Do we need to get our tickets to Alhambra in Granada before we get there. We will be in Granada four nights.
You could "probably" buy them there a couple of days before you want to go, but you will likely have more choice of times if you buy them in advance: http://www.ticketmaster.es/nav/landings/en/mucho_mas/entradas_alhambra/index.html When we were there (with advance tickets), we noticed that all but about 15 people who lined up for same-day tickets in the morning were turned away. Lots of disappointment.
Thanks for the reply but we decided to go ahead and try and see if we could get tickets. We now have the tickets for the afternoon. It wasn't as hard as we thought it might be. Thank goodness for Verified by Visa from Wells Fargo.
that VbyV will come in handy if you want to buy Renfe tickets online too.
Yes we did that already and the only way we could do it was with our Verified by Visa card from Wells Fargo
I just got back from Spain Monday night! Buy the tickets in advance for sure! The Alhambra has become increasingly popular, and big tours are buying all the tickets up, and we couldn't get a ticket for the week we were there!
Make sure that you arrive ON time at the Palace, because it's like the Borghese Museum in Rome -- if you're not there within your thirty minute window, you will be denied entrance. No ifs, ands or buts! I am glad you're spending the night, because you may want to spend a half day in the gardens alone. The Palace is absolutely wonderful, but the Generalife Gardens are stupendous, and the best I've ever seen, including the Palace of Versailles. Because we couldn't get our own tickets, we ended up on a tour bus and literally ran through the gardens -- and I'd have loved to just walk and enjoy them slowly. This was my third trip to Spain in less than 10 years, and I was really surprised that we couldn't "just get a ticket." After being on a bus, and seeing the others lined up, I figured out why.
Yes, we did go ahead and get tickets. It was not as complicated as it seemed in R.S. book. It is getting them in Spain that seems complicated, but I'm sure we will find someone to help us if we do get confused.
I recommend buying before. But, as others have mentioned, you are just buying a ticket to get a ticket. You will need to get your tickets printed once you are there, and you need to use your same credit card to print the tickets. Also, IMPORTANT: if you purchased your ticket as a senior over 65 you will have to pay a supplement at the entrance ticket office. Tickmaster will sell you the senior ticket, but the senior rate is only good for EU citizens. It is a 4 euro added charge, and you can only get this done at the main entrance, which we found out after about 2 hours worth of going to various places to get our ticket printed. It is worth it.
Thanks Jim for the info. We are over 65 and realized we would have been better off just paying full price. I wonder if all the places R.S. says in is book are 1/2 price or discounted for over 65 are all for EU citizens. Anybody know?
The Alhambra is rightly on everyone's bucket list. I would go again and again. BUT that said, some suggestions. I would take a taxi to the Alhambra. Parking is limited; signs and directions well below a third world standard. Arrive early. You can only entered at appointed times. Gate keepers were not very civil or helpful. We met a number of people who were lost and some had missed their entry appointment times. Would I go again. Certainly!!