy of Rick Steves Spain Guide. He has an excellent couple of pages walking you through the various rooms and points out specific details and noteworthy fountains. I chose to skip purchasing the audio guide since he did such a comprehensive job explaining!
Visiting Spain – Travel Checklist
To make the most of our time, we booked open jar flights, flying from NY to Madrid and departing from Lisbon. Check flight deals for your dates here.
For getting around within Spain, we recommend the local train system. Both fast and slow options are available, so Spain train travel is easy and effective! The only catch? It’s difficult for non Spanish users to book. Instead, book your tickets on Omio, which is much more convenient for English speakers and accepts international credit card holders. Check train schedules for Spain here.
We mixed up our accommodation throughout the trip, alternating between Airbnb and hotels. You can browse last minute Spain hotel deals here.
Lastly, be sure to visit Spain with travel insurance. Whether you get injured and need to be hospitalized, your phone gets stolen, or a flight delay leaves you with nothing but the clothes on your back, travel insurance will help when you need it most. Get a quote for your trip here.
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Place looks beautiful and this post looks informative. I’m saving this for later!
This is gorgeous! You took great pics too! Glad you got to visit. I will definitely keep it in mind if I visit.
Fantastic guide to Alhambra Granada. The number of visitors is just impressive and how long you need to make a booking before your target visit. Well, it looks worth it with these captures. :)
I had no idea this was Spain’s most popular attraction. Honestly, when getting tickets become a hassle, I would normally cross it off my list, but your photos are so stunning, I think serious advance planning would be worth it!
I feel completely ignorant here but I’ve actually never heard of this place! Let alone it being Spain’s most popular attraction. I think it’s because I’ve never really been interested in visiting Spain as I’ve only associated it with English summer holidays! I know there is plenty more to Spain than beach resorts and I need to get that out of my head and see for myself!
Good information to know. I agree, 6600 tickets is an odd number. I haven’t visited this region in Spain but it looks gorgeous. I also did not know it was the most visited site in Spain. Learned a lot. ;)
Great information and stunning pics. I have always wanted to visit this port of Spain and it really seems like one should get their Alhambra tickets before confirming hotels and transportation.
I love seeing top tourist sites – and planning ahead is so very important for that so I really appreciate your thorough suggestions!
What a beautiful place! I’ve never heard of Alhambra before but now it’s on my list for sure!
my parents are doing spain next spring. I may leave the kids with the hubby and join them if its going to be anything like this.
Thank you for all the details, it’s very useful! I’m visiting Alhambra in august. Do you know if we can print our tickets in advance at the Grenada Tourism Office?
Author
Hey Charlie – glad it was helpful! I’m not quite sure what you mean – you need to buy the tickets online on Ticketmaster before you go. Since its already early July, I’d recommend doing this today / ASAP to get a preferred time slot. Then once you’re in Granada, you can head to the tourism office when you’re in town to print out the ticket. Ticketmaster doesn’t give you an option to print it at home, I think because the tickets need to be scan-able at the Alhambra.
Author
If you’re already in Granada, you can definitely print them out before the actual date of your visit. Let me know if that clarifies your question
Really informative post… And amazing pictures. May I ask What camera and lens combination did you use?
Also do you Happen to know what time the tourist office closes and if the automatic machines are available after the office closes?
Author
No the machines are within the office so i would assume they are not available after close. Not sure of specific hours!
Thanks for your nice comments. I use either my iphone or canon camera! Exact models and lenses are all listed on my FAQ page :)
Hi Sher – a quick question on picking up the tickets. Do you just need to bring your card that you used to make the booking? I have no reference number or email from Ticketmaster. Can I just pop my card in the machine and will it recognise it? Many thanks Paul
Author
Yes you need your credit card. Hm, without a reference number or email it sounds like your transaction might not have went through on Ticketmaster… try purchasing again or via a tour on viator for peace of mind!
Great tips! I lived in Granada for a while, and never got tired of the Alhambra-it’s absolutely stunning. Also great pictures! How did you get them without hoards of people in them???
Author
Thanks Mary! Ah its just timing and good cropping :)
Fabulous photos, Sher! You should really throw a watermark on them to prevent others from taking them for personal or commercial use without giving you credit (they are that beautiful!) Definitely would love to make it there one day!
