Alhambra

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Introduction

Fountain, Alhambra

© All Rights Reserved steff

Alhambra

The Alhambra is without a doubt the most important tourist attraction in Granada, if not in Spain. It is a complex of buildings and gardens, consisting of an Alcazar (Castle) and several Moorish and Catholic palaces.

The first part that was built was the Alcazar itself: The castle. Not long after that there was a watchtower (Torre de Vela) built on top of the Alcazar.

There are several sights in the Palaces of the Alhambra:

• Palacio Árabe, or Casa Real (Moorish palace).
• Salón de los Embajadores (Hall of the Ambassadors).
• Patio de los Leones (Courtyard of Lions).
• Sala de los Abencerrajes.
• Sala de las dos Hermanas (Hall of the two Sisters).
• Sala de la Justicia (Hall of Justice).
• Patio del Mexuar (Court of the Council Chamber).
• Patio de Daraxa (Court of the Vestibule).
• Peinador de la Reina (Queen's Robing Room).

Generalife

Granada, Alhambra

© All Rights Reserved Herr Bert

The Generalife is the garden complex that lies besides the Alhambra. It has a couple of nicely layed out garden and as one would expect from an Islamic garden a lot of water features. El Partal is one of the landmarks of the Alhambra that can be found in the Generalife.

Albayzin

The Albayzin is the old Moorish quarters of Granada, opposite of the Alhambra. The small dwindling roads and white houses make you sometimes wonder if you are still in Spain or not. The streets are steep, but a climb to the Iglesia de San Nicolas, rewards you with a beautiful view at the Alhambra, with in the backgournd the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada.

Opening Hours

Alhambra at night

© All Rights Reserved R and K

The Alhambra has two opening slots. One is the normal opening during the daytime, but in the evening a limited number of people (400) are allowed inside, but note that during the evening opening hours not everything is opened for viewing.

November to February

• Daytime: Monday to Sunday: 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Night-time: Friday and Saturday: 20.00 p.m. to 21:30 p.m.

March to October

• Daytime: Monday to Sunday: 8.30 a.m. to 20.00 p.m.

• Night-time: Every day from 22.00 p.m. to 23.30 p.m. except Sunday and Monday.

The ticket office opens half an hour before opening, and closes one hour before closing time.

Nasrid Palace Alhambra

© All Rights Reserved smilers2

Cost

• Day visit: 12 €
• Night visit: 12 €
• Garden visit: 6 €
• EU Students under 30: 9 € (you need a valid ID).
• EU senior citizens (65+): 9 € (you need a valid ID).

Getting There

By Plane

Granada Airport (GRX) is located a few miles outside of the city. A bus service will take you to the town (the costs are 3 euro), and leaves about half an hour after the plane has landed. The trip takes about 20 minutes. Most of the connections are from/to the main Spanish cities, but Ryanair also flies to Granada from Bologna, Girona), [[Liverpool, London-Stansted, Madrid and Milan-Orio el Serio/Bergamo Airport (one and the same).

By Train

Granada is connected by train with Madrid (2 trains a day). It is conected with other cities inAndalussia also (e.g. Seville 3 or 4 times a day.

By Car

It is easy to access Granada by car, the mess is circulate in it! There are lot of construction ongoing in the city (July 2009), and the centre is restricted to pedestrian and public transport.

By Bus

The bus station is located to the north of the city, and all the long distance buses stop there. Destinations included are virtually everywhere in Andalusia plus all the main cities in Spain. Connections by bus can cheaper and faster than taking the train.

There are also connexions for International busses. The station is connected to the city center by several local buses (map of Granada bus lines: map). You can also catch a taxi, there is a taxi stop just outside.

Getting to the Alhambra

From the center of Granada it is quite a walk up the hill to reach the entrance of the Alhambra and the Generalife, as the entrance is on the other side of the hill. There are taxis and busses going up the hill in all shapes, seizes and colours. Most of them leave at the Plaza Nueva.