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Alhambra night tour tickets question / Seville Alcazar night tour

Alhambra night tour tickets question / Seville Alcazar night tour

Old Feb 12th, 2016, 06:45 PM
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Alhambra night tour tickets question / Seville Alcazar night tour

Greetings,

First of all, we are definitely doing the day time visit to the Alhambra (planning on about 4hrs there). Booking tickets early on.

I would love to do a night visit to the Nasrid Palaces too, but I not sure if the ladies in my group will have enough energy to go out after dinner. I could risk and buy my own ticket online and loose money if I cannot make it. My dilemma is if I have someone else interested in going on the spur of the moment. How hard is it to get the tickets on the day of? Do they also sell out months in advance?

If I do not prebook the tickets, are there any options of getting the ticket the day before (say at the Alhambra bookstore in Granada city center)?
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Old Feb 12th, 2016, 07:15 PM
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Oops, forgot the second part about Seville Alcazar.

I'm toying with the idea of doing the Night at the Royal Alcazar visit. from what I understand in summer / fall they are held two days a week. It've seen video on youtube-- it looks like a mix of dance, sining, theater performance. I think it's less an informative tour and more of a performance kind. All in Spanish but I think it still might be uniquely interesting to do. Small group (30people).

This one I think of adding to our official program (i.e. my ladies have no choice but go!).

I've seen a lot of comments on night visit to the Alhambra--how amazing it is and how it adds to the experience. I haven't seen much regarding the night visits to the Seville Alcazar.

Has anyone done it? Is it as amazing as seeing the Alhambra at night?
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Old Feb 12th, 2016, 07:15 PM
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My impression -- which could well be wrong -- is that the night visits book out WELL in advance. Part of why it's so special is that attendance is limited to very few attendees. Maybe you could monitor the booking site for a while? Good luck!
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Old Feb 12th, 2016, 07:15 PM
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3kObKxEqXmo Night at the Royal Alcazar
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Old Feb 12th, 2016, 07:27 PM
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We were posting at the same time! I was coming back to note that it is, IME, always worth checking for last minute openings, but with the awareness that there are no guarantees. FWIW, the evening visit to the Nasrid Palace is, for me, one of the highlights of a lifetime of travel highlights -- I would do anything I could to make sure I had that experience! YMMV.

BTW, a 4 hour day-time visit to the Alhambra is certainly possible -- but not if everyone takes all the time that she might want. I spent about 6 hours for my day-time visit, and felt rushed to get out before final closing for the day. So you might need to do a bit of shepherding....

And I was thinking ONLY of Granada's Alhambra -- sorry, but I missed your reference to Sevilla's Alcazar on a quick initial scan! I didn't visit Sevilla's Alcazar in the evening -- so no direct comment. I would say that with SO MUCH to see in Sevilla, and so little time there (if I recall your itinerary correctly), I would not be inclined to make an evening visit to the Alcazar a priority. JMO.
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Old Feb 12th, 2016, 11:57 PM
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Hi Kja, if I were on my own, i'd probably just pack a light picnic lunch and would indeed stick around for the whole day in Alhambra (entering Generalife just before the cut off time ) But, as you rightfully mentioned with the ladies that's not gonna happen. I keep telling myself that at least our visit of about 4hrs will be twice the time general Japanese tours spend in Alhambra.

About Seville's Alcazar I haven't been able to find many reviews (in English). I guess the reason being that English speaking tourists might not find it as appealing due to the language barrier.

we'll only have 3 evening in Seville.
Day 1 arrive ca. 6-7pm (long day: Granda> Cordoba sightseeing > Seville) = check-in, dinner and bed.
Day 2 evening flamenco.
(and now) Day 3 evening is either a) free time for the ladies OR b) going to the Alcazar around 8pm for the 75min tour I am posting about.