Author
Jessica, wow thank you for your kind words! So flattering, maybe I will think about adding one someday :)
@Sher : Yes, I already bought my tickets on Ticketmaster :). What I wanted to know was if I can head to the tourism office when I will be in Granada to print my tickets the day before my visit to the Alhambra. So, you answered my question :) Thank you again!
Author
Hi Charlie, ok great! Glad I was able to answer. I also heard from friends that ANY la caixa branch should be equipped to print out tickets – a friend was able to print hers in Madrid as she was anxious to get the physical tickets in hand. i wasn’t able to verify that myself but thought I’d pass it along! :)
Amazing photos! Been to Spain several times but I should definitely go back and visit this majestic place! Will save this for future reference!
wow. I didn’t know any of that. Thanks for the heads up. My parents are going in march
I would never have thought Spain’s most popular attraction was in Granada! Wow! I’ll have to visit there when I return to Bracelona!
Only 6,600 visitors per day? I wonder how they come up with such a number. I understand why the ticket sells so fast, I mean just look at it, so gorgeous. I would love to go there myself someday.
Thanks for the great tips and links. I never would have thought it would be that difficult or as least challenging. I’ll go in November. Just to clarify, why do you recommend the hike for the 8 am time slot? does the bus not run that early.. or…?
Author
Hi Naomi! I recommend the 8am time slot because it’s the first time slot of the day. That way you can see the Nasrid Palace with the least amount of crowds. You can pick any time slot you want though, there are slots every 30 minutes throughout the day. I recommend that you try to see the Nasrid Palace first out of everything in the Alhambra, because there’s often a huge queue and you don’t want to be at the gardens for example, which are about a 15 min walk away and then have to rush back to queue for the Palaces.
Regarding the bus vs. walk, there are two entrances to the Alhambra complex: the Main Entrance and the Justice Gate. The bus takes you to the Main Entrance (closer to the gardens) or you can walk to the Justice Gate entrance (in front of the Nasrid Palaces). You can of course choose whichever mode of transport but if you DO plan to see the Nasrid Palaces first, it makes more sense to walk to the Justice Gate – that way you will arrive right at the sight. If you take the bus, you are dropped off closer to the gardens and have to walk 15 minutes to get to the palaces anyway, so its a bit of a extended loop. Also just to clarify – it’s a steep climb but I wouldn’t go so far as to say you are actually “hiking” if you choose to walk. Its steep but doable! :) Hope that was helpful!
Thank you so much for the information! We will be driving from Ronda in the morning, right at the end of August and so want to allow plenty of time for traffic. If I book the afternoon slot, and choose say 3:00pm for the Nasrid Palace, does that mean we should have an hour to walk through the other areas, or will we need to jump in the line much earlier to make the 3:00pm slot? Also, will parking be a nightmare at that time of day?
Author
Hi Lonnie – sorry I think I missed seeing your comment. It sounds like you’ll be visiting in August 2017 so I hope that I am in time to answer. I would line up 30 min in advance to see the palace. If you jump in line AT 3pm I think that is probably cutting it slightly close since people are usually queueing in a wrap around section.
Regarding parking – I didn’t drive in Spain so im not sure! I don’t remember that there is parking lot at the complex, since its built on a hill right in the old town. I would probably park at your hotel (if they have parking) and then just walking over or taking the local bus.
Hi Sher. Thanks for your very useful blog. You say the visiting-day is split into Morning and Afternoon, with the Morning ending at 2pm as the Afternoon begins. I see that Ticketmaster offers tickets for General entry starting every half hour during the day. If your ticket is for entry at 1pm, does that mean you have only 1 hour to see everything because everyone has to leave at 2pm so that the Afternoon visits can start? Many thanks again.
Author
Hi Robin – so glad you found it useful! Thanks for commenting – I just went on the Ticketmaster Alhambra website and realized that they’ve changed some things around so I updated the post.
There are 2 general visiting sessions per day, morning and afternoon. When buying a ticket, the 30 min time slot refers only to the period when you enter the Palace. Because the palace is enclosed, they restrict entry to a set number of people and usher in new people every 30 minutes so in the purchasing process, you are committing to seeing the palace in that time span. However, you can see the entire complex (the gardens, the old fort, etc) anytime during the session hours. So for example, you book a 1pm ticket. That means you can enter the Alhambra complex anytime from 8:30am – 2pm and see the gardens, the old forts, the smaller exhibits, etc. You can only enter the palace however, from 1-1:30pm (and typically there is a line to enter so you would want to start queueing around say 12pm to make sure you are at the entrance gate at 1pm). Hope that helps! Let me know if any other questions.
