My wife and I will be visiting Granada the first week of November. Does anyone have experience whether it's better to book a morning ( around 10:00 ) or afternoon entry time if we want to avoid tour bus crowds and also have warm temperature to see the Gardens? We will be going on a Monday.
Posted by
Vernon, Canada
32202 posts
Raymond, I was there in June and visited the Palacio Nazaries on the last appointment of the day. Even that was fairly crowded, but I imagine it was worse in mid-day. I don't know for sure, but suspect an afternoon appointment might be better as that may avoid some of the tour bus or cruise ship mobs. As you'll have a definite appointment time, there won't be any difficulty with entry to the Palacio Nazaries, so the only question is what type of crowds you'll have to deal with. Be sure you're not late, as they're VERY strict about entry times! I'd suggest also spending some time walking around the Generalife Gardens, as they're beautiful. You could also have a look at the Alcazaba if you have time. Happy travels!
Posted by
OP
Bend, OR, USA
3 posts
Hi Ken, thank you for the advice. I was just worried that the afternoon entry might not give us enough time to see everything. Sounds like it's quite sufficient.
Posted by
New York, NY, USA
11294 posts
Ricks' Spain book has all the details about visiting the Alhambra. The important thing to realize is that the "entry time" is only for the Nasrid Palace. Based on this, you get either "morning" or "afternoon" entry to the other parts of the complex requiring a ticket (the Generalife Gardens and the Alcazaba). There are also parts that don't require a ticket and can be visited at any time. Once in a section, you can stay as long as you like (including the Nasrid Palace). So, if you have a 4 PM entry time for the Palace, you can enter starting at 2 PM to visit other sections. Do allow enough time to pick up your ticket, and to get to the entry of the Nasrid Palace (so you don't miss your 30 minute entry window; Rick says this is strictly enforced, and I didn't take any chances so I can't confirm).