Wander The Alhambra
Still to do
Walk through courtyards of carved stucco, tiled walls and still pools, the last great palace of Moorish Spain.
The adventure
From outside, the Alhambra is a stern red fortress on a hill above Granada. Inside the Nasrid Palaces it's the opposite: every wall carved like lace, ceilings of thousands of tiny wooden pieces, tiled walls in geometric patterns and courtyards built around still pools that reflect it all.
In the Court of the Lions, twelve marble lions hold up a fountain at the centre of a cloister of slender columns. In the Hall of the Abencerrajes, the honeycomb ceiling seems to float. The Nasrid kings ruled Granada until 1492, and this was their world. Afterwards you wander the gardens of the Generalife, all roses, cypresses and running water, with the Sierra Nevada beyond.
Why it’s epic
- The Court of the Lions and its 12 marble lions.
- Muqarnas ceilings in the Hall of the Abencerrajes and the Hall of the Two Sisters.
- The Generalife gardens and the Alcazaba fortress.
What it is
A palace and fortress complex built mainly by the Nasrid dynasty, the last Muslim rulers of Spain, in the 13th and 14th centuries, with intricately carved courtyards and the gardens of the Generalife.
How to do it
Book tickets online well in advance; entry to the Nasrid Palaces is at a fixed time on your ticket.
Top tip
Watch sunset over the Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás in the Albaicín.
Need to know
- Tickets sell out weeks ahead, especially in spring.
- Your Nasrid Palaces time slot is strict; miss it and you can't go in.
- Bring your passport, as tickets are named.
Plan this trip
- Rough cost
- Under £750 per person, including flights from the UK
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Best time to go
- March to May and September to November
- Fly into
- AGP airport
Tickets are modest; guided tours cost more.
Make it happen
Why it’s on my list
Not done yet. If you’ve done it and have tips, tell me about it.
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