I haven't narrowed down the points of interest in Seville yet. Will probably be asking more questions on what and when to do. But of course the usual Cathedral, Alcazar, Maria Louise park (with horse carriage probably), Tore del Oro, Plaza de Espana... Anyway, that's another post
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 09:00 AM
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Check out Maitai Tom's trip report on Spain. As I recall they bought tickets well before the trip.. and were glad they'd done so since they encountered many disappointed people who'd decided to wait til they were there.
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 10:06 AM
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If it makes any difference, I think there is value to seeing the architectural details of the Alcazar in daylight, and my most enduring memory of its wonderful gardens is watching the play of light on the drops of water sprayed from its fountains. But again, I didn't see the Alcazar in the evening....
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 01:43 PM
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The Spanish dinner is so late you won't be eating dinner before the tour. Is there a chance you could go the night before you are planning to visit the Alhambra in the daytime? That's what I did: Arrived in the Alhambra in the afternoon, went to the night tour, and got up the next morning and saw the grounds and revisited the palace before it got too hot.

I can't remember when I ate dinner. I thnk afterwards, but maybe I had a sandwich earlier in the evening.

The interior of the palace is well lit at night and you can see the architectural detail. But it is worth revisiting to look at the exterior courtyward, and the grillwork of the windows and how the sunlight enters. However, during the day -- at least when I was there -- the place was absolutely mobbed and I was so glad my first experience of the Alhambra was in the evening. Added treat was watching all the cats come out in the evening, some with kittens. Perhaps they were taken elsewhere, but when I was there, the cat population seemed to be the true owners of the place, especially around the court of the lions.
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 01:52 PM
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About Seville's Alcazar I haven't been able to find many reviews (in English). I guess the reason being that English speaking tourists might not find it as appealing due to the language barrier. >>

minamax - we went to the Alcazar during the day [if that's what you are talking about, as opposed to the night time show, which we missed] and liked it a lot. no special knowledge of spansih required - all the signage is in english as well as spanish I think. have you looked for reviews of the evening show on line?

BTW the Alcazari is by no means as big as the Alhambra where we, like kja, just made it into the Generalife in time, unlike a gardener friend of mine who missed out!

What are you doing on Day 3? could you arrange a late lunch [ie normal time for Spain] the see the Alcazar show in the early evening, having supper afterwards?
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 06:07 PM
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Thank you all so much for your valuable input!

We will definitely do both Alhambra and Seville's Alcazar during daytime in order to enjoy them to the fullest. The night visits are on top of these.

The night visits (initially) were not in the cards as I fear Japanese people (especially senior citizens) finish their days pretty early. 3 years ago, I arranged for a private 9pm Night Mystery Tour in Cesky Krumlov--with ghosts and torches, and all the works. I thought "wow, I did an amazing job! this will be the highlight of our trip." But after a full meal and lots of wine, the ladies just called it a night! So out of 15, only 8 went out for the tour

Tentative schedule I am working with:
GRANADA: 2 nights
Day 1 (Monday) Granada sights + dinner with Alhambra view -- no night visits at Alhambra on mondays
Day 2 (Tue) Alhambra 9am to 1.30pm + Moroccan lunch + Hammam spa (2hrs 4-6pm ) + short rest + light meal : NIGHT possible option of Alhambra at night 10pm, 10.30pm (next day early departure for Cordoba though)
SEVILLE: 3 nights
Day 3 (Wed) Granada (8.30am) > Cordoba > Seville (6-7pm) + check in + dinner near the hotel
Day 4 (Th) Full day : not sure what sights yet + flamenco + dinner
Day 5 (Fri) Half day : not sure what sights yet + dinner + possible Alcazar Night Perfomance Tour (Only held Fri and Sat 19:30, 20:00, 20:30, 21:00)
Day 6 (Sat) Possibly 1 attraction before AVE to Madrid + Lunch in Madrid + visit to a museum.

We are hiring a Japanese speaking guide in Seville, so I realise there is a way to make the Alcazar visit at night a little easier to understand. Our guide can translate what the actors are saying through a radio guide transmitter. Definitely will cost a lot more, but if it's worth it, I think it's an option.

I see there are many contributors on this forum who have been to Alhambra at night but so far I haven't heard from someone who's done Alcazar (performance tour) at night.

As far as I understand both Palaces are gorgeous in the mysterious evening light. Both have small number of people who can enter.
At Alhambra, I understand we can use the audio guides provided by the Alhambra. Mostly emphasis on seeing the architecture.
At Alcazar, they have a performance show (The story, told by its inhabitants). where actors play roles of important people in the palace’s history (Columbus, Queen Isabella). Dressed in period clothes. You can also enter the Palaces (as in Alhambra).

