Visiting the Alhambra

We went in May, and it took me a little while before it all started to make sense to me. First, reserve your tickets in advance and pick them up there at the entrance. We went in the AM so I can't speak to any advantage between AM and PM visits. The entrances to the Nazrid Palace, Charles V palace and the Alcazaba are clustered together all within 30 or 40 yards of each other. The order you should visit the four attractions really depends on your time slot for the Nazrid palace. Yes, you should que up for your Nazrid entry about 30 minutes before your chosen time, and you can linger inside long as you like. You can enter/exit the other 3 attractions as often as you like. From what I understand, 2:00 is firm. If your Nazrid entry time is before 2:00, then you have to exit the grounds by that time. If your Nazrid entry time is after 2:00, then you can't enter the grounds before 2:00. Our entry time was 10:30AM, and we arrived about 9:00. Our order was Charles V, Alcazaba, Nazrid Palace and lastly the Generlife Gardens. We saw everything at a very easy pace. The whole operation is very efficiently run. They have A LOT of workers, and many speak English. Post again if you have more questions or are still unclear about something. Enjoy your trip.

Thanks Steve! Were you happy with your 10:30 a.m. entry time? (I'm thinking of reserving for a similar time slot.) How long would you say you spent in each of the 'attractions', for lack of a better word?

There really is no point in lining up for your time in the Palace. It just a way for them to control the flow through the Palace. We went in about 20 minutes after our time open. The large number waiting for their timed entrance were gone. We spent about two hours inside. None of the other sites are time controlled. We went in around 9AM with a 10 AM palace entry and left the Alhambra around 3 pm. There is no logical order to seeing things. We toured the Charles V palace while waiting for our time. They are side by side. The palace is the gem of the Alhambra so see it at the most convenient time.

Hey Jen. 10:30 worked really well for us. It meant we didn't have to rush to get to the Alhambra in the morning. There was no danger of missing our entry time into the Nazrid Palace, and it allowed us time to roam around and familiarize ourselves with the layout of the place. I don't remember how much time we spent at each spot. I remember not spending much time at the Charles V palace though. It's an impressive building, but there's not much to see. We arrived around 9:00 and left the grounds around 1:30.

If you purchase morning entry tickets, you can enter the Alhambra as early as 8 am. It should take about half an hour to wander down to the Nazrid palace from there, so you can time the specific 30-minute opening window from there. I always leave the Generalife until last. It's in the opposite direction from the rest of the complex...after the entrance, you bear left to the Alcazaba, Charles V Palace, and the Nazrid Palace...or right to the Generalife. So once you've finished with the Nazrid Palace, etc., you have to come back almost to the entrance.

And just to copy over something I recently posted on another thread about Granada....
And if you want a magnificent view of the Sierra Nevada on a clear day, there's a path you can take from near the entrance. Best in the afternoon when the sun is behind you and shining on the snow-topped mountains. Go to maps.google.com and copy and paste the following coordinates (37.173688,-3.584654) and you'll see the start of a zig-zag path that climbs up a hill. Walk a little ways down the straight section, through the olive grove, for a magnificent view...bring your camera.

Morning is best because you can spend all day there if you want. As someone said, give yourself a 30 minute window between arrival and the palace entry time to allow a nice stroll from the gate. But there are other sites right near the palace entry so you can easily do others while waiting for your palace entry. You can spend as long as you like in the palace once you enter - and entering near the end of your window can help avoid crowds. If you linger in the palace, you'll get "lapped" by the following groups.

There is no requirement to leave the grounds by 2:00 but I don't think you can enter any ticketed areas after that. So be sure to hit the Generalife by then, which is best saved for last.

There is also a nice restaurant at the hotel that has great views on the patio if the weather is nice. There are some other casual places to get food too.

Be sure to bring the credit card you used to purchase the tickets with to you to the Alhambra. You have to swipe it at the kiosk in order to print your tickets.

i think everyone is pretty right on. i went at 11:00. starting with the gardens and working towards the palacios nazaries, with charles palace the last site before entry at my assigned time. i would agree, don't que up. i waited 15 minutes at least in line and wondered what the heck i was doing. i think it will make more sense if you see all of the other sites first. it is awesome, you are very lucky. have fun, be safe.

The logistics of visiting the Alhambra are (finally) starting to make sense; this particular thread is really helpful.
Norm - I pulled up the Google map for the path and see the path with right angle zigs and zags. Is the access to the path just along the side of the Camino Viejo del Cementerio road?

I recommend you take a taxi from the plaza. It is a long uphill climb with lots of turns. There is a bus but for four people it was quicker and about the same price.

Thank you for the advice, everyone. I just purchased tickets for 10:30 a.m. No trouble at all.

Our experience contradicted something Frank said up-thread. We checked before entering the Alcazaba and were told once we entered the fort we would not be allowed to leave and come back. Charles V Palace isn't a ticketed entry, and I think we may have even visited that after 2 pm with a morning Nasrid entry time. You are allowed in all of the unticketed areas regardless of your Nasrid entry time, but if you think you'll want to be there past 2 pm it is worth taking a little time in the morning to carefully check the map for where the tickets are checked. Have fun!