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Any tips for Alhambra visit?

Posted by (Vancouver, BC, Canada) on

We have 2 Dobla de Oro tickets for a Thursday in October. The Nasrid Palace visit time is at 4:30 pm. Our accommodations is about a 10 minute walk to the Plaza Isabel le Catolica. I have a few questions.

  1. What is the best time for us to start our own self-guided tour keeping in mind our 4:30 p.m. entry time for the Nasrid palace? The Alhambra will close at 6pm and we are not in a rush.

  2. Is bus 32 the best way to go up to the Alhambra? Or should we take a taxi?

  3. Which entrance should we use? Should we start at the entrance near the ticket office and explore the Generife gardens first? Or should we use the Gate of Justice entrance and visit the Alcazaba first?

  4. We do not have a tour guide. Any suggestions for a self-,guided tour? Online audio or guide book?

  5. Food drink options?

  6. Any other advice?

Thanks.

Posted by
8847 posts

My last visit there was in 2014.

  1. How much time you need depends on how long you stay in each area of the complex so it’s hard to gauge when you should start your visit.
  2. We used the bus, but don’t recall the number. We picked it up at Isabel the Catholic Square if I remember correctly.
  3. There are a couple different entrances to the complex, but only one entrance to the Nasrid Palace. Which part of the complex to start your tour is up to you. After the recent earthquakes the Alcazaba area was closed. Check the Alhambra website for updates.
  4. We didn’t use a guide on any of our four visits.
  5. At the complex is Hotel América. It has a small patio where one can have lunch or get a drink. I don’t recall other options.
Posted by
798 posts

In mid-September 2023, we took a taxi from Plaza Nueva to the Gate of Justice which was easy and inexpensive. It looks as though the taxi stand and bus stop are currently displaced, though, due to a construction project: https://www.alhambra.org/en/alhambra-how-to-get.html?_gl=1*1k8w61r*_up*MQ..*_ga*MzkwNTU4NDEwLjE3ODg2Mzc1NTc.*_ga_J240YT7JB0*czE3ODg2Mzc1NTYkbzEkZzAkdDE3ODg2Mzc1NTYkajYwJGwwJGgxMzY2ODYwOTgkZDVWTXlzREhmTWtBV282Z0U4SVhyNk91SXlpM1JTSkZTNUE From there we went to the Alcazaba, then the Nasrid Palace and last the Generalife Gardens. We had a pleasant walk back down that ended near our accomodation in the Albaicin. The restaurants at Hotel America and the Parador both had no availability that day to sit for lunch or a drink. We did grab a cold drink at a small place near the entrance to the Alcazaba. We also visited without any type of guide. Everything was pretty self-explanatory.

Posted by
6469 posts

It looks like it closes at 6, so with a 4:30 entrance to the Nasrid Palace, I would plan on at least several hours beforehand if you plan to see the rest of the complex. Plus they asked us to be at least half an hour early for our Palace time. I did not look for one my last visit in 2023, but several years earlier for my first visit there was an audio guide that could be rented.

I took the 32 bus up and down both times - first time to the Justice Gate and second time to the main entrance. It was simple so I can’t see a real reason, except preference, for a taxi instead. If you plan to see the Generalife first, I would go to the main entrance.

You will need your passport. That becomes your ticket to each separate part of the area.

Edit to add: after reading the link from Mel and then looking at Google Maps, it LOOKS like Google has the correct place for the bus stop that’s been moved for renovations.

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