If you walk through Granada and want to see the Alhambra

[peregrina2000]

Note from mod — I have deleted this first post, because it describes a long and confusing process that is apparently now totally corrected. But there is still good info on this thread about buying tickets and entering the Alhambra.

 

[george.g]

Hi Lauri,
I was there a few days ago, lucky the crowd for tickets wasn't too bad.
BUT my walking partners had tickets for 12 o'clock and mine was for 2.30, just collected my ticket and walked right in, no one said anything about my ticket being 2 and a half hours early. I may have been lucky, but I got the idea that so long as you had a ticket, no one enforces the time slot rule.
They did want to see id at the ticket counter as claimed a OAP discount.
The Mozarabe from Almeria has been a bit of a beast at times, but what a Camino!!
Definitely a 10 out of 10.
Regards
George

 

[wayfarer]

Goodness how things have changed, We were there around June 2003, no waiting, no booking tickets, just showed up and walked straight in. A most beautiful place.

 

[alaskadiver]

I was there last May and got my tickets online. I arrived early, stood in line and then went to the window to get the actual ticket. I never saw the kiosks. Waited maybe 30 minutes? Tickets were sold out when we got there and if you didn't have a prepaid ticket you weren't getting in. It's super popular but worth every effort. The walk up to the Alhambra is a longish hike. Steep!

 

[peregrina2000]

Goodness how things have changed, We were there around June 2003, no waiting, no booking tickets, just showed up and walked straight in. A most beautiful place.

Well, I was there in 1970 if you can believe that. It was just like wandering through wonderland, no barriers around the fountains, no people, no arrows telling you which way to go. It was a weekday in the early fall, there was no one there. We wandered freely for hours, had a picnic on the grounds. I remember there were ripe figs in the gardens that a guard told us to eat. I was back in 1995, and there were definitely more people, but I guess nothing like what I will see in 2018.

It is definitely worth a trip, as the Michelin guides would say, with or without a crowd!

 

[peregrina2000]

I have just spent a lot of time trying to find the official Alhambra ticket site. FINALLY, I found it and thought I would post it here, since so many of the sites that google takes you to are sites where you buy a guided tour from a private company that includes the entrance ticket.

I think this is the site.

https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/tickets-alhambra-general/

If I am wrong, let me know. Looks like tickets are available only through January (and some January dates are close to being sold out), so there must be a three month window.

Buen camino, Laurie

 

[HedaP]

Gosh was thinking this must be a seasonal issue but sounds like times may have changed. We were there in mid November 2015 with no queues and no problems. There were other visitors walking around but in many rooms and gardens we were by ourselves. Glorious place to visit. I would queue for it but would rather buy tix online.

 

[alaskadiver]

I have just spent a lot of time trying to find the official Alhambra ticket site. FINALLY, I found it and thought I would post it here, since so many of the sites that google takes you to are sites where you buy a guided tour from a private company that includes the entrance ticket.

I think this is the site.

https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/tickets-alhambra-general/

If I am wrong, let me know. Looks like tickets are available only through January (and some January dates are close to being sold out), so there must be a three month window.

Buen camino, Laurie

I purchased our tickets from this site as well. When you get there you stand in the line for the people with the pre-purchased tickets. We got there about an hour prior to our entrance time and glad we did. The line grew fast and long. You need more than 3 hours if you really want to enjoy the visit and see everything. Comfortable shoes are needed. My feet were killing me after walking on that hard surface.

 

[alaskadiver]

Gosh was thinking this must be a seasonal issue but sounds like times may have changed. We were there in mid November 2015 with no queues and no problems. There were other visitors walking around but in many rooms and gardens we were by ourselves. Glorious place to visit. I would queue for it but would rather buy tix online.

You will still have to que even with purchased tickets. It's a faster line but they still make you verify at a window before you can walk in.

 

[alaskadiver]

So do you think there is a kiosk somewhere, as the first post in this thread suggests? If it avoids standing in line for an hour or more, I would be very happy.

