I normally steer clear from guided tours, but since the Alhambra seems so overwhelming, I wondered if a tour would be the best way to learn about it all. A tour I found at guiasgranada.com will pick me up at my hotel for a three hour tour at 33Euros. Necessary or no??? Thanks for advice!

I think you could do either. We tend not to prefer tours (Tower of London is the exception) and did it on our own. We compromised and picked up one of those audio guides that tells you about various points as you walk through the gardens). The audio tour (available at the Alhambra) gave you some good info, but you could do it at your own pace.<BR><BR>Depending where you are staying, I'm sure you could get yourself there via bus or taxi (we were lucky and got into the parador so it was next to the Alhambra).

You can rent one of those audio machines, available in several languages, I thought it was very good.<BR>There is a Museum, small and very interesting , next to the Charles V building, there they have excellent tours given in Spanish., The guide was a retired professor from the University.

We did it ourselves...read lots of guidebooks beforehand (I took notes and brought them along). Personally, I think the magic of being there is experiencing it for yourself. And it is magic (if you can shutout the crowds and tour guides giving their version of it--I was glad I couldn't understand what they were saying.)

We generally don't like tours, but here we took one. The guide was wonderful...and the bonus was that when we visited other places in Seville and Cordoba, we didn't need a guide because much of the same information applied.

normally i don't like guided tours but on a recent trip with my husband and 2 kids we booked a guided walking tour of Sevuilla and sephardic Cordoba with an American expat guide, Dan O'[email protected] liked it so much we did an olive oil mill daytour from sevilla

I think, more than a tour, a good book about Islamic Spain would be helpful. We have been to the Alhambra three times, and I never get tired of it. Take the tour,, and then revisit spots of interest. We stay in Granada and walk up to the Alhambra each day that we were there. Sure cheaper than the Parador and Granada is an interesting place too. Issabella and Ferdinand are buried there. Hope you have a good time.