- Diana & Greg
Everything you need to know to buy tickets for the Alhambra
There is a high demand for tickets to the Alhambra in Granada and visiting the Nasrid Palaces is limited to a specific timeframe.
Missing the schedule means losing the opportunity to visit it. There is a limit for the number of people who can enter the Nasrid Palaces on a given day, so it is advisable to pre-order your tickets, as you might not be able to buy them on site.
During our visit we met other visitors who were unlucky, since the Nasrid Palaces were sold out for that day. The official site recommends booking tickets at least one month ahead of your visit.
You will still be able to visit the Alhambra gardens, the Generalife and the Alcazaba, but not the Nasrid Palaces.
We visited as individuals, but you also have the option to make an organized group visit and day tours starting from Seville, Málaga and Costa del Sol.
The day tours include transportation from your hotel to Granada and back, and the entrance fees. The tours are limited to 30 people.
Organized group visits can only be booked by an agent authorized by the Patronato de la Alhambra (Board of Alhambra). The official site has several options to choose from for individual visitors. The General ticket allows you to visit all sites, the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife.
There are separate tickets for visits to all the different venues in different combinations, and also night visits promising an experience under special illumination conditions.
When pre-ordering on the internet you get a receipt with a unique identifier that you can show at the ticket office to get them.
Our hotel receptionist gave us the tip, that we can skip the line at the ticket office by going to the office of the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife (address: Corral del Carbon, Calle Mariana Pineda, S/N, 18009) where pre-ordered tickets can be printed using the provided code.
But be aware, that this only applies to the full price tickets as documentation needs to be provided at the ticket office of the Alhambra for discounted ones, like for seniors and people with disabilities.
Children under the age of 12 also need a ticket, though admission for them is free.
If you want to visit the Nasrid Palaces, we recommend you to book your tickets at least two months in advance. The daily onsite tickets allow you to visit only the gardens.