THEAlhambra di Granada it is certainly one of the most visited monuments in Europe, often overcrowded by tourists who want to admire its beauty and enjoy that typical atmosphere of the past. It goes without saying that it is highly recommended, if not almost mandatory, to book your ticket online, so as not to have to waste precious time standing in the queue at the box office and not risk running out of steam, since access is regulated by bands hours, in order to guarantee the conservation of the monuments and the most pleasant visit.
In addition to the almost obvious recommendation of book your ticket online well in advance, it is also absolutely important to pay attention to the reliability of the portal through which the booking is made. By doing a quick search, you can find the most different prices, with the most different offers. Confusion alas increased by the fact that the official site is not so well indexed on search engines with the most normal keys used and that the link to access is not exactly that simple. Moreover, place strictly only in Spanish and English.
When booking you choose thetime for access, attention, not to the Alhambra complex, but to the Palacios Nazarìes, that is the most famous and remembered part of the Alhambra, and portrayed in all the various postcards and printed publications. So, if you make a reservation for the 10am entrance, you will need to be at 10am at the Palacios, not at the Alhambra entrance. It might seem obvious, but the clarification is very important, because the Palacios are inside the complex, in an area diametrically opposite to the entrance. A bit like if you booked a time for the Vatican Museums, but that was for access to the Sistine Chapel! So, once inside, you will have about half an hour of walking to get there, and in fact you will see groups, couples and individuals whizzing next to you to arrive on time and not lose your reservation.
The bad thing about it is that as soon as you enter the Alhambra entrance you will find yourself in amidst wonders wherever you look and the risk of getting lost admiring an ancient door, a flowering hedge or a darting fountain is very high. Here, do not do like me, who in my heart was thinking "but where the hell do these run, with all the good things there is to see here?" and I stopped to see anything, so as not to miss anything; and then arrive at the entrance of the Palacios Nazarìes with that ever more concrete doubt of having done the bullshit of the day ...
Moral of the story: they tell me, rightly, that my ticket was for the 9 o'clock entrance and therefore that at 10 you could not enter. Fortunately, there is a minimum of tolerance (but don't take advantage of it) and I was able to go and change the hours at an office, which I reached through a healthy 14-minute walk under the Andalusian sun on August XNUMXth.
In summary:
Go to the official website
Book your ticket by choosing the date and time
On the appointed day, go to the entrance at least one hour before the time of entry
Once inside, grab a map and head briskly towards the Palacios Nazaries. Don't underestimate the distance and travel time
At the end of this visit, enjoy everything else