Magic! Thanks Sher.
This was so so helpful—thank you for writing and updating it! I was having the hardest time finding how to buy tickets on the Alhambra website and ticketmaster, especially with half the pages showing up in Spanish. I just bought my tickets following your process and links and will be visiting at the end of March. I look forward to reading your recommendations for Granada and Seville!
Author
So glad you found it helpful Kelly!
Sher-Loved your article on the Alhambra, but there are still two things which are unclear to me. Let’s say I have a 1:30 p.m. entry time for the Nasrid Palace. If I get there before 1:30 and the line prevents entry before 2:00, will I still be able to enter after 2:00? Second, assuming I get into the Nasrid Palace and exit after 2:00 p.m., will I still be able to get into the Generalife Gardens, even though my ticket time was 1:30? That is to say, is the Gardens entry time-sensitive, as well? I’m just not clear on the significance of the morning versus afternoon ticket.
Author
Hi Scott – if you purchase a 1:30pm entry time you will need to enter the Nasrid Palace between 1:30 – 2pm. There is a guard scanning tickets by the turnstile and the scan will only work in that 30 min window. If you wait too long to join the line and don’t reach the front turnstile until after your 30 min window, aka after 2pm, yes you are out of luck.
There are 2 “sessions” per day – a morning and afternoon. Only the Nasrid palace is a specific timed excercise. All the other attractions like the gardens, old fort, museum etc can be experienced anytime in your session. Since youre buying a 1:30pm nasrid palace ticket, i would queue up for that around 12:45/1pm and afterwards see the rest of the Alhambra as you have until 6pm for everything else.
Sher – thank you for your article and the beautiful photos. I am trying to purchase tickets online with a US credit card and it keeps telling me that my card is not working. I have tried several cards and none of them will work. I read that other people had this same problem. I’m wondering if you were able to purchase your tickets from the US using a US credit card.
Thank you.
Author
Hi Patty – Hm, no I didn’t have any issues and used a US credit card for the spanish version of ticketmaster. Perhaps one of the tours might be an easier option? It’s more straightforward and includes transportation and the tickets, and given that they raised alhambra ticket prices significantly via ticketmaster, the tours I linked are a good deal. It might also be your bank putting a hold on your card bc they think its suspicious – try calling your bank?
Hi Sher. I visited the Alhambra (which is truly fantastic) last week and I’d make a couple of points which might be of value.
1. The Corral del Carbon service is great except that the folks there are not empowered to give you your ticket if you’re paying a discounted rate. One of the members of my party was entitled to a discount because he’s 65 and he was told his only option was to go up to the ticket office at the main entrance to the Alhambra. That’s the only place where you can prove your entitlement to a concessionary rate – eg with a passport. Unbelievably, the staff at Corral del Carbon are not authorised to verify your date of birth against your passport.
2. The audioguides were already sold out at 10:30am when we arrived. Fortunately we had a guidebook which gave us plenty of detail so we weren’t too disadvantaged. We used the Lonely Planet but we saw folks with the Rough Guide and lots of other guides. So a trip to your local library before leaving for Spain might be worthwhile.
We had a brilliant day – our 7-hour visit whizzed by!
Author
Hi Robin, thanks for letting me know! I hope you enjoyed your trip and i’ll be sure to update the post!
First of all thanks for posting this – its super helpful!
I’m still a bit confused about which slot to choose. There is no mention of the morning/afternoon sessions on the ticketmaster site – is that still a thing? I am trying to purchase tickets for early June and all of the slots up until 1pm are sold out. Would you recommend choosing a 3pm slot and arriving at 2pm to get in? Or choosing the 1pm slot, arriving at 8am to the complex and doing the palace last? In general, I was confused about what time we are supposed to arrive at the Alhambra site regardless of our time slot for the Nasrid Palace.
Thanks!
