Alhambra - least exhausting itinerary

The most efficient route is Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Generalife, but by no means is it light on walking. I don't recall a lot of stairs, but they're certainly there.

With rather limited time, I'd take a taxi from the bus station to the area of the Palacio de Carlos V.

I agree with Scudder about taking a taxi up to the complex. With limited mobility maybe just stick to the Nasrid palace and skip the Generalife and the rest of the complex. That will minimize walking yet you will still see the most significant part of the complex.

Getting to the Generalife requires a fair amount of walking and going up into the Alcazaba tower requires some steep stairs. The main part of the complex is fairly flat so shouldn’t pose an issue.

We were there last week so it is fresh in my mind. We were there for 6 hours.

If your bus arrives at 1:00, take a taxi which should get you to the Alhambra by 1:30. It is quite a long walk to the Nasrid Palace - about 20 to 25 minutes. With your time constraints and mobility issues, you will sadly miss the Generalife as you’d never get over to Nasrid in time and it is far. I would also discourage you from the Alcazaba because of the many stairs. Honestly, I think you just head towards the Nasrid Palace and go ahead and get in the line, which will be long. Nasrid will take you at least until 5:00 and you’ll need to hustle to get back to the entrance. Cross your fingers that you can find a taxi to get you back to the bus station on time.

If the taxi drops you off at the parking lot and ticket area, then yes, the walk is about 20 minutes uphill. However, you should be able to get it drop you off up by the Parador and Hotel America that are very near the Palace. At a minimum it should be able to drop you off at the Puerta de la Justicia. It too is very near the Nasrid Palace.

AussieNomad,

I’m sorry you’re experiencing pain from your arthritis.

I’d recommend taking a taxi directly to the Alhambra. There’s a special entrance for taxis at the ‘Puerta de la Justicia’ (Justice Gate) which is the entrance closest to the Nasrid Palace. Check here for details about the layout and a map of the Alhambra

The Alhambra website mentions that there are wheelchairs available but (unfortunately) they can’t be reserved ahead of time.
And they may only be at the main entrance.
I’d suggest calling the Alhambra to find out if there are wheelchairs available at the Carlos V Palace (near the Justice Gate)

When we visited the Alhambra, I was concerned about my mom since she was 88 at the time. I had planned our visit in advance and had studied this map
The blue lines indicate the wheelchair accessible route.
My mom didn’t have a wheelchair but we did start our visit at the Justice Gate (we took the mini bus but I saw taxis driving into the Alhambra complex by this entrance)
After visiting the Nasrid Palace, we took a quick look around at the Carlos V Palace, then walked to the Generalife Gardens, but it was quite a trek for her.

Do consider getting a wheelchair if possible.
Perhaps you can rent one in Málaga? Perhaps your hotel may have one you can borrow?

It’s unfortunate that your visit to Granada is so short, but do make the best of it!

Edited to add:

Here’s a more detailed map of the Alhambra. Taxis enter through the ‘Puerta para carros’,
(62 on the map, to the right of the Justice Gate)
Make sure you mention this to the taxi driver.
I’d also suggest you ask the taxi driver if he could pick you up later to take you back to the bus station.
I did this when we visited Córdoba. We took a taxi from the train station to the hotel and asked the taxi driver for his phone number.
A couple of days later I called him and he drove us back to our hotel after sightseeing but I asked him to give us a tour along the route back to our hotel. A couple of days later he drove us to the bus station.

I forgot to mention that we skipped the Alcazaba while at the Alhambra.

Hi fro Wisconsin,
Take a taxi. While there is bus service from the city center, where to get off or out of the bus is a tiny bit nerve racking. Once you have been there it is simple, but the first time...take a taxi and the driver will drop you exactly where you need to be. Depending on the day you are having with pain, skip the garden and save yourself for the Palaces.

If I recall correctly, fromthe main gate it is slightly downhill to the palaces. And from the palaces there is an exit downhill from there. I think it would take a phone call to get a taxi there, but maybe not. Let's see if anyone knows about regular taxi service at the lower gate of this place. By regular place, I mean like a train station where taxis sit waiting for customers.

wayne inWI

There is a taxi stand at the very top, near the Parador and the top of the Gate of Justice. You should be able to take a taxi directly from the station to this taxi stand and eliminate all the long walking and stairs that many have described above. The return is the same. There is often a taxi just waiting at this stand. If not, walk into the Parador and the front desk will call you a cab that will arrive within 5 minutes.

There are not many places to sit in Nasrid Palaces (although there are a few chairs). I would consider bringing a walker or cane that turns into a chair when needed. I think they would allow these assistive devices. I would focus on the Nasrid Palaces.

Thanks everyone.

We will leave the Generalife for another visit and focus on the Alcazaba (which my husband is keen to see) and the Nasrid Palaces. @Priscilla - the map links are really helpful and they are now saved onto my phone. I have also put the Granada taxi app onto my iPhone and we will catch taxis there and (hopefully) back.

If we miss our bus so be it. There's a later bus and we can always have an early dinner in Granada.

Staying in Granada was on and off the itinerary several times, but my sister said there were too many hills for me to enjoy the other parts of Granada so the Alhambra day trip is the compromise. I had hoped to be feeling better but after three weeks away from home I am really starting to miss my regular hydrotherapy and physiotherapy sessions and my pain levels aren't good.