Castles · Tour
Alcazaba, Partal and Generalife Water Stairway, from Plaza Nueva
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GranadaA walking tour of the Alhambra complex with skip-the-line access, covering the Alcazaba, the Palace of Charles V, and the Generalife palace and gardens. What marks this route out is how much of it people usually miss. Most visits run the shortest line between the famous rooms. This one takes in the gates, the esplanade above the old water cisterns with the Albaicín spread out below, the Partal terraces, and a decorated tower up on the wall that half the visitors to the site never find. In the Generalife it goes as far as the stairway with water running down its stone handrails, which is one of the cleverest pieces of design in the whole complex and is at the far end of the gardens. The guide covers the art, the culture, the history and the religion in each area, and at the Alhambra those four are the same conversation. Camera batteries are worth charging. The complex is unique in Europe for how much Moorish architecture survived intact, and almost every turn of the route is a photograph. The group meets in the city at Plaza Nueva, not up at the ticket office.
What's included
- Local guide with live commentary
- Alhambra Complex Entry Ticket
- Hearing Radio Devices
- Free wifi & phone charging station
Itinerary
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Carrera del Darro, 1, Granada
PLAY GRANADA, next to the Santa Ana Church, at the end of Plaza Nueva.
The Alhambra
The Alhambra is one of the best preserved palace complexes left from Al-Andalus, and the most complete Moorish monument in Spain. Islamic architecture, gardens and fortresses on one ridge above Granada, walked with an official guide and with the entry queue skipped.
Puerta de la Justicia
At the entrance, the horseshoe arch carries a Christian coat of arms above it. The two together mark the handover from Moorish rule to the Spanish conquest of 1492, cut into the stone of the gateway itself. The guide explains what the gate was for and what was added afterwards.
Puerta del Vino
The Puerta del Vino is a horseshoe-arched gate inside the complex that once led into the royal Nasrid palaces. The name is disputed: some trace it to the wine trade that passed through here, others to the colours of its decoration. Either way the tilework and carving repay a close look.
Plaza de los Aljibes
A wide esplanade laid over the Alhambra's old water cisterns, the aljibes. The view from it takes in the Albaicín and Sacromonte across the valley, and the buildings around it are Islamic and Renaissance side by side, which is the argument the whole site keeps having with itself.
Alcazaba
The Alcazaba is the oldest and most heavily fortified part of the Alhambra, the military quarter that protected the Nasrid dynasty. The Torre de la Vela can be climbed for a 360-degree view over Granada and the rest of the complex. Its bell is still rung every 2 January to mark the Catholic Monarchs' conquest of the city. The walls and watchtowers are what is left of the working fortress.
Palace of Carlos V
The Palace of Charles V sits against the Moorish architecture like a rebuttal, which is exactly what it was: a 16th-century Renaissance building commissioned by the Emperor to state who now owned the hill. Its circular courtyard is among the finest Renaissance designs in Spain, and there is nothing else like it inside the walls.
Palacio El Partal
A pergola leads onto the wide lower terrace of the Partal, with the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra in view across the water. On the left stands the portico that gives the palace its name. This is among the oldest Nasrid buildings left on the site, with open arcades and still pools that double everything above them.
hidden gem within the Alhambra
The Torre de la Cautiva is one of the most heavily decorated residential towers on the walls, with carved Islamic plaster and tilework inside. It is named after a Christian noblewoman said to have lived here after the sultan took her. Few visitors find it, and it is one of the best rooms in the complex.
Generalife
The Generalife was the summer palace, built as a country villa just outside the walls so Muslim royalty could get away from the court. Decorative gardens, orchards, courtyards and Moorish architecture, laid out for leisure rather than for government.
This open-air theater in Alhambra hosts cultural events and…
An open-air theatre inside the Generalife gardens, used for cultural events and for the Granada International Festival of Music and Dance. Contemporary performance in a historic setting, with the Alhambra and the Generalife in view from the seats.
One of the most iconic landmarks in Alhambra and Generalife
The Patio de la Acequia, the Courtyard of the Water Channel, is the centre of the Generalife Gardens. Water runs the length of it between fountains, with planting on both sides and Moorish arcades at either end. It is the clearest surviving example of what a Nasrid garden was meant to be.
This Nasrid-era stairway in the Generalife Gardens is a…
A Nasrid stairway in the Generalife with water running down channels cut into its stone handrails. It was built to cool the air, and it works: the sound of the water arrives before the shade does. Few people walk this far, and it is the best piece of engineering in the gardens.
Your Alhambra and Generalife guided tour concludes with a…
The tour ends with a walk along the Paseo de las Adelfas, the oleander walkway, with the Moorish architecture of the Alhambra in view through the planting. A quiet way out of the gardens, and the last chance to look back at the complex from above.
C. Real de la Alhambra, s/n, Granada
Not included
- Food and drinks
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Transportation to/from attractions
- Nasrid Palaces Admission Ticket
Good to know
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
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- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- We recommend wearing comfortable shoes, no flip-flops or heels
- Original IDs, Driving License OR Passport required to access the monument
- Entrance tickets to be handed by the guide in paper form on date and time of the visit, at the meeting point.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, es.
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