Alhumbra tickets - how does late afternoon sound?

What time of year?

Spaniards typically don't eat dinner until 10 PM, but I assume in a touristy place like Granada you will be able to find some place open at 8 PM. Tapas will be available, in any case.

Make sure you have enough time to see the Generalife Gardens! They are beautiful!

Ill be there in later spring, if it matters on your response.

Time of year affects sunset, and the knowledgeable photographers among us may have comments about adequacy of the light available if you begin your visit to the Nasrid Palaces at 5:30 PM.

Sunset on May 21 (is that late spring?) is at 7 pm. The sight closes at 8 pm. AFAIK there are the same number of tickets sold for each time slot, and they always sell out, so I don't know if there are fewer people at any given time. The campus is huge and there is a lot to see. I don't know what you mean by the "old fort." Most people spend at least an hour in the Nasrid Palaces and an hour at the Generalife buildings and gardens. The other ticketed area, the Alcazaba takes less time but has the best views of the city below.

I spent a whole day (10am to 5pm) at the Alhambra. You have to make your way to the palace through the grounds. I would err on the side of going too early over risking not having enough time. You can always linger at places waiting for folks to go. As someone who likes to do a lot of photography, even when the masses are gone, there always seems to be someone in my picture and they are usually wearing RED! If you allow yourself extra time you will be able to set up your photos and then wait for any random people to clear out of the pic. I also know that there are day tickets and night tickets. What I don't know is if they tend to clear people out that have day tickets and any specific time before the night people arrive.

Thanks All! I went ahead and booked my 5:30 general ticket with palace entry at 5:30. I'm thinking we spend about an hour in the palace. My wife and I are not very interested in looking at displays of artifacts nor reading plaques in detail. We will mostly be spending time admiring the architecture of the palace. I want to spend sometime in the early evening - sunset time or till it closes taking photos from the old ruins of the Alcazaba. I'm also thinking of buying another 2nd day ticket just for the ground ( no palace) for the next morning to get the earliest morning lighting and perhaps beat the crowds to the Alcazaba portion while they start with the palace.

Also, does anyone know if my 14 Euro general ticket would give me access to the general grounds in the morning and re-entry later for my 5:30 palace tour?

We did both the day tour and night tour, and the night tour does start at a specific time. The time depends on the time of year. We were there in September, and the night tour starts when it is dark. I think it might have been at 10PM in September. The Alhambra does close in between the day time hours and the night tour, if I remember correctly.

And the tickets are only for the Nasrid Palace. The Palace is the only place that has the timed entry. That's the only place where you show your ticket. So you can visit the Alcazaba and Generalife Gardens and rest of the grounds any time.

So I would recommend going earlier than 5:30pm so you could visit the gardens.

The website will tell you what time the grounds open and close.

One more thing that might help. We took a taxi to the Justice Gate. This gate is the closest to the Nasrid Palace. The Nasrid Palace doesn't have artifacts and plaques. You can purchase audio guides. The vendor is in front of the Charles Palace. The Nasrid Palace is gorgeous architecture, lacy designs, fountains, patios, courtyards, pools, etc. It's not a museum with artifacts. I think you need at least an hour to do it justice. It's not a place to rush through. Savor it and enjoy it!

Your timed ticket is for entry into the Nasrid Palace. You can walk around the complex and gardens whenever you want for as long as you want. If all you want to do on the 2nd day is walk around the rest of the complex and not re-enter the palace, you don’t need a ticket.

Craig, for me a wonderful and memorable part of visiting the Alhambra included having dinner the evening before in one of the "Carmens" overlooking the Alhambra complex from the distance. Wonderful photographs as the light went from late afternoon, to sunset, to the evening views of the illuminated Alhambra. Delicious dinner also.

My wife and I are not very interested in looking at displays of artifacts nor reading plaques in detail.

I don't remember displays of artifacts in the Nasrid Palaces - or the other areas, ticketed or not. The only plaques I recall are those with the "names" of some of the rooms. The Generalife also has stunning architecture and interior design.

Definitely no displays of artifacts or plaques/signs except there is a separate museum in the Charles V palace. I would have appreciated a few signs in the Nasrid palace. Fortunately, I had done some study prior to arrival and had purchased a book