Author
Hi Heather, glad you liked the post! Yes, there is a morning and afternoon session. They took away the extra step on the ticket purchase pages (before you clicked morning or afternoon) but if you navigate to the ticketmaster page (direct link in the post) you’ll see it says under opening hours:
8am – 2pm
2pm – closing (depends on season)
So i believe the distinction is still in effect, to help with crowd control. (They seem to have redone the Ticketmaster site in Jan or so and I agree its a bit confusing now)
In regards to your second question, its up to you! If you choose the 1pm, you can enter the Alhambra (meaning the site) anytime from 8am – 2pm so in that case you would visit the gardens, old fortress etc first and then start queuing for the nasrid palaces at noon. They recommend to queue 1 hour before the entrance printed on your ticket. Since you’re going in peak summer… maybe consider scoping out how bad the line is at 11:30am to give yourself room.
If you choose the 3pm, yes you should arrive to queue for the nasrid at 2pm and then see the other sites after. Hope that helps!
Hi Heather and Sher. There must be a way of checking whether the “morning” and “afternoon” sessions actually mean that the whole Alahambra is cleared of the morning visitors at 2pm and then the afternoon visitors are allowed in. None of the guide books suggest this is the case but I agree that the Ticketmaster page is worrying. I visited last month and was advised that you need a whole day to see everything – certainly more than a morning or afternoon. We arrived (via the easy walk up to the Justice Gate) at 10:00. We walked along to the Generalife (wonderful!) where we spent 2 hours. Then after a quick lunch in the cafe outside the main entrance, we went back in and visited the Alcazaba (marvellous!) and then had a look in the museums (fascinating!). We joined the queue for the Palace (fantastic!) at about 2:30 because we had tickets for 3:30. That’s a good time to visit because a lot of the bus-tours have left by then. We left the Palace at 4:30 and had an hour’s stroll around the Partal and Medina before wending our weary way back down to Granada via a bar or two. A brilliant day! And may I say that Sher’s guidance was extremely valuable.
Author
Hi Robin,
I visited the Alhambra last year (2016)and they scan your ticket at each site entry (the nasrid, the old fortress, etc). At that time in 2016, your ticket would stop scanning outside of your designated period (so for example if you chose a morning ticket, the man scanning would deny you entry at 3pm) and the morning/afternoon designation was something to keep in mind. Rick Steves also mentioned this in his guidebook but I believe I used his 2015 version for my visit.
They don’t physically clear you out – you can linger in the gardens for example where there are no guards scanning tickets – but you wouldn’t be able to enter the sites before or after your period and effectively, that makes people stick to the session times. I did a 8am – 2pm visit personally and felt like it was enough time but I agree that if you stop for lunch and like to take things at a slower pace, then a full day is great. I am more go, go go especially once crowds come ha :)
Because they changed the ticketmaster website and no longer have that in-between page where you pick “morning” or “afternoon”, I am unsure if that is still 100% the case but it seems that way given the way they list their opening hours in the same 2 sections. If anyone is visiting this year in 2017 and has the latest info I would love to get any feedback and am happy to update the article!
Author
Hi Robin and Heather – I checked the official granada alhambra site and their site does seem to confirm the morning afternoon designation. Hope this helps!
“You must access the Monument visiting areas within the established schedule for the type of ticket purchased (morning, afternoon or evening).”
source: https://www.alhambradegranada.org/en/info/ticketsale.asp
Thanks for the help…especially on the direct link to the website in english….thnaks a bunch again
Hi,
On the ticketmaster site, everytime I try my credit card for booking the tickets, its making the middle name mandatory (which I don’t have).
Is I put my last name as my middle name, the site validation goes through but the Credit card validation fails.
ANy idea? or if anyone has experienced the same?
Thanks,
Aanchal
Author
Hi Aanchal – hm sounds odd. Try buying in an incognito browser or clearing your cookies? You definitely dont need a middle name to booi
Nopes. I tried 2-3 different computers, different credit cards, nothing works.
I guess the only option left is to call them.
Thanks for you help !
Thanks,
Aanchal
Author
Hm sorry! You can also look into a tour if ticketmaster isnt working. Just curious are you using a US credit card and the direct link from my post?
Im also having issues buying tickets with my credit card. I also believe that it has to do with the middle name and card verification. Ive tried every possible combination and credit card.
Author
Sorry to hear that :/ they must have changed the check out process.
