Best time to visit the Alhambra (least crowded)

If you go at 6pm, you won't see much. I'm planning on going early and scheduling the entire day (lunch on the premises). Normally, I only plan a half day (even for major sites) but have seen too many reviews that it takes an entire day.

We did the 8:30 time slot and I was able to stay mostly ahead of the tour groups and other masses. By the time we left the palaces and were on the grounds, the crowds had really increased.
I have no experience with the evening time slots - but if you go in the morning, the earlier the better.

8:30 was empty for my entire palace visit. By the time I made my way to the gardens, hours later, there were people of course. I just responded to your other thread too. If you do 8:30 definitely stay up there. I have heard photographers prefer late afternoon for the lighting, but I don't know how they deal with the crowds.

you have it - early morning before buses arrive or late afternoon. in fact, some times you can get in on a late afternoon without reservation. the palace is pretty big and you'll likely only see crowd in the moorish quarter, but once you get into the other parts you'll see less people around. in the afternoon light is good. and if you have a clear day you should head out ot take photos of the palace with sunset, snow capped mountain in the background, very nice!

If you are going in the summer, go as early as possible. The heat can be unbearable if you go mid to late day. Take water and wear comfortable shoes.

obviously make reservations here before you go. i went at 12:00 last march on a sunday. i went through the gardens beforehand, after hiking up the back way from the albyzin in granada. that took two hours at least. then i qued up and went inside. so amazing. it is always going to be somewhat crowded. it is the most visited sight in spain. 8,000 people per day. however, very well worth it.

Our time slot for the Nazrid Palace was 10:30. We got to the grounds a little before 9:00, and there were very few visitors for about the first hour we were there. We saw Charles V first, then the other ruins (I forget the name) then the Nazrid Place at 10:30, then we strolled the Generalife Gardens. It was all very nicely paced and spread out. We went in mid May

Thanks to everyone for the great advice! I booked the 8:30 am time slot - can't wait!

I booked for 930am timeslot as that was the only time I was able to get.

Not sure what time of year you are going. We arrived in the mid-morning in September, and it seemed really crowded at the entrance. But once we got inside it was just fine. We spent about 5-6 hours at the complex, including a leisurely lunch. So I would suggest going on the early side, because you really can spend the better part of a day there. I would also strongly suggest, for the evening, having dinner at one of the places along the street that runs up the bottom of the hill below the Alhambra. You can sit outside and look up at the floodlit Alhambra, and the view is amazing.