The Alhambra is probably the main reason tourists pass through Granada, Spain. It is a large complex that includes the Nasrid Palace (Palacios Nazaríes), other palaces, the fortress, and the gardens. Entry is by ticket which can be bought online but is often sold out months in advance. I found myself in this predicament. Refusing to go with a guided tour group each touting “skip the line” perks, I decided to get the Granada Card which allowed me to select a day and time-slot of choice.
Morning and afternoon tickets are the same. With either you can enter Alhambra whenever you like from opening at 8:30 am to closing at 8 pm, entering freely through the Justice Gate. No lines. With either, you can stay all day if you wish, no time limit. What is important to know is that the designation “morning” vs “afternoon” is in reference to when you can enter the Nasrid Palace specifically.
Once you choose a session (morning 8 am – 2 pm or afternoon 2 pm – 8 pm) you must then choose (or get assigned if choices are limited) a specific time slot to enter the Nasrid Palace which is the stunning highlight of the Alhambra. You must enter the Nasrid Palace in this time slot and if you don’t you are out of luck. The queue “inside” the Alhambra, therefore, is for entrance to Nasrid Palace according to your timeslot. Essentially, if you already have tickets, any “skip-the-line” marketing you may encounter is just that. Marketing. Everyone queues for the Nasrid Palace.
For example, my 11 am ticket allows me to enter the Nasrid Palace between 11 am and 11:29 am. I can start queuing about 10:45 am, that is fifteen minutes prior. People get into trouble because they show up at 11:20 am, which is fine, but find themselves in the queue of people who have 11:30 am tickets and who started to queue at 11:15 am, thus missing their slot. It’s imperative to not find yourself in the wrong queue. Achieve that and you’ll be fine.
The night ticket though is a separate beast. It only allows you entrance to the Alhambra at night, that is between 8 pm and 11 pm. It doesn’t offer entrance to the Nasrid Palace.
I visited as early as I could so I could get my bearings before it was time for my visit to Nasrid Palace. I had previously downloaded the official La Alhambra y el Generalife guide and used this to guide my visit.
The Alhambra means the red one (the red castle), a translation from Arabic. Sitting up on a hill overlooking Granada, the site was initially Roman ruins that were fortified as the fortress Alcazaba in 889. The 9th century saw the addition of a castle. But it wasn’t until the 13th century that Mohammed ben Al-Hmar, first king of the Nasrid dynasty, established a royal residence here beginning its glorious period. After the Reconquista (Christian reconquest) it became the Royal Court of Queen Isabella who from here in 1492 financed Christopher Columbus’ voyage to the Americas. Then in the 1500s, the Hapsburg emperor Charles V replaced the mosque with a church, demolished some palaces and constructed the Renaissance Palacio de Carlos V which clashes with everything around.
The Alhambra is huge. Patience, comfortable shoes and snacks are in order to participate in this quintessential Granada experience. I marvelled in the Islamic architecture, the mosaics, the carvings, the gardens, the attention to detail, not to mention the sweeping views. It was well worth the trip to Granada.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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