I would probably just buy the tour in that case – its not much more expensive, they pick you up, you get to skip the line and have the benefit of a guided visit
Hi, Sher. Excellent information and pictures
We are planning to visit Alhambra in mid August and get General Admission tickets , the earliest time for Nasrid Palace was at 12:30. We plan to arrive at around 9 am and I wonder what would be the best other places included in General Admissiob to checkout in 3 hours before getting in line for Nasrid Palace
Author
Hi Mikhail – check out the old fortress and gardens! More info about them is in the post
Question: How soon after booking online Alhambra tickets via Ticketmaster (official alhambra site) can I expect the email with the confirmation numbers? I booked the tickets on July 7 and have not received a response yet. Is there a way to check with Ticketmaster?
Thank you in advance for a reply. Hans
Author
That seems odd, like the transaction likely didn’t go through. Try calling customer service or just book a tour
These morning and afternoon sessions seem to be causing all sorts of confusion! Here’s what I don’t understand – if I buy a time slot for the Palacios Nazaries at 2pm, will I be able to enter in order to queue starting at 1pm as recommended? I gather that I will be able to see the gardens at any time, so which bits of the whole complex will I NOT be able to see before 2pm if I have an afternoon session?
This is what is says in the Rough Guide ‘If you’re planning to spend the day at the Alhambra, book a slot for the PN between 11.30 and 1.30. This allows you entry to the Alcazaba and Generalife at any time afterwards. An earlier or later time slot limits your access to the Alcazaba and Generalife to before 2pm or after 2pm respectively’.
This seems to contradict what Robin says above – arrived at 10am, visited Generalife for 2 hrs (ie.morning time), went outside for lunch, went back in and visited Alcazaba and museums (presumably also before 2pm) before joining the PN queue at 2.30 ready for a 3.30 slot. In other words, PN time slot was during the afternoon session, but Robin visited ticketed areas in the mornigng session. ???? I am so confused!!! and I don’t want to mes up because the Alhambra is top of my bucket list and I’ve been waiting to visit for ages. Can’t go early morning because I’m going with my two sons and I know they won’t get up early.
Author
Hi Manda,
Yes, you can queue at 1pm. The Alhambra is really a massive site and the ticketed parts are for specific sections. So you walk up to the Alhambra complex and can roam a bit freely.
There are staff members who scan your ticket at the entrance to all the ticketed attractions (the main attraction being the PN). So you queue up in the long line beforehand and then right before the turnstile, there is a staff member who scans your ticket – that’s why people recommend showing up early because often the line wraps around and can get quite long. If you show up to join the line last minute, by the time you make it to the front of the line / turnstile where the staff member is, you may miss that time window and they won’t let you in, meaning they won’t let you in to the palace (but you’re still inside the greater Alhambra complex).
The gardens are massive and not blocked off, so you can enter those anytime which is how Robin came in the morning. There’s 2 entrances to the Alhambra (that’s how big it is) so if you want to see the gardens first, you should take the route that drops you off near the gardens vs the route that drops you near the PN.
The other ticketed sections of the Alhambra site are the Alcazaba ruins, the Charles 5 palace and a small museum. I would say these are much smaller attractions, definitely not the main highlight, but there are guards before each of these entrances who scan tickets.
Really helpful, thanks. So am I right in thinking that if I have a 1.30 ticket for the PN, I will have to visit the Alcazaba (which I definitely want to see) beforehand, as my PN slot is in the morning half. And if I have a 2.30 ticket for the PN, I won’t be able to visit the Alcazaba until after 2pm, as my PN slot is in the afternoon half?
I think I’d like to visit the gardens after the PN, as it will be nice to sit in the shady bits and relax for a while after seeing the building. So I think 1.30 for the PN, visit the Alcazaba beforehand, start queuing at 12.30, then see the gardens afterwards. Does that sound sensible?
Author
Hi Manda – yes if you have a 1:30pm ticket, I would visit the Alcazaba in the morning. It’s just ruins and located very close to the PN line, so I went through out in about 30-45 minutes, but there are some great views over the city too. Your plan sounds great!
Brilliant, thank you! I suffer badly from anxiety, and this is doing my head in! But I know once I’m there it’s going to be awesome. I really appreciate you taking the time to give me some help with this.
