Castles · Tour

Private Alhambra with the Painted Vaults of the Sala de los Reyes

Three hours, private, tickets included, with an official guide who specialises in the Alhambra and in Andalusi art. The specialism shows in where the tour slows down. The Nasrid Palaces are the core of it: the Mexuar, the Comares Palace and the Palace of the Lions, where the sultan lived with his family, his government and his court. The Court of the Lions is where architecture and water were designed as one thing, and the medieval politics of the place happened in the rooms around it. Off that courtyard is the Sala de los Reyes, and it is the room worth booking a specialist for. Its vaults carry figurative court scenes, painted people, in a palace whose every other surface is geometry, calligraphy and plant forms. The Sala de las Dos Hermanas next door goes the other way: a muqarnas dome overhead and walls covered in verse. The Patio de los Arrayanes is the largest courtyard on the site. The Partal is the palace where the planting takes over. The Alcazaba gives the city, the mountains and the Vega from its towers, and the Generalife closes the visit among orchards and gardens. The meeting point is in front of the wall map of the Alhambra by the main entrance. Look for the dark blue umbrella with the Andalucía 360 logo.