Experienced travelers: what time is best to enter Alhambra in January

I just read that chapter in my Rick Steves guide. He seems to like afternoon. I did also read somewhere else that tour groups go in the morning and afternoon can be quieter. Although, if it pretty much always sells out, wouldn't it just be busy all the time? One thing I read to be aware of is the time you pick is your window to the palace area which is a bit of a distance (I think he said 15 minutes) from the main entrance, so make sure you have enough time.

ok looks like after 15:00 for me

thanks jules from mn (I love Prince r.i.p.)

You're welcome Jazz. Fun fact, a drummer for Prince lived across the street from my parents in a suburb of St. Paul.
My son and his wife live in Chicago. They like it there and we like to visit, but in a year or so, they are moving back to Minnesota!

Jazz + Travels,

My mom and I visited the Alhambra in the afternoon mainly because I’d also read about the tour groups visiting in the mornings.

Regarding Jules comment here:

One thing I read to be aware of is the time you pick is your window to
the palace area which is a bit of a distance (I think he said 15
minutes) from the main entrance, so make sure you have enough time.

Keep in mind that the closest entrance to the Nasrid Palaces is the “Puerta de la Justicia” (the Justice Gate).

If you enter through the main entrance, give yourselves plenty of time to get to the Nasrid Palaces. I’ve read that it may take an hour, if stopping along the way, or around 30 minutes without stopping.

Here’s the Alhambra’s official website where you’ll find tips on how to plan your visit.

Jazz,
We visited the Alhambra in the month of October and our time was also 3:00pm.
We took the minibus at around 2:15pm and got stuck in a ton of traffic. The ride to the Alhambra usually takes around 10 -12 minutes.
However, at this time of day, the school children are getting picked up, and the street leading to the Alhambra becomes one long parking lot.
The ride up to the Alhambra took about 40 minutes! I was tempted to get off the bus and just walk up the hill, but I couldn’t because I was traveling with my 88 year old mom.

We got off at the stop near the Justice Gate and had to rush to the line for the Nasrid Palaces.
My original plan had been to get to the Alhambra complex a couple of hours before our timed ticket, however I was experiencing a bad headache (due to an eye problem), and decided to wait to get to the Alhambra. If I’d known about the after school traffic jam, we’d have taken the minibus to the Alhambra much earlier.

Enjoy your trip!