Being the most visited monument in Spain and one of the most visited in the world it is easy to understand that getting a ticket to the Alhambra is not as straight away as one would want and definitely not as easy as it is to visit the city museum or the church around the corner. 

Having said that it is not as complicated as some people claim and for most of the year arriving at the ticket office early in the morning (they open at 08:00) is enough to ensure you don't miss it. Of course in July and August , and during the city's major festivals (Easter for example) it is sometimes necessary to be there as early as 06:00 am and some people even go there with their sleeping bags and queue overnight in mid-summer!!! 

Anyway, it is always advisable to buy the tickets in advance to avoid unpleasant surprises, so if you have not done so yet go to their website www.alhambratickets.com and buy your ticket online with your credit card. Most of the information you will se on this page is very clearly given on that site, unfortunately many people simply do not pay attention to it.

Select the day you want to visit and the time. If you want to visit the Museum of the Alhambra remember that it is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Anyway, the Museum of the Alhambra, which is worth visiting, is free and can be visited Tuesdays to Saturdays from 08:30 to 14:00. You don't need to buy a ticket. 

You will be given a choice of times to visit the Nasrid Palaces. Select one that is good for you.  If you want to visit the Alhambra in the morning select any time from 08:00 to 13:30. If you would prefer to visit it in the afternoon select any time from 14:00 to 20:00. That actually means that whether yours is a morning or an afternoon ticket will only depend on the time you select (or you are forced to select) to visit the Nasrid Palaces.

Notice that with an afternoon ticket you cannot enter the Alhambra until 14:00, while with a morning ticket you can enter the site at 08:30 and actually stay in the Alhambra until it closes. This is so because tickets are timed only to control access to the site but nobody will ask you to leave once in.  

Sometimes, however, you have no choice, as morning tickets sell out first, and it is not uncommon that people have to buy an afternoon ticket even if they would prefer to visit the place in the morning. My advise?  Buy them! Do not think you will be able to buy a morning ticket over the counter when you are in Granada. If morning tickets have already sold out there are great chances that afternoon tickets would follow the same trend (sometimes there is a local festival or a National Holiday visitors don't  know about)

WHAT TO DO IF THERE ARE NOT TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THE DAYS YOU WANT TO VISIT?

You might not have thought about it before, or you did not have the slightest idea on how difficult it could be to find tickets, or you did not know there was a festival (one of the many) on the same days you were thinking of visiting Granada and on, and on, and on...

Alright, it does not really matter, the fact is there are not tickets available and you don't know what to do.

Well, you might like to know there are always about 2.000 tickets to be sold at the ticket office in the Alhambra for the day. For most of the year that means that you will get a ticket at the counter just by arriving there early in the morning (say 08:00 to be on the safe side) but in July, August and Easter you will have to be there at 06:00 if you really want to make sure one of those 2.000 tickets is for you. If that is too early for you or if even after such an early start you can't get your tickets, you can always buy a ticket to visit the gardens and the Alcazaba, they cost 5 Euros and they are not limited in number, but remember that you will not be allowed access to the Nasrid Palaces, do not count on playing sad when facing the guard or pretending you are shocked or surprised, many others have tried it before, I tell you.

If you stay at Granada B&B Homestay, whatever day or time you buy your ticket for I will help you organizing your visit , and provide you with al the tips and tricks I have managed to know because of my experience. I love the Alhambra and I visit it very often. I will also lend you a guide book to better understand what you are seeing. A book that you can take with you  during your visit but also read while you are staying with me so that you already have an idea of what you are going to see beforehand.

To make justice to its grandeur the Alhambra certainly deserves more than a visit and it definitely deserves at least a day. It is most enjoyed when you already know what you are looking at. If you have a book on the Alhambra with you sit down there, in any of its gardens or rooms, there are plenty of beautiful and quiet places where to enjoy a half an hour reading, take it easy, do not rush. And yes, of course, take pictures but do not forget to look at it as well with your very own eyes. It is very frustrating when you are back home to realise that no picture actually portraits what you really saw and experienced. But nothing could ever still from you the memory of a nice and relaxed day in one of the most beautiful places in the world.

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