Alhambra is THE reason we added Granada to our Spain itinerary.
When we saw the beauty of the place in travel magazines and photos taken by our friends who have been to Granada, we were sold! We even stayed at Sacromonte that had a beautiful view of the Alhambra from across the valley!
Alhambra as seen from our hotel in Sacromonte
We were reminded of the Taj Mahal as we admired the intricate carvings, calligraphy-engraved walls and incredible landscaping. The resemblance to Taj mahal is due to the Islamic influenced designs that dominate the structures that make up the Alhambra — the Charles V’s Palace, the Alcazaba (Fortress with towers and view), Palacios Nazaries (Palace) and Generalife (Palace Gardens).
There are so many features and beautiful designs in this area, it would take me at least another 50 pictures to show them all to you. Here are just some of the highlights…
Exterior of the Charles V Palace
A feast for camera-toting tourists –> intricate designs and carvings can be seen everywhere you turn!
You’ll be mesmerized by the intricate designs and calligraphy-carved walls surrounding the Palace (Palacio Nazares).
The islamic influenced artwork reminded us of Taj Mahal. The designs are actually more intricate than the ones we saw at Taj Mahal!
Inside one of the many rooms of the Palace.
More intricate designs we noticed as we explored the Palace.
The Alhambra is undoubtedly a must-see site if you’re visiting Granada or even Spain! It’s a privilege to be able to stand in those spaces and imagine what it is like to be there hundreds of years ago!
Doesn’t this picture remind your of oysters or pearls? I keep thinking of pearls and oysters every time I see this picture!
Everywhere you turn, there was something to admire, something to photograph!
One of many water features in the Generalife (Palace Garden)
Seeing the Palace (Palacios Nazaries) from the Palace Gardens (Generalife)
More views from the palace gardens (Generalife).
A feast for the eyes! From the Alazaba (The fortress), you get panoramic view of the city of Granada and valley down below!
Granada is such a beautiful city!
Beautiful views of the hills from the Alcazaba (the fortress).
I can go on and on with picture after picture of our visit to the Alhambra but we’ll save some for you to discover for yourselves when you visit!
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TAKEAWAYS:
- The Alhambra is a top tourist attraction in Granada and Spain. It’s a must-see for any visitors to the area.
- You can get there by taking minibus No. 30 or No. 32 from Sacromonte or downtown. It runs every few minutes and costs €1.20 per person (pay on board).
- Expect to spend at least half a day there when you visit.
- There are limited tickets sold per day, so get there early if you did not pre-book General Day Time Visit tickets.
- There are also night visit tickets. Due to the cobblestone pathways and many stairways, we’d recommend a daytime visit before you decide whether you want to go back for a nighttime visit.
- Prepare to walk quite a bit at the Alhambra, so wear comfortable shoes that you can walk with on cobblestone paths!
- Bring your debit or credit card and remember your PIN number. This will help you save an hour or two wait at the ticket line!
- When you get there, go to the right hand side of where everyone is queuing up to buy the tickets. There are automated machines behind the souvenir store that lets you buy tickets with your card! But you MUST remember your PIN number regardless of whether you’re using a debit or credit card!
- When we were there, there were at least 50 people in the queue. There was only about 5 people at the automated machines!
- The guided tour may not be a good idea if you want to take pictures of the spaces because it will be crowded with your guided tour group of people everywhere you go.
- We rented the audio guides and were able to get to pick and choose where we wanted to go first and get to areas/spaces before the tour groups arrived. That gave us some time to take pictures of the areas without crowds.
- Consider staying or visiting Sacromonte where you get a beautiful view of Alhambra from across the mountains.
Have you visited the Alhambra before? What advice would you share with potential travelers to the area?
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44 Comments
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Hi Author,
I was pretty pleased to discover this website. I want to to thank you for your time just for this fantastic read! -
Such a gorgeous picture of La Alhambra at dusk!
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Author
Thanks Christine! If you think the picture is gorgeous, wait till you see it with your own eyes 🙂
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{Spain} La Alhambra, Granada’s Top Tourist Attraction http://t.co/2i3h3xv2xD via @sharethis
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Spain is just such a beautiful country.
Spain has so much to offer every traveller -
Don’t leave #Spain without visiting La Alhambra in Granada! http://t.co/WkLM4nHV
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Great photos of #Alhambra palace in #Spain http://t.co/ltEkTtDp via @idelishTravel Good tips for a visit to #Granada
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Hi Shirlene amd Jeremy,
A good tip is hunt for gypsy Flamenco dance in a local restaurant. Don’t forget to check out the grounds and gardens.
Thanks for sharing your pictures. Lovely!-
Thats a good point! We did go to one actually. We’ll dig up the photos and post about it if we have some good shots! Did you go to any particular restaurant that you’d recommend?
Jeremy & Shirlene recently posted..{Tips} Color Correcting Underwater Photos
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I have been to Taj Mahal twice and this certainly reminds me of that too. Beautiful intricate carvings.
Beautiful pics, Thanks for sharing.
Arti recently posted..The Sacred Fire of Holika Dahan: Choti Holi
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Yes, it definitely does remind us of Taj Mahal too!
Jeremy & Shirlene recently posted..{Tips} If nothing else, take these 3 photographs on your travels
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The scenery is heart melting. I wanted to visit Spain for a long time. These pictures made me want to go to Spain even more.
Thanks for sharing!
Menchu Sy
Menchu Sy recently posted..How To Get A Girl To Like You-
What’s stopping you? 🙂 You should definitely visit Spain when you can. Now’s a good time 🙂
Jeremy & Shirlene recently posted..{Spain} Cuevas El Abanico, a Cave Hotel in Granada
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This is such a great post. All these photographs are wonderful. It’s as good an invitation to Granada.
Thanks for sharing.-Roger
Roger Harty recently posted..how to seduce a woman