The kiosk wasn't working. I didn't hang around to mess with it. There was only 5 people in line at that point. Spanish is my native tongue so it wasn't a language problem. It just wasn't working that day. I'd say, get there early and try it. If it doesn't work go stand in the line. If it does, then worse case scenario is that you will have to wait around until your entry time. But at least there's a place to eat and drink while you wait.

This was in May 2016, btw.

 

[george.g]

Already posted but worth repeating, when I visited the Alhambra I had a prebooked ticket (took a printout with me,) at the kiosk they wanted to see the bank card that had been used to buy the ticket, plus as I had a "senior" discount, they wanted to see a proof of age.
I arrived two and a half hours before my booked entry time, presented my ticket and got in no problem, could be I was just lucky, in Spain I've often noticed that the application of "rules" can vary from day to day!
Regards
George
PS Note the requirement for the bank card!!

 

[Anniesantiago]

It's been many years, but we made our reservations online and didn't have any problems getting in.

 

[peregrina2000]

I am planning to visit the Alhambra (as a tourist, not as a peregrina) in April and have been watching the online website carefully. April tickets are not yet on sale, but what I am seeing is that every day the availability for the next few days turns from “red” (sold out) to “orange” (last tickets available). Yesterday there was nothing for today or tomorrow, and just now the website shows green (tickets available) for today and orange for tomorrow.

That suggests to me that it would be worth checking in at the last minute if you are walking the Mozárabe. By the time I knew what day I would be walking into Granada, the web site showed that everything was sold out and I never checked back at the last minute.

 

[mspath]

Laurie,

How wonderful to be walking towards the Alhambra!

Although I have never walked that route 2004 after my first camino my husband and I celebrated Christmas visiting the Alhambra. What memories!!

Once seen you will remember forever the magic of those special spaces. Read more here http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/index.php/Home/1472+M5d637b1e38d/0/

Happy planning and Buen camino!

Margaret

 

[peregrina2000]

I am happy to report that the Alhambra website did not use the same designer as RENFE. They do want a lot of information, but it was easy to use. The tickets went on sale on Jan 1 for the month of April. I was happy to snag my tickets. Many days are already heavily booked, though no days are sold out as of today.

SO... for the Mozárabe peregrinos out there, since April is prime Mozárabe walking time, if you know when you will arrive in Granada and want to see the Alhambra, you have a small window of opportunity now to buy tickets. May tickets will undoubtedly go on sale on Feb. 1.

 

[Saint Mike II]

Ah la Alhambra !! One of my favourite buildings. If money was no object I would spend two day there every year for the rest of whatever life I have left. I visited in 2013 after pre-booking, my hotel reception saw my email booking and then explained what I had to do to complete the booking. So much appreciated. Cheers

 

[jsalt]

Thank you so much for all the info in this thread. I’m planning on visiting the Alhambra in mid-July. Would you recommend buying the general ticket for 14 euros from the official website? Or would it be better to go with a tour guide? I tend to miss a lot of very interesting stuff if I wander around major tourist sites on my own with no idea of what I’m looking at. Help please!

 

[Deleted member 73526]

would it be better to go with a tour guide?

Only you can decide whether that's the way for you to see the Alhambra. It is possible to go around with an audio guide (or a book) and learn a heck of a lot about the monument that you're exploring. I have done that once. It's also possible to just wander around and take in the atmosphere. I have done that too. If you feel that your experience is improved by being with a human being who can answer your questions and ensure that you don't miss the most important things ... then do it.

 

[peregrina2000]

@mspath linked to this thread on another thread, so I pulled it up out of curiosity. And THEN I followed the link to the official Alhambra ticket sale site and saw that tickets are available tomorrow, the next day, the next day, the next day......

Oh would it not be wonderful to roam around the Alhambra now when it is deserted and quiet?

@amancio, have you visited in this empty covid time? Oh, how I remember that we were supposed to go together in 2020!

 

[Kanga]

No ticket sales when we first visited - I think it was 1976. Free entry, wandered around at will.