Alhambra entrance time confusion

It sticks in my mind that the ticket booth/entrance gate is before either the palace or generalife.

No matter, generalife is more something to do before you get to the real deal. Since you'd be bored to tears there after a half hour, I see no reason to try to make darn near half a day of it.

Hmmmm. Usually the tickets are either for the morning session (8:20-14:00) or the afternoon session (14:00-18:00 or 20:00). THere's a separate time listed on the ticket for the Nasrid Palace entry. If you've got an afternoon ticket, you won't get in before 2 p.m.....and if your entrance time to the Nazrid palace is ALSO 2 p.m., then you'll have to hustle through the grounds to get to the Nazrid palace before your half-hour expîres at 2:30, then come back around to do the rest of the grounds and the Generalife.

Norm-thanks for the reply. I purchased a ticket online for the afternoon session: Alhambra and Generalife, on it it says entry time for the Nasrid Palaces is 14:00- I don't remember being able to choose when my entry time for the palace would be and sonehow thought that would be assigned at the gate ? I wonder if I should get another ticket for the Generalife gardens so I can wander around in the morning. I guess the ticket issuer gave me the 14:00 palace entry time.Any thoughts ? the garden ticket is only 6 euros

Georgia....the official on-line site for such tickets, www.alhambra-tickets.es, does give purchasers a chance to select the half hour time band in their session during which you can enter the Nazrid palaces.
If yours does say your entrance must be between 14:00 and 14:30, then you are definitely going to have to hustle your you-know-what thru the Alhambra to get to the Nasrid palace entrance. Since there is usually a lineup of the 14:00 people to enter, I would definitely get there an hour beforehand, both to get your actual tickets, and to get in line. It's a fair hike, so don't dawdle, and make sure you know exactly where you're going...the entrance is hidden behind and just to the left of the huge Charles V palace. Don't worry if there's another lineup there....some might be those waiting for the next half hour's admission. Show your ticket to one of the roving attendants, and they'll make sure you get in on time. Then you can head over to the Generalife, then circle back to the rest of the Alhambra.
If you don't want to do the sprint from the front entrance at 2 p.m., then, yes, purchasing a gardens-only ticket for the MORNING session would be a good idea. Then you can tour the place at your leisure.

Norm- you are a wealth of information! I realized after posting that I did sign up for that 14:00 slot in the 14:00 afternoon session, not thinking about transit time. I usually study maps of places I'll be visiting (I'm a map nerd)and have a good idea of the Nasrid entrance location, thanks for the tip on the roaming personel.We'll probably go to an earlier session for the gardens in morning light,I want to see the old waterways, etc.; then we'll be in good shape (with a packed lunch) for the afternoon.Also looking forward to exploring the Albaycin the next day.Thanks again for your help- where are you going next ?

Andalucia in four weeks.....

We have a three hour drive from Gaucin to Granada to get to the Alhambra. I assume a morning session will push us for time. If we book an afternoon session what is the best time to book for our entrance to the Nasrid Palace assuming we will enter the grounds at 14:00. In other words, how much time do we need to see the Generalife and other sites if we want to finish up with the Palace? Norm, hope you had (or are having) a great time in Spain.

Bob...sunny and warm, thank you very much.
Leave the Generalife for last...it's quiet and refreshing in, and you'll want to do the main part first. There are some interesting excavations of the 'townsite' as you move from the entrance to the Nasrid palaces, where the common folk lived, and well explained on the audio guide (which I highly recommend.) Then there's the great ugly palace built by Charles V, then the Nazrid palace itself. It's a bit of a walk from the front entrance, but I think an hour should give you more than enough time to make it. After you exit the Nasrid palace, you can loop back towards the entrance, then head up to the Generalife to tour it. The two areas are laid out separately.

Thanks Norm. I booked for 15:00. That will give us an hour+ to roam before entering the Nasrid palace.