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Oh no, yet another Alhambra ticket-timing question

Oh no, yet another Alhambra ticket-timing question

Old Jun 5th, 2015, 10:56 AM
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Oh no, yet another Alhambra ticket-timing question

Hello all,

Here is one more question about timing one's visit to the Alhambra, to add to the hundreds which have already been posted here. Thanks in advance to the patient FF readers who continue on to think about my question:

Because of the way we like to visit places (not rushing in the morning, a relaxing late lunch, not jamming things together too tightly), we're thinking of purchasing two separate Alhambra tickets for each of us, one for the morning segment (8:30 am - 2:00 pm) and another ticket only for the Generalife gardens in the afternoon (2:00 pm - 6:00pm; we are going in late October so the closing time is 6:00 pm, not 8:00 pm as it is in the summer/early fall season).

The plan (using tickets purchased on the internet and picked up the day before at the Alhambra shop at Calle Reyes Catolicos):

--enter the Alhambra complex by the Puerta de Justicia about 9:00 am, having reserved a 10:00 am entry for the Nazaries Palace; before and after the Palace, see other things (Alcazaba, Carlos V Palace and museum, etc.)

--around 1:00 pm, an un-rushed lunch at the Parador or the Hotel America

--around 2:30 pm or 3:00 pm, walk to the Generalife gardens and use the second afternoon-entry ticket for the Generalife only (not the complete ticket but the gardens-only ticket for about 8 euros).

--see the gardens slowly, then exit at the eastern, main entrance and catch Bus C3 back to Plaza Nueva and crash at our hotel, Hotel Casa 1800

Does this make sense? I'm assuming they don't care if you buy two tickets for the same day, as long as one individual does not buy more than 10 tickets (at least, that's what the official web site says...I think). The tickets for September are already up for sale on the web site so I want to decide on how we should tackle this thing soon.

Thank you for your comments and suggestions.
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 11:12 AM
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It does make sense. This thought crossed my mind as well for our trip in October. Then we'll throw in a night visit for the same day!

Bookmarking to read the replies upon return from a 10-day domestic trip starting tomorrow.
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 01:15 PM
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nice idea, especially if you want to be able to enjoy a leisurely lunch.

We got to the park about 8.30am [having a 10.30 entry time for the Nasrid palaces] had a coffee and pastry in the cafe at the entrance, then went into the site and toured it all morning, just stopping for a quick drink and then a sandwich, before going into the Generalife at about 2pm [just before our tickets ran out, anyway.] A friend who got there too late was denied entry.

So what you are thinking of doing may be the best way to guarantee that you'll get to see it all - and it is certainly worth it. Even in November, the gardens were fantastic and we spent about 2 hours there.
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 01:58 PM
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We had lunch at Hotel America in April. The restaurant is located in a nice interior courtyard. But it was crowded and noisy. The parador has a restaurant and a cheaper terrace cafe-like restaurant. It is much quieter and more peaceful than at the Hotel America and has a lovely view of the Generalife.
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 02:04 PM
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Very helpful, thank you!
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 04:30 PM
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We had an 8:30 entry to the NP last September, then toured the gardens and the Parador. The Hotel America was very peaceful at about 1:30 pm (early for Spanish lunchtime) and we did not have to wait to be seated. All was leisurely and the morning light was good for photos.

I'm not sure you need am and pm tickets. You do not need tix for the attractions other than the Gardens, the Palace and the Alcazaba. We skipped the fort, but even if you do want to see it, I would think you could easily see the three ticketed areas before your lunch, then check out the non-ticketed areas later in the afternoon.
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 06:40 PM
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Crosscheck: it's only 8 more euros, and this way we can totally relax at lunch without thinking about deadlines, no?
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Old Jun 5th, 2015, 08:54 PM
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Your call. 8 EUR does sound very reasonable to buy peace of mind. That said, we were clueless/blissfully ignorant. Didn't think about deadlines or a 2pm window - didn't even know about them. I thought that you could stay all day if you had a morning entry, and that the only restriction was the time you entered the palace. (Just did some googling and I think this was previously the case and restrictions have changed recently.)

