Has anyone done the tour provided on the Alhambra website. It is 46 eros which includes the entrance fee. It lasts 2.5 hrs. to 3 hrs. Is the tour worth it and is a tour even necessary? Also, it looks like the morning tour is a better option. If I understand it correctly you buy the ticket for a specific time to visit Palacios Nazaries but you can then stay as long as you like for the rest of the facility. What is the downside of doing the PM tour??

Yes, your ticket is for a specific time for the Palacios Nazaries and if you have a morning ticket, you must see the other two sites requiring a ticket before 2:00pm. I was there recently. We did not get a tour, but did get the Audio Guide.

We walked through the Alhambra self-guided. The place is magical and we thought, we did not need a tour to admire the beauty of architecture and decoration. Besides, three hours sound like a looong tour with much standing and listening to explanations. I think it depends on your interest in history whether you will like the tour or not. As an alternative, you may read something before you go there. This might be a quick start:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Cid

That is pricey and, other than a guide for three hours (YIKES!), everything you listed is already available by purchasing a regular ticket. The best option for a guided visit in the Alhambra that I have seen are private guides, typically Arts Students who used to be by the entrance offering a two hour guided visit for $30. I used them in 1993 and she was fantastic. Not sure if they are available anymore. On a later visit, I used the audio guides and they were not great, which surprised me because typically audio guides are clearly narrated with historical facts.

That said, The Alhambra is NOT a site you stepped in and get a good sense of what are you looking at. You do need guidance to get the most out of the sightseeing, this is not just a beautiful building complex. I agree that reading ahead of time and/or bringing with you annotated descriptions of the site is best. Either way, READ about the place beforehand.

A guide adds immeasurably to the experience. We used a guide that we found at the ticket office. She was an American student and guided a group of 7 or 8. I don't remember the price but it was worth it. The Alhambra has so much fascinating history. Much of it you would probably not learn on a self-guided tour. We normally do not use guides but for sucn things as the Vatican Museum, Pompeii and the Alhambra, guides really enrich the experience.

A tour guide can make the alhambra the most fascinating place you will ever visit. The problem is how to find one, noone seems to know. The tour companies charge about 130 eu! When I was there last year I didn't see any students outside although I did in '92. Granadans grow up with the stories, legends, and superstitions surrounding the alhambra. In any case I would not go without a guide and the audio guide will suffice if you don't want to spring for a human.

Touring is very legislated now .

Here is a related thread:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...mbra-tours.cfm