Castles · Tour
Alhambra in Three Hours: Torre de la Vela Climb, Then the Nasrid Palaces
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
GranadaThree hours, and the order matters. This tour starts in the Generalife, works through the Alcazaba, and keeps the Nasrid Palaces for last, which is the right way round: the palaces are what everything else was built to protect and to look at, and they land harder when you have already seen the fortress and the garden. The Torre de la Vela is part of the route. It is a climb, and it pays: from the top the whole Alhambra is laid out below with Granada beyond it, and the reason the Nasrids put a fortress on this ridge stops being an abstract point. Access to the Nasrid Palaces is included, which is the part that sells out first on the official site and the reason most people book a guided visit at all. The guide works through the history and the architecture together, and the Alhambra is one of the few monuments where those two are the same subject: the inscriptions on the walls are poetry, the poetry is about the building, and the building is about the dynasty that put it up.
What's included
- Expert, English-speaking Tour Guide
- Visit to the Generalife Gardens
- Entry Ticket to the Alhambra
- Visit to the Palace of Charles V
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- Entry Ticket to the Nasrid Palace
Itinerary
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P.º de la Sabica, 1f, Granada
Meet the guide at the main entrance to the Alhambra, where the ticket office is, next to the official "Meeting point / Punto de encuentro" sign (white, with a blue hexagon), on a small gravel esplanade with trees. The guide carries a City Wonders flag.
The Alhambra
Meet the guide at the entrance for a short introduction to the history and architecture of the Alhambra and what it means in both Spanish and Moorish heritage. The tour is built to leave you with an understanding of the whole monument, not a set of photographs.
Your tour begins in the serene Generalife Gardens
The tour starts in the Generalife Gardens, the summer retreat of the Nasrid rulers. Flowerbeds, fountains and planting on terraces, with views over Granada and the countryside behind it. A quiet opening.
Next
Then the Alcazaba, the oldest part of the Alhambra and a piece of serious military engineering by the Nasrid Kingdom. The climb up the Torre de la Vela gives the view over the whole complex and the city below, and the guide explains what the fortress was defending and against whom.
Nasrid Palaces
The Nasrid Palaces come last. Islamic art and architecture on every surface: the tilework and carved plaster of the Mexuar, the still water of the Court of the Myrtles, the geometry and calligraphy of the Hall of the Ambassadors, and the Court of the Lions with its fountain on twelve marble lions. The route ends in the Hall of the Two Sisters and the Hall of the Abencerrajes, each with its own history. The guide fills in the stories that do not appear on the signs.
P.º de la Sabica, 1f, Granada
Not included
- Gratuities
- Hotel pick up/drop off
Good to know
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Due to the current policy of the Alhambra, you must make available to City Wonders the full name, ID or passport number and nationality of each traveler and also present the ID or passport before entering the monument. Without all this data, the entry can be rejected
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- Please note that the order of the tour itinerary may be subject to change to ensure the best possible experience for you.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
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