Today we had the entrance tickets for Alhambra in the afternoon. Since it is Spain’s most visited destination, it is advised to purchase tickets in advance. Here is the official site to buy tickets and get more information. The time on your ticket is for Nasrid palace; the rest of the Alhambra can be visited until closing.
https://www.alhambra-patronato.es/
We decided to go on a morning walking tour of the city.
Plaza Neuva in the morning looks very different compared to the evening. It was much lively and lots of people in the evening.
Royal Chapel of Granada
Cathedral de Granada
Streets in Granada with Muslim influence.
Moorish-style building and courtyard, a former theater used for events.
Plaza Isabela La Catolica was a bronze sculpture of Queen Isabella with Christopher Columbus. It represents Christopher Columbus presenting his plans for the voyage to discover new lands and asking for money.
Our ticket for Nasrid palace was 3:00 pm, so we headed towards Alhambra. It was a long walk and required a hike up a steep inclining road. We took a couple of breaks to climb up.
Tip: You can take a taxi or bus C30/C32 to get to the entrance.
We walked toward the Nasrid Palace first.
We got in line at our desired time to enter the Nasrid Palace. They only let you enter 15 mins before.
Mexuar, the preserved room of Mohamed I, has beautiful details on the column, walls, and ceilings.
Oratory
Patio de los Arrayanes
There were a lot of details on the walls and doors.
Court of Myrtles. We can see the Comares Tower behind it, which is the highest tower in Alhambra
Lions Courtyard
The ceiling of Hall of the Abencerrajes.
Lions of courtyard from the other side
Mirador de Lindaraja
Beautiful views of Albaicin from the palace.
The courtyard and gardens
Charles Palace
It looks very different from the inside because of its circular patio in the center. There were stairs to go up if you wanted to explore more.
After the palaces, we went to the Alcazaba, the fortress.
The inhabitants of the fortress used the main square.
There were couple of towers you can climb up and look around
It was boiling up there, and no shade, so we left after exploring.
On the way to Generalife, we passed by the Church of Santa Maria de la Alhambra and decided to stop by. It was beautiful inside and peaceful from the hot sun outside. We rested for a bit there before moving on.
Once we exit, we need to scan the ticket again. On the way to Generalife, there were smaller gardens with beautiful flowers.
The gardens were huge, and there was a lot of shade and benches to rest. It was much more comfortable to walk around.
Courtyard of the Acequia, is the most important part of the Generalife
We can see the palace and the fortress from here too.
Court of the Sultana’s Cypress Tree. This patio has a central pond surrounded by a myrtle hedge.
Once we were done, we thought of taking the bus back, but there was no bus. So we walked back through the steep hill, but it was easier than climbing up. We picked up some quick sandwiches on the way back to our hotel. We were exhausted by the time we reached the hotel and rested.