Author
No problem! You’ll love Spain, hope you have a fantastic trip :)
Hi Sher, this is really helpful. Do you know if La Caixa ATMs are open 24 hours? I don’t get into Granada until late night, but I want to make sure I get a print out of my tickets before the morning. I’m planning to follow the advice you mentioned and go to Nasrid Palace first thing in the morning (8:30 time slot). How exactly does the line work at Justice Gate if you’re entering the palace as Alhambra opens up? Is there a separate line for those that have the 8:30AM time slot at Nasrid?
Author
Hi Mak, I’m not sure about la caixa atms but I have heard you can potentially print out tickets even in the atms of other cities
The Justice Gate is open, its an ancient gate and not actually blocked off anymore so you can just walk through. They set up a queue for Nasrid so once you get there just line up!
Hi Sher! I am in a panic! I purchased my tickets early on Ticketmaster following your instructions. I was prepared and thought that is one thing out of the way and haven’t looked at the confirmation email again until just now. My trip is in 3 weeks and I go to the Alhambra on October 8. Here’s my dilemma: As I said I purchased the tickets a while back. A few weeks ago, my credit card that I used for my purchase was compromised so I received a new credit card with new number as a result. Had I remembered that I needed the same credit card used to purchase Alhambra tickets to pick them up, I would not have destroyed the original card. Unfortunately, I did not until I just looked at my email. Therefore, I no longer have the original card to pick up my tickets. What should I do???
Author
Hi Jennifer, hm try going to the ticketmaster machine at the tourism office (address is in my post) they have an attendant there. To be honest im not sure if it will still work but you can try explaining to the staff member!
OMG! Thank you so much for the ‘READ THIS’ title lol! :) I almost purchased my 22hr-journey flight tickets when I stumble upon your blog and checked ticketmaster. October was fully-booked! So I pushed back my trip by a month :) I’ll be going in November instead. Can’t wait to get there!
Hi Sher,
Thank you for this wonderful blog and awesome pictures. My husband and I will be in Granada during November and plan to visit The Alhambra. So much confusion on this attraction. Doing all my homework. I checked the tour website you have mentioned and wanted to know if it includes Nasrid Palace?
Author
Hi Rupa – glad it’s been useful! Yes, the tour includes a guided visit o the Nasrid Palaces, which is the main attraction within the alhambra!
Hi – I don’t think they use ticketmaster anymore. I’ve spent the entire morning trying to figure this out, and all of the links you’ve given for tickets are broken. But good information nonetheless about everything else!
Author
Aw really? Thanks for letting me know Janie, I’ll look into it
Thanks for this information Sher. I have a 2pm reservation for the Nasrid Palace in late October. Provided I am in the Generalife Gardens before 6pm, can I remain in the gardens until the night session closes?
Alternatively, might I arrive and visit the gardens in the late morning? Then queue up for the palace around 1pm and visit the other ticketed areas after my palace visit?
Author
Yes you can do either!
Ticket sales have changed. Ticketmaster no longer sell them since 1st October 2017. The new way to buy tickets is directly through the Alhambra and you can print off the tickets, no need to get them at a machine. This is the link to the English language site:
https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/
Thanks so much for your very informative website. I used it to navigate the ticketmaster site, but could not buy tickets for January 2017; I emailed ticketmaster and they gave me the link to the Alhambra site, but it is only just working properly since yesterday, when I was able to purchase tickets for January.
Their website has some mis-information; in one place it says you don’t need to print off the tickets in Granada (I believe this is correct, you can just print off at home and present this), but in another place they have the old information.
Author
Hi Maura – thanks for the update! I’m traveling at the moment but will take a look and update when I return. Appreciate you providing the latest info
There is a new but frudtrating way to get last minute tickets. At midnight, or better a few minutes after that, the extra tickets for the day will open on the offical alhambra ticket website. Unfortunately you will need to try a few times because there a many peole online trying to do the same and the server is crashing down. For me it took 1 hour but it worked. Well worth it if you want a ticket…
Author
Thanks for the hack Aldamarte! I do have to wonder why they’re making it more difficult for people to buy tickets. Hopefully they’ll sort it out soon!
Hi! Thank you for all of this excellent information. It has certainly made planning my trip a lot easier. I have a question regarding the official website for buying tickets. I’m planning on going in July, which is quite a ways away, but the site says there are no official tickets. Does anyone know if they only release the tickets within a certain time period of your visit, or do you think that all of the tickets have been reserved already? Thank you!
