We are looking at visiting Spain this late October to early November. My parents went to Alhambra in May a few years ago. They said in spring the gardens and flowers were amazing. My mom is worried that it will not be as nice in fall and that maybe we should skip it this trip and save it for when we can visit in spring. However who knows if I will ever get back to Spain! I have a lot more of the world to see still! Is Alhambra still worth it in the fall?
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23290 posts
Sure it is. You are not going to just see the flowers. You are going for the history, the buildings, etc, and in the spring you have bonus of the flowers. In the fall you have fall colors, leaves, etc. We went over Christmas and it was still amazing.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
4574 posts
That is the exact time I was in Spain in 2017. I don't know if it is the same every year, but that year Granada was still over 73F and the rainy season hadn't started yet. I am a gardener and I wasn't disappointed with the gardens. There were few roses, but I was happy with the rest of the gardens. There is a lot of emphasis on hedges and structure, and those don't change. Sure some beds were heading into dormancy and the pomegrantes had burst their skins but that added some interesting texture that I hadn't seen before.
Really, many people don't go for the gardens - but the buildings and history. I know it is a bit of a pain to get tickets and decide how to organize the time, but I would certainly go anytime I was near it.
A suggestion, I did an evening visit of the Palace and then again the next morning with the rest of the gardens and Generalife buildings. If you have time, there is a lovely atmosphere at night and the depth of the stucco work was much more apparent. The bonus of visiting at night in October/November is night falls early so you can go and then head out for a lovely evening dinner instead of rushing through dinner in order to make a late night Palace appointment as happens in the Summer. Do bear in mind this is only available on weekends in the Fall, so check your dates.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Just agreeing with the others. The Alhambra is far more than just gardens. Plus, I'm not sure the gardens won't be lovely in the fall too - just different from spring.
If the spring appearance of the gardens is important to you, and if you are SURE you will get back there in the spring, then wait. If you're going for all the other things there, or this may be your only trip to Granada for a while, then go on this trip.
Do be sure to get your reservations as soon as they are released. Reports here indicate that it's getting harder and harder to get Alhambra reservations close to travel.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
6575 posts
The gardens are of secondary interest to the rest of the complex. Go and enjoy it. You won’t be disappointed by going, but will regret it if you don’t go, especially if you don’t make it back to Spain. We were last there in September 2014 and it was plenty of green and flowers in the gardens (during a heat wave).
Posted by
OP
3 posts
Thank you everyone! We have decided we will go for it! Airfare is just so cheap right now and who knows when we will get back to Spain!
Posted by
California 🦋
5222 posts
Callie,
My mom and I visited the Alhambra in mid October a few years ago and it was lovely!
Do book your Alhambra Tickets
NOW before they sell out.
There are still some tickets available for October, and November tickets will become available soon.
Enjoy your trip!