Ours was a last-minute trip and I purchased primo entrance tix about two weeks prior to our visit. Also was offered tickets by our hotel, which I booked a week before. So I didn't realize that serious planning was needed until warned here and on TA.
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Old Jun 7th, 2015, 03:39 AM
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I am visiting Alhambra in August and opted to buy two tickets for one day as well. I bought the general ticket for the morning and the ticket that allows me to visit NP in the afternoon since we are flying from BCN to Granada and arriving at 8:00 am. We selected the 6pm entry time to NP.
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Old Jun 7th, 2015, 03:56 AM
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EYWandBTV,
As others have said, it's your call. We found it very doable to see what we wanted and have lunch during the first session. Our tickets for the palace were a reasonable 9:30am entry, and we never felt rushed. But if you want to get a second set of tickets, then go for it! It sounds like you both enjoy the option to go slowly and have a long, leisurely lunch, and for that peace of mind, it make sense.

I also wrote similar comments to you on my own thread.
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Old Jun 7th, 2015, 04:43 PM
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Thanks Progol, I am loving your TR on the other thread.
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Old Jun 7th, 2015, 04:54 PM
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FWIW, your plan has merits, but would not have given me the time I wanted in the Alhambra outside the Generalife. YMMV.
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 08:14 AM
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I think we settled on our strategy for our Alhambra visit:

We can arrive in Granada early enough on a late-October Thursday to spend a few hours in the Generalife that afternoon, using the gardens-only ticket. Evening free.

The next day, a Friday, we'll have an early-ish entry to the Palaces using an Alhambra General ticket. We can make it back to the Generalife gardens if we want, but will have already seen them, so no real pressure. Late afternoon and early evening free, then finish off the day with a night Palace visit.

This should work nicely for us. I think tickets will be on sale within the next few days.

EYWandBTV, per your question in progol's TR thread, our itinerary is:

Arrive Madrid, 10:00 AM if flight gods are with us.
Madrid - 3 nights
Toledo - 4 nights
Cordoba - 4 nights, pick up car
Jaen Castle - 1 night
Ubeda - 2 nights
Cazorla - 3 nights (my ancestors are from here)
Granada - return car, 2 nights
Ronda - 2 nights
Benalmadena - 2 nights
Fly out of Malaga Airport

I know this is a somewhat weird first visit to Spain itinerary, but it fits our style and interests. Our initial plan was different but Fodorite information caused us to make some modifications for the better.

There are notable omissions, and maybe too much time spent in some places for some folk's taste, but we are generally happy and will most likely stick with it.

Good luck with your decisions. It's tough!
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 08:17 AM
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Thanks Nelson! There's no "right" way to visit another country, I don't think. It is your trip, after all
Looks like a very interesting group of places. I hope you will write a detailed TR afterward.
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 08:20 AM
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Nelson, that looks like a most interesting trip.

My only comment would be that you have several 2 night stays at the end - we did a trip of all 2 nights last year and I almost wished that we'd thrown in a one night so that we could have 3 nights elsewhere.
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 09:10 AM
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Thanks EYWandBTV, I'll at least do a commented photo TR, but no guarantee on finding the inspiration for a full write up. That is tough for me, but we'll see. Hats off to progol and others.

annhig, agree the successive 2-nights at the end are an issue. We shoehorned Ronda in, and then struggled with how to time it. We finally decided the two-night strategy worked best because we wanted to have the one-full-day at each of those destinations. But agree that is a weak part of our plan. In fact we discussed this last night but decided to stick with it.
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 01:35 PM
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Nelson - I know how difficult it is - and I suppose that two nights are better than one, but I did find all that moving on very tiring. having the third night made all the difference, even if it meant having to do just a one night stand somewhere else!
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 04:54 PM
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I think your plan for the Alhambra sounds perfect -- go for it!

And I, too, think it an interesting itinerary. I'm a bit surprised that you are skipping Sevilla, particularly when you will be SO close!!! And even if you are sure you only want a few days in Madrid, I might shift a night from Toledo to Madrid so that you have time for a day trip to Segovia. That said, I sometimes feel like a very rare voice here on Fodor's in encouraging people to spend some time in places like Toledo and Cordoba, so I'm glad to see that you are actually giving yourself the chance to explore those two wonderful destinations in some depth.

Enjoy!
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Old Jun 30th, 2015, 05:42 PM
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We spent 2 1/2 days in Toledo and easily could have spent another day. Of course, we loved Madrid, too. Well, we just loved Spain!

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Old Jul 1st, 2015, 01:11 AM
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Nelson,
Interesting itinerary! Your Alhambra plan sounds great and your other choices of places to visit sound wonderful, so I can see it's a carefully thought out itinerary. I carved out 2 nights in Toledo and wish I had more.

Of course, there is Sevilla.......

As I wrote on my thread, it will be a great trip no matter what. Add me to the growing list of Spain fans!
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