Author
Typically they only release tickets ~6 months out so just give it some time and check back! :)
Thank you for the advice!
Hey! A bit confused – do you have to opt into booking a tour? I’d rather just book a general more budget friendly admittance ticket in advance, is that possible? I’ve found a website called Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife which offer tickets for 14 euros, do you know if it’s safe to buy there?
Author
Hi Amanda – yes you can buy just a ticket direction from the Alhambra, no need to buy a tour if you don’t want it!
Great website. You’ve done an excellent job. I like the layout.
May I know the exact entrance of nasrid palaces?
Author
Hi Judy – check out the map I linked to or just enter Nasrid palaces in google maps! :)
Thanks for all the great information Sher. Alhambra is one of my 3 bucket list places to see (Angkor Wat and Macchu Pichu being the others) so great to read through your experience and suggestions. Just an update on the entry times as far as I can tell. The morning, afternoon and evening appears to have been replaced by Daytime and Evening so looks like you can be in the complex from 8.30am through to closing time of Daytime (6pm or 8.30pm depending on time of year).
Author
Hi Joanna – Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. I will update the post shortly
Hi Sher, thanks for this helpful guide! I definitely didn’t do enough research and only recently found out the Alhambra tickets need to be booked out far in advance. Not to mention I’m going around Easter week (4/20). Tickets are all sold out on the website, and I’m not able to find any on Ticketmaster. The search doesn’t even come up (which makes me wonder if I’m even searching it correctly). Do you have any other last minute tips? Now I’m thinking my day in Granada will be wasted :( Thanks in advance!
Hi – Very helpful article. We are going to Granada in May and unfortunately could only score the 5.00 PM ticket to Alahambra. In your blog you say that could visit the gardens first. Is that an option? We arrive in Granada fairly early in the day so could we check out the gardens and other areas at 2/3.00 PM and get into the gardens and walk around till the 5.00 PM entry to Nasrid Palace?
Let me know if you have idea. Thanks!
Hi Sher! Thanks so much for the info on Granada and Alhambra! i’m going in September and staying at the hotel you recommend in your article. I’m looking at the Alhambra ticket options and wondering if you know the difference between the Alhambra General ticket (14 euros), Alhambra Experience (14 euros) and Alhambra and Rodriguez Acosta Foundation Tour (17 euros). Is there one you would recommend? thanks again!
Author
Hi Chris – you’ll love it!
Hm, so I took a look and it seems they have some new ticket options for 2019. I assume they are doing these for crowd control reasons?
It looks like the Alhambra General is the standard, normal ticket where you visit the attraction during the day time.
Alhambra Experiences allows you to experience the same attractions, but spreads it out so that you visit the Nasrid Palaces at night (when they are lit up) and the rest (gardens, alcazaba etc) on the next day in daylight.
That sounds pretty cool actually, but if you are short on time might be more straightforward to just visit 1x with the General Ticket
The Rodriguez Acosta foundation ticket includes all the Alhambra attractions (nasrid palace, gardens, alcazaba) as well as a visit to the Rodrigues Acosta foundation. He was a painter, so its a architectural + art tour about 15 minutes from the Alhambra site but on the same hill.
Hope that helps!
Thank you for your post. I love how detailed it is. You’ve surely helped me with my planning.
HI Sher,
We have a tour purchased, itinerary below.
I want to make certain we are going inside the Nasrid Palace. What you think of the itn below?
Itinerary:
– Palacio de Carlos V.
– Nasrid Palaces: Palace of Mexuar, Patio del Cuarto Dorado, Court of the Myrtles, Comares Hall, Court and fountain of the Lions, Emperor’s Chambers.
– Alcazaba.
– Generalife Gardens and Palaces.
Author
Hi Alyyas – Thanks for commenting! I haven’t used that tour personally so can’t comment on whether or not they take you inside. Best bet is to ask their customer service team!
Hi,
What is the old bazaar area name in Spanish? I couldn’t see it in Google map
Thanks
Wow! your blog is amazing, thank you so much for sharing.
I had a stroke 4 years ago and want a half day trip from Seville to tour Alahambra. I could manage a half day trip but not 12 hours. Where can I find a half day trip for myself and four other family members? Thank you.