Castles · Tour
Alhambra at Ten, Albaicín at Five: Two Halves and the Sunset
One booking, two visits, and the second one is timed for the light. The morning covers the Generalife and the Alcazaba. The Nasrid Palaces are not included, and that is worth reading before booking. What is included still explains Moorish Granada: the summer gardens on one side of the hill, the fortress that held it on the other. The afternoon crosses the valley. From 5pm the tour walks the Albaicín and Sacromonte, and this is where the city stops being a monument and starts being a place. The Albaicín went on the World Heritage list in 1984 and is the original Granada, laid out before the Alhambra existed: white houses put up wherever the ground allowed, streets that do not run straight, and the cármenes, the walled gardens hidden behind blank doors. The two halves work on each other. In the morning you look out from the Alhambra. In the evening you look back at it, from the neighbourhood it was built to watch, and the start time is set so that the viewpoints are reached at sunset. The two parts can be taken on different days: ask the operator to move the reservation.
What's included
- Local guide
- Generalife and Alcazaba entrances
Itinerary
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Avda. del Generalife s/n (junto a taquillas de la Alhambra, P.º del Generalife, 1G, Granada
Next to the fountain.
Generalife
The Alhambra visit starts at 10.00h. In specific cases the start time can move, and the operator gives notice in good time. The Generalife was an almunia, a country estate with gardens, next to the Alhambra. The name is disputed, but it appears to come from the Arabic Yannat al-Arif, the Garden of the Architect, meaning God as the architect and maker of the universe.
Alcazaba
The Alcazaba is one of the oldest parts of the Alhambra, and there were probably buildings on this ground before the Muslims reached Granada. The first written reference to it is from the 9th century, when it is thought to have been built by Sawwar ben Hamdun during the fighting between Muslims and muwallads. It became a genuine fortress and the king made his residence there. His son Mohammed II lived in it too, until the palaces were finished. After that it was purely military.
Palace of Carlos V
By 1526 Charles V ruled America, and he moved his court into the royal houses of the Alhambra for that summer. He decided he wanted Granada as one of his residences, and planned a palace with more room and more comfort than the Moorish one, attached to it so he could keep using both. It continued what his grandparents, the Catholic Monarchs, had started, and it was meant to make this courtly palace the centre of the Empire. What went up is one of the finest Renaissance buildings outside Italy and the first great royal palace of the Spanish monarchy.
Barrio Del Albaicin
At 17.00h the second half starts from the city centre, in the Albaicín and Sacromonte. They face the Alhambra, so the view is of the Nasrid monument and of the whole city behind it. Streets, squares and viewpoints, and a completely different register from the morning. To take this part on the day before or after the Alhambra, contact the operator and the booking will be moved. The Albaicín went on the World Heritage list in 1984 and is where Granada began.
Albaicín, Granada
Not included
- Gratuities
- Dinner
Good to know
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
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- Please notice that the tour might be cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances in relation to tickets availability, even though our cancellation rate is on average less than 0.3% annually. Alhambra tickets are limited and sometimes, they just may not be available for very concrete reasons. We do have a success rate of over 99% in obtaining them for our customers due to our full dedication and long experience. Please rest assured because this happens very rarely and you are in good hands. The above information is just to inform you about how the Alhambra's ticket sales system operates and all the travel agents proceed in the same way
- You must provide the passport details of each participant during the booking process, and bring your original passport with you on the day of your tour. You must bring the same document that you use during the booking process.
- The Generalife, Alcazaba and Carlos V Palace starts at 10.00h
- Albaicin Tour starts at 17.00h
- Up to 10 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, es.
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