After a few weeks of problems with alhambratickets.com, I finally called BBVA and they told me the alhambra is completely sold out the week I will be in Spain (including the day I planned to be in granada - its semana santa).

So, here's my dillemma: do I skip Granada altogether or go there and risk standing in line early in the morning.

My itinerary is as follows (for those who might advise me):
3 full days Madrid (maybe 1 day trip to Toledo)
2.5 days Seville (maybe stop in cordoba on teh way)
Night/1 day in Granada (now maybe replace with something else)
3 full days in barcelona

any advice about 1) how bad the line is likely to be and 2) if there is something better than Granada in case I don't get into alhambra

thanks to anyone. I know Maribel is travelling, but if you read this, the help is appreciated. ttt. (and pass on all our good wishes to madrilenos that you vist)

ttt

We returned from 8 days in Andalusia yesterday arriving at Atocha (on our way home) during the multi-million man demonstration against the senseless, cowardly violence wrought against the wonderful Spanish people. we share their horror and sorrow.
I have previously read that even when sold out it might be possible to acquire tickets to the Alhambra as part of a tour group.
Our trip was a birthday gift to fulfill a wish I had to visit the Alhambra. Personally, if the Alhambra is impossible, I would skip Granada this trip; however, you cannot miss Cordoba. The Mezquita was the highlight of our trip and far surpasses even the most laudatory comments I have read here. You should also consider a stop in Ronda. We added this delightful town to our itinerary after reading many postings on this forum and are grateful to all who suggested it.

I agree. Aside from the Alhambra which is magnificent, I would not visit Granada. I loved Cordoba, especially the Mezquita and the gardens of the Alcazar. The roses are in full bloom at Eastertime. Make sure you get to Toledo early if you do it as a day trip and stop at the parador for a beautiful view of the city. I would stay overnight in Cordoba and then take the train on to Sevilla. Enjoy

Another option is to book a visit to the Alhambra with a tour company. They normally get bookings from the hotels and they organize tour groups with a guide and including the tickets.
The company name is City Tour Alhambra and their fax number is 34-958-135804 .
You could contact them to see if they have availability on the day you are interested in.

To go to southern spain and not see the alhambra would be a crime. you must find the viewing area in the old town that gives you the side view from a distance. we almost gave up on our walk trying to find it, am glad we perservered.

From what I understand, they always set aside tickets for the same day sales at the Alhambra itself. So you could go stand in line and be sure you get there very early. We went and stood in line for over 2 hours and didn't get in. Went back the next day and stood in line again for about an hour and a half and did get in. The Alhambra is beautiful but there wasn't much to do in Granada besides that. So it is a tough choice to make if you don't get tickets ahead of time and have to decide whether to take that risk or not.

It's tough. I liked Granada, but I only spent 1 overnight there. I walked around the old town the first day, and saw Alhambra the next day before flying to Barcelona. Personally, I liked Sevilla, Cordoba, and Ronda better than Granada IF you take away the Alhambra. The Alhambra was definitely a highlight of the trip.

I would definitely go to Cordoba on the way to Sevilla, and the idea of Ronda is a good one (I loved it there).

Also to factor in - you don't say how you are getting from Granada to Barcelona. I flew. If you go to Ronda instead, you are farther from Barcelona and your time in Barcelona would be less.

I'd suggest a slightly revised itinerary, but I have read about how crowded semana santa is, so it might not be very feasible at this point.

pgmargate - your post about the viewing point (Midador Sant Nicolas) made me laugh - I had the same problem! I finally found it by following the noise of children - they were playing in the courtyard.

Karen

I personally feel that there is much to see in Granada. Certainly the Alhambra is a highlight, but there is excellent nightlife including wonderful caves-turned-restaurants with live Flamenco dancing (Sacromonte), and the gardens are beautiful as well, complete with a delightful Garcia-Lorca Museum. I have always felt that Granada is not to be missed and I do agree with the response suggesting you find the viewing location where you can see the Alhambra from afar (spectacular if viewing at night). Do not miss all that is lovely in Granada!

When we went to spain we flew to barcelona 3 nights ,3nights madrid, train to seville for 2 nights, train to la bobidilla outside granada 2 nights, 2 nights in granada, flew to lisbon 3 nights return to phl. Great trip.

we did a day trip to toledo but would have liked another day there.

What are your dates? I'm not going until late May, but your experience kind of has me concerned.

I've never had any problems securing Alhambra tickets. That's pretty surprising. You must have picked quite a busy day!

ttt

Just returned from Seville and Granada - If the Alhambra tickets are sold out, I would not take the chance of going and standing on line for same day tickets (from cancellations? I'm not sure that's possible. When we were there last week we had tickets for the wrong day and we could not change them - we had to purchase new tickets for a different day (a major hassle)- and they were adamant that there was no option to wait for cancellations, so I would check to be sure it's an option for you.

We didn't get to Cordoba, but I think that would be a magnificent alternative (not really an alternative, but a destination itself).

Enjoy,
twilightny

Unfortunately, without confirmed tickets for the Alhambra I'd personally spend an extra day in Sevilla. There's plenty to see and do in Sevilla itself or you could also do sidetrips to Jerez or Carmona for a day.

thank you all for your help. I think I'll skip granada this time around and maybe do a day in carmona, jerez or cadiz. seems like I'm missing something great in the alhambra, but its not worth the travel to miss it.

also, I'm definately excited about the advice for cordoba and toledo I'll make sure I devote a lot of time in each place.

thanks,
-scott

I tried to reserve a ticket for the Alhambra in late August via phone, after hitting several brick walls at alhambratickets.com, and much to my initial dismay, the Alhambra was sold out on the day I chose to go there. According to what I was told on the phone and what I have read in guidebooks on- & offline, not all hope is lost. Approximately 2000 tickets are held for sale for "walk-ins" on that day at the box office. Yes, I'm aware that this will require my getting in queue at the box office at 7:00 am, and that I will most likely not get my preferred early-morning time slot. However, with 2000 tickets available, I don't know if I'd advise anyone to give up without at least trying. Granted, don't go in there at 11 AM and expect a short wait to get a ticket. So it's not a sure thing, but I'll risk it and let you all know how it panned out.

Also hope for rainy weather - it will discourage some walk ins. We were there on a dismal rainy day and the walk in line was pretty small.

We are planning on going in Early May 2005. How long in advance did you try and get tickets. I am thinking bout going on line now to try. HELP