Choices choices.... Wish we had a lot more time in Andalusia so we could fit it all in!

Thank you all for reading and trying to help me solve this puzzle!!!
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Old Feb 13th, 2016, 06:32 PM
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We did the night tour of the Alcazar last October. Although it was beautiful all lit up at night we did miss out on a lot because of the play being in Spanish. We did return the next day to visit the entire Alcazar as the night tour was limited in where you could go. If you do have a translator it might be better. Don't know how it would work though. I would recommend booking ahead for the Alhambra day and night tour and the Alcazar night tour. We visited the Alhambra during the day and I can understand how gorgeous it would be at night. It wasn't an option for us as it was off season.
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Old Feb 14th, 2016, 12:28 PM
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being able to have the interpreter should definitely help.

is there any way to ask the ladies who are coming on the trip what they would prefer to do? there are quite a few time slots for the Alcazar evening - I wonder whether an earlier show or early dinner would work best [given that they'll have had a big lunch!]
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 02:30 AM
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Hi Michele_d, I understand what mean about missing out on a lot during the tour/play. I think if you understand 100% what is being said, the enjoyment can be also upto 100%. Here even though the show is great, the level of satisfaction might not match it. I think I will also write to our guide to see whether he can translate in general what is being explained (I would assume word for word would be difficult and not very practical).

Annhig, I felt the same way that an earlier show/dinner in Seville might work better with older people timetable But maybe I will actually what they think.
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 03:43 AM
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I've got a follow up question. there is a lot of information regarding purchasing Alhambra tickets. I've looked at the TicketMaster's site, and I think I understand how that works.

I am a bit confused about the site where one can prebook Alhambra's tickets.

Is this the official site where you'd purchase Alcazar tickets? Is it me? Or is this site very badly managed? First of, hard to find the English page. Second, there is really very little English information. Third, when I clicked on the "Ticket" button, it takes me to the old looking page that offers "General Tickets" for ...Jan 2, 2014!

Anyway, am I looking in the wrong place? Can someone steer me in the direction of Alcazar tickets online? How to buy them in advance?
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 03:44 AM
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here is the link to the site that I found .

http://www.alcazarsevilla.org/5/
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 03:59 AM
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I can't help you with purchasing tickets for the night tour in the Alcazar, but I saw this thread on the experience on TA and I wonder if it's something that would appeal to everyone:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic...Andalucia.html

One of the fun things we did in Seville was to take a tapas tour -- mind you, it's pricey, but we ate more than enough to make up for the cost, and had a terrific evening. We took the "Oldest Taverns" tour, which I highly recommend:

http://welovetapas.com/our-tapas-tou...la-tapas-tour/
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 06:17 AM
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minamax - here's the link to the TA page on buying Alhambra tickets - it's the Ticketmaster site that you want:

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel...ts.Online.html

[if you google it, there are a number of sites masquerading as the official one, but they mostly have adverts, which is a bit of a giveaway]

Here it is:

http://www.ticketmaster.es/en/recint...ra-de-granada/

good luck!
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 07:34 AM
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annhig, thank you so much! My bad... I meant to say I am confused about buying tickets to Seville's ALCAZAR (not Alhambra)! With a lot of great posts , information, and kind answers from forum contributors, I think I figured out the process for Alhambra.


I am not sure about Alcazar in Seville.

So the link that I posted seems to be the "official site", but it looks a bit iffy. Also, I was just trying different dates for practice, and I see that for all dates there are only tickets available for from morning till 13.30. I know that Alcazar is opened till evening. Why the last available tickets (for random dates in summer) show only upto 13.30?

Anyway, I am still trying to figure it out, but if anyone has any wisdom, I'd appreciate it!

http://www.alcazarsevilla.org/5/
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Old Feb 15th, 2016, 07:37 AM
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Thank you progol for a good link to a post on TA. Also, the Tapas tour sounds like fun. Not sure if it's going to be suitable for about 15 senior Japanese ladies, but I'll keep it in mind

I've seen some of the "centenarian" tapas bars, but on your tour you actually visited 4 which are all very old. that's pretty cool! I should do a bit more research and try to figure which ones they were.
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