Alhambra Tour Guide

Could you provide her contact information?

We were at Alhambra just before the pandemic. Let me just warn travelers that it's a place with a lot of steps. And the tours are quite long--but good. Granada is a great city to visit--including the caves with the Gypsy Flamingo dancers.

I'm so glad we saw Alhambra when we did because my wife would be unable today to do so much walking and stair climbing. (She's had back surgery since then.)

I am always a little suspicious of a first time poster who highly recommends a guide or a product or a hotel simply because why are they making the recommendation when they have never posted anything else on this site. Goes to credibility.

I am not suspicious on this one as it is a RS recommended guide and no link was provided.

We are booked with Margarita for the Alhambra tour in October. Recommend by Rick in Spain guidebook. Happy to hear she was excellent!

No need to be suspicious about this one. Just googling this guide’s name and Granada, Spain, will yield an excellent web site, years and years of very enthusiastic reviews on Trip Advisor, and photos, including a nice smiling one of our man Rick with Margarita. I’m sure that many or most guides conclude their tours with a comment like, “if you have found our time together worthwhile, I hope you will post a review on travel forums like Trip Advisor, RIck Steves, and others.” Wouldn’t we all do that?

Thank you to those who didn't view this first time poster as suspicious. I do understand the hesitation, but it happened exactly as Larry mentioned. We chose Margarita because Rick recommended her and his recommendations have never led us astray. We are avid fans of Rick Steves but have only read the forums and not participated. I asked Margarita if I could write a recommendation for her on TripAdvisor or somewhere and she said that the most important opinion to her was that of Rick Steves. She went on to add that it was his kindness and support that had made her life possible. I found her so charming and her feelings for Rick Steves so genuine that I figured out how to post on these forums. I hope some of you will have the chance to go on her tour. All of her contact information is in Rick Steve's Spain book.

Hmm, not everyone has the RS Spain guidebook……. Can you post contact information?

Margarita's website is: http://alhambratours.com
info@alhambratours.com or 00-34 687 361 988
She responded to my email within 24 hours.

Hi Molly (or anyone else who has toured the Alhambra with Margarita): I'm hoping you can help!
My group is chatting with Margarita about guiding us through the Alhambra when we are there in June but I think we may be having some language confusion. Margarita is (we think) suggesting we purchase tickets for the 10:30 entry of the Palaces, then arrive when doors open at 8:30 and visit the Gardens first. She says this will allow us to beat the crowds in the Palaces. However, the website shows twice as many tickets have been sold for the 10:30 slot on our day then have been sold for the 8:30 slot, which would seem to indicate that the 10:30 visit to the Palaces will be more crowded. She seems to have a plan but we are confused!

You say in your post "She instructed us on the best time to go and then made everything work. We were ahead of the crowds..." so perhaps you can tell us about your experience?

Cheers!

Jean, I went ahead and contacted Margarita after reading this thread and we were so glad we used her services! She is knowledgeable and makes the Alhambra come alive. She knows the location and if she suggests a certain time or method I would believe her and go with her suggestions. She can be relied on. There is no language confusion here, her English is fluent.

Jean, the Alhambra will sell the same number of tickets for every time slot for the Nasrid palaces, and eventually, as the date gets closer, they will all sell out. So the palaces are already managed for volume by the ticket process, and they will be equally crowded throughout the day.

However, the rest of the Alhambra complex can be visited any time, and it is definitely more crowded in those areas during the middle of the day. This is because most of the people who have purchased a 10:30 (or 10:00 or 9:30…) Nasrid entrance slot will go there first upon arrival, then visit the rest of the site afterward, and therefore those other areas will be busier than first thing in the morning.

We have also toured with Margarita. She is excellent! Just follow her suggestions and you will have the best possible experience.

Enjoy your day at the Alhambra— it is one of my favorite places in the world.

Just as a side note. I liked using the audioguide because I could go to places that were less crowded and then when the tour guide left I could come back and listen to what I missed.

The audioguides are quite good and give a lot(maybe too much) information for a fraction of a guide's price.

Just another option for those on a budget.

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A point to remember if you have a guided tour of the Alhambra: Your ticket gets you into the Nasrid Palaces only once. If anyone in your party wants to take photos and hopes for the flexibility to hang back for photos not showing a crush of other visitors, it's important that the tour visit the Palaces last. It's not possible to return to the Palaces after visiting other parts of the Alhambra.

Thanks, everyone, your input is much appreciated!

Margarita advised we purchase tix for the Palace for the 10:30 a.m. slot but to arrive at 8:30 to tour the gardens first. When she said this would help us beat the crowds, I'd assumed she meant crowds in the Palace... but if all the tickets are sold out for every timeslot, it seems the number of people touring would be the same regardless. After all of your comments, I'm now thinking she meant we'd avoid crowds in the Gardens with this plan. Apparently it was my own comprehension that was lacking! :-)

Understand that the Palace is a separate, timed, entry within the Alhambra complex. As I remember the entry to the Palace is in 15 min segments. Do not miss your 15 min window because you cannot enter later if you miss your time. They use this system to maintain a steady and constant flow through the Palace. It is kind of like one long line. Regardless of the time it will be crowded.