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Alhambra and things to do in Granada

Posted by (San Diego, CA) on

Tickets and hotels/apartments booked so thought I would do the Alhambra booking next. Still need to book internal travel though. (From Seville to Ronda to Granada). In Granada for 3 days. Arrive in Granada on Nov 28th (hopefully in the morning or early afternoon).

Now for my questions:
1. I was planning to book tickets to Alhambra for Nov 29th morning.
Is this the correct website to make the booking from:
http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.asp?secc=/alhambra/visits/regular_guided_tour

Should we go with a guided tour or is there a self-guided tour or try to book a private tour guide? (Party of 6 - 4 adults including parents aged 70 and 64 and 2 kids (ages 6 and 2))

  1. Night Visit: We were thinking of doing the night visit on Nov 30th. My parents leave on Nov 30th at 5:30pm. We fly out the next day. We are not sure whether we will be able to do the night visit ...not sure how the kids will be ...whether they would want to visit Alhambra again. I am sure husband and I will enjoy it. So question is do we need advance booking for this one too or can we make our plans last minute? Also how long does such a visit take? Is it a guided tour or a self guided tour?

  2. I was hoping we could see one of the gypsy performances ( saw it mentioned on RS's video).
    Found this ...is it good? Should I book in advance? How is the access to the caves (again considering the platoon we have)?
    http://www.alhambra.org/eng/index.asp?secc=/other/flamenco_show_2
    Any other recommendations?

Anything else that we should consider doing while at Granada?

Thanks,
Reshmi

Posted by
5697 posts

I don't have personal knowledge of the gypsy show (saw a flamenco show in Seville and went to the flamenco museum there) but when my daughter was 2 or 6 she would not have been up for watching a dance performance from 10 p.m. to midnight. Not sure that I, at your parents' age, would either. This might be a good evening for just the two of you, with the others tucked in bed.
Had some fantastic chile/chocolate ice cream in Granada.

Posted by
12313 posts

I think, rather than "Gypsy show", what you want is a Sambra performance in one of the cave homes. We really enjoyed it. There are two that I know of and probably both offer the same experience. They're both on the same road, both started at 9 pm. We went to the further one, because it looked a little smaller. It turned out to be the one on Rick's TV show. I'm not sure if they have a second, later, show. Admission comes with one drink (but you don't get a choice). You don't need to book in advance, just arrive a good 15 minutes or more before the show to get seated.

If possible, I'd do a day trip of the Alhambra. It's not a guided tour unless you purchase that separately.

Posted by
355 posts

Hi Reshmi,

The official website for booking Alhambra tickets is: www.ticketmaster.es/nav/landings/en/mucho_mas/entradas_alhambra/entradas.html?utm_campaign=ALH-weboficial&utm_source=alhambra-tickets.es&utm_medium=link&canalMB=ALH

The night tour is nice, but I prefer to tour the palace during the day, especially if you are interested in taking photos. With a group of 6, a private guide might be a good option. Private guides are expensive (generally, €130 for 2.5 hours, €260 per day for the whole group), but are a good value, as they really know the palace and it's history quite well and can answer any questions you may have. Margarita Ortiz de Landazuri is a great local guide - www.alhambratours.com.

Although a private guide can really enhance your experience, you can also easily see the site on your own. Rick's Spain guidebook has a very good self-guided tour. The palace also rents audio tours at the entrance for €6.50 (plus €40 cash deposit and ID).

The gypsy performance you are referring to is called a Zambra dance. The best place to see one of these performances is in the Sacromonte neighborhood. Most hotels in Granada can arrange it for you, including transportation to and from the show. Here are few Rick recommends:
Zambra Cuerva de la Rocio - €30, includes a drink and bus ride to and from your hotel. Show daily at 22:00, 1-hour. Camino del Sacromonte 70, Tel: 958-227-129
Maria la Canastera - €26, includes drink and bus to/from hotel. Show daily at 22:00, 1 hour. Camino del Sacromonte 89, Tel: 958-121-183.

Posted by
7937 posts

Have churros con chocolate for breakfast (or a snack...or dessert...). The Spanish hot chocolate is thick, almost like pudding, and is great for dipping the fried churros in.

This may or may not be for everyone in your platoon, but we really enjoyed the Hammam Baths described in Rick Steves' guidebook. Bring a suimsuit. Along with seeing the Moorish baths at the Alhambra, you'll have an interesting, time-honored experience soaking in pools of varying temperatures -- way different than your local swimming pool. We also got great massages there, and then stepped back out into modern Granada, refreshed.

Posted by
19 posts

Thanks all for your responses.
I have booked my Alhambra tickets. Will plan the Zambra visit once we get there depending on how everyone is doing. Eagerly looking forward to the trip.

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