Alhambra ticket sources? Need for October General for day & Nasrid Palaces for night

This is the most popular site in all of Spain -- think Disneyworld. We went through our hotel for the tickets. It is my understand that a number of tickets are set aside for hotel guests. Our hotel acquired them for us at face value.

I have no personal experience with this, but a few people have reported having success getting the tickets they needed after buying the Granada Card.

Rob,

What dates do plan to be in Granada?

There appear to be a few Dobla de Oro General tickets still available for the last week of October. Book them NOW before they all sell out!

Edited to add:
There are also limited Dobla de Oro Night Tickets for a few days in October.

If all else fails, check to see if the Granada Card still has available dates for the Nasrid Palaces.

Good luck!

Priscilla, thank you so much!!!

Got day and night tickets thanks to you. Visiting the Alhambra means so much to me!

Got day tickets for 4:30 and night tickets for 8:00. They were only available on one of the days, and both are on the same day so I may have overbought, but better that than not going at all I figure. Am thinking we can make it a lazy afternoon Or maybe wander around the outside of the Alhambra or visit somewhere close by until 4:30? Any suggestions?

Then I'm guessing we'll have to leave the Alhambra and re-enter for the 8PM night visit. I will check with them, but do you have any suggestions on how to make this work best?

Thanks again for your tip!

• Rob.

Rob, I haven't been to Granada recently, but I think perhaps you can go into the Granada grounds before 4:30 PM and only have to wait until then to see the Nasrid Palaces. Check this out, since you may not have as much time to kill as you expect.

Hi Rob,
It's great to hear that you were able to book your Alhambra tickets!

As you may know, the Alhambra complex is very extensive and it will take time to see it.
Since your time to see the Nasrid Palaces is not until 4:30pm, I'd suggest getting there earlier, (perhaps at 2pm) in order to see the Generalife (gardens and summer palace) and the Alcazaba fortress, prior to entering the Nasrid Palaces.

You may want to read the information found on the official Alhambra website in order to best plan your visit: Alhambra-patronato.es You can also study the map of the Alhambra complex and decide best route to take.

Regarding the night visit...
I didn't go to the night visit, but as far as I know, the night visits are limited and one does not get to see all the Nasrid Palaces, so it's great that you can visit the Nasrid Palaces during the daytime hours (best for photos too!)

You can find more information about the Alhambra here.

Have a wonderful trip!

Hi Priscilla thank you for your message, but I'm a bit confused.

Accessing the gardens requires a ticket according to this page :

https://granadainfo.com/alhambra/types.htm

If that's the case, then which parts of the Alhambra itself are accessible without a ticket?

• R.

Hi Rob,
We were at the Alhambra in September 2017. We purchased the general tickets, and we had a timed ticket entry to the Nasrid Palaces for 8:30AM. When we finished seeing the Nasrid Palaces, we spent as much time as we wanted seeing the Generalife Gardens and the Alcazaba. I remember we entered through the Justice Gate. IIRC, the only time we showed our ticket was at the Nasrid Palaces. There is another entry, also, close to the Generalife Gardens, so I assume people would show their tickets at that entrance, too.

If things have not changed, I am sure you can enter the Alhambra anytime during the day to visit the Generalife Gardens and the Alcazaba, and then make sure you are at the Nasrid Palace for your 4:30pm timed entry. You should get there a little bit earlier because there will be lines. I hope this helps.
Karen

Much of the Alhambra grounds are accessible without any ticket at all (like the Charles V palace). You can wander through any day, any time, no ticket required.

You need to show your ticket to enter the Generalife (the summer palace and gardens), the Alcazaba (the fortress), and the Nasrid palaces. You can enter the Generalife and Alcazaba portions at any time when the Alhambra is "open" during the day of your ticketed entrance, so go early in the afternoon, as others have mentioned, so you have time to walk through all of the grounds before visiting the Nasrid palaces.

Your 4:30 entrance slot is for the Nasrid palaces, so as kmkwoo mentions, get in line for those at the Nasrid palace entrance (not the main entrance) before 4:30. Feel free to ask the Alhambra staff for directions and instructions. There is also a good FAQ section on their website.

If you are still interested in a private guide, we used Margarita Ortega Ortiz de Landazuri's company (mentioned in Rick's guide). Her partner, Maria, gave my family our private tour, and she was wonderful. Truly a bargain at 130 euro; our tour lasted 3 1/2 hours because we had a lot of questions :-)

The Alhambra is absolutely stunning to walk through, but when you have the historical information in context with the architecture and splendor, it really brings the whole palace to life. Even if you don't get a guide, make sure to read up on its history before you go. And read Washington Irving's "Tales of the Alhambra!'

The Alhambra guide RS recommends is available on Amazon so you can get it before your trip and read it.

Hi Rob,
It looks like you’ve already received great answers to your questions.

If you’ve booked the Dobla de Oro General (or the Alhambra General) tickets, you are entitled to visit the Alcazaba, the Generalife (gardens and summer palace) and the Nasrid Palaces.

The only timed entry is for the Nasrid Palaces, so you must get in line before your entry time (15-20 minutes before)

BTW, you may need to show your ID (passports), along with your ticket, prior to entering the Nasrid Palaces.

Within the Alhambra complex, you can visit the following without a ticket:

• Charles V Palace (near the Nasrid Palaces)

• The Alhambra Museum

• The Arab baths

• Church of Santa María de la Alhambra

• The Parador Hotel - Former Franciscan Convent.

One last thing, make sure you read (refer to link above) about all the places & monuments that you can visit with the Dobla de Oro tickets. Keep in mind that your tickets are valid for the day before, and the day after your visit to the Nasrid Palaces.

Enjoy!

Edited to add...
Oops! I just realized that I left out this important information. You can visit the Generalife and Alcazaba Fortress during open hours on the date of your Dobla de Oro General (or Alhambra General) ticket.

[FYI: Prior to October 2017, one had to choose between AM or PM visits but that’s not the case anymore]