Granada: How to buy Alhambra tickets, even at the last minute
With its stone walls carved with elaborate arabesques and Islamic calligraphy, meticulously laid out gardens, bubbling fountains and ramparts with sweeping views of Granada and beyond—the Alhambra palace and fortress complex is easily Granada’s most famous monument.
So it’s not surprising that sometimes the lines go on for days and ticketing technicalities can be somewhat head-scratching. And not to mention: Only a limited number of tickets are available each day, so advance planning is strongly recommended.
Here’s our best advice on how to see this UNESCO World Heritage site without wasting any valuable tapas time waiting to get in.
Related: Search affordable hotels in Granada
1. Reserve your tickets in advance
Book your Alhambra tickets as far ahead as you can. The tickets are booked either for morning (8:30 am – 2 pm), or afternoon (2 pm – 6 pm) from October 15 – March 14, and 2 pm – 8 pm the rest of the year.
Note: Keep in mind that when you book your ticket you have to reserve a specific time to visit the Nasrid Palace, and if you’re late, you won’t get to see it.
2. Pick up your reserved tickets ahead of time
Grab the tickets you booked over the phone or online in a La Caixa cash machine before your visit, using the credit card you used to book the tickets. Doing this lets you skip the ticket collection line at the on-site ticket office.
If you haven’t purchased your tickets before you arrived in Granada, book them a day or so before your palace visit at the Alhambra ticket office in Granada’s city center (Calle Reyes Católicos, 40). You can pay cash or credit. Just be advised that you’ll have to use a Visa or MasterCard with a pin—one with a chip is ideal.
However you pick up your Alhambra tickets, you must collect them at least one hour before you’re scheduled to visit the Nasrid Palace.
3. Day-of ticket Alhambra purchase? Rise with the sun… and run!
If you must wait until the day-of your visit to buy, don’t plan on sleeping in. Throw back an extra strong café solo first thing and show up at the ticket office before it opens at 8:30 am to avoid the line and have the best chance of snagging a ticket.
Go to a person—it’s impossible to negotiate with the unsympathetic automated terminals. Of course waiting ‘til the last minute will cost you at least 10% more in entry fees, if you get in at all.
4. Visit the Alhambra during the off-season
Of course, you could just make your life easier by planning your visit during the off-season (between November and early March). That said, Granada’s most famous monument is popular all year long, even during the off season, so reservations (or early mornings!) are still a good idea.
Elaborate tile along the walls of Palicio Arabes inside Alhambra. Photo: plutor
5.Watch out for third-party websites
There are a lot of third-party websites selling expensive Alhambra tour packages. Search around for Alhambra tickets on the web, and you’re certain to come across agencies ready to sell you tickets and tours at inflated prices. You don’t need them.
The easiest and cheapest way to get Alhambra tickets is through the official Alhambra website, powered by ticketmaster: www.alhambra-tickets.es or buy calling +34 958 92 60 31.
For more details about purchasing tickets or visiting the Alhambra, visit this page on their official website.
About the author
If you can’t get a ticket on line, go to the Calle Reyes Católicos office as soon as you arrive.
Visited the Alhambra 11/15. We booked too late and NO tickets were available on the website, morning or afternoon, so we booked a tour. But at the Calle Reyes Católicos office we were able to buy morning tickets (better than afternoon because you can go slowly thru the Nasrid Palace without an afternoon time restraint) for the day after the tour. The tour was very informative and then we got to spend more time the next day.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing.