Alhambra visit
 

My husband and I are going to Spain for the first time in September. We will be in Barcelona for five nights, overnight in Granada and three nights in Sevilla. We plan to fly from Barcelona to Granada. The plane is scheduled to arrive in Granada at 7:50 a.m. I would prefer to visit the Alhambra that morning. I am trying to figure out the earliest time to visit while taking into account travel time from the airport, dropping bags off at the hotel and travel time to the Alhambra. Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thank you.

If you are asking what time you should make your entry time for the Nasrid Palace, I would advise you to be cautious. This part of the Alhambra is limited to a very strictly adhered to 1/2 hour slot. If you miss your slot, you will not be able to get into the palace.

Given that it's at least 30 minutes from the aiport to the Alhambra, I wouldn't schedule your entry before 10:00am or 10:30am. This is still early, and allows you plenty of time to see the palace (we were there last month, and my wife and I didn't spend more than 2 hours in the palace, and we did not feel like we were rushing at all).

And, you can view the Generalife Gardens at your liesure after you finish with the Palace.

Enjoy!

I would aim for the afternoon ticket, just in case there are any delays on your flight.

Even with an afternoon ticket, you are free to enter the grounds and visit the free sections (eg Charles V Palace) anytime before 2pm.

After 2pm, you can enter Generalife and Alcazaba. In terms of what time your entry to Nasrid Palace is, you won't find out until you are actually going through the purchase process.

How are you getting from the airport to your hotel? The airport is not too far from the city (10 miles), but if you are taking the Aiport bus, it is quite time-consuming. When I took it last year (I also flew from Barcelona to Granada), the bus trip was 40 minutes.

P.S. Just to clarify, if you buy a morning ticket, you HAVE to enter the Nasrid Palace during the specific assigned timeslot. As for the Generalife and Alcazaba, you can only enter both <u>before</u> 2pm.

With the afternoon ticket, you can stay at the complex until closing time.

Thank you both for your suggestions. I think that I will play it safe and book the afternoon tour, but see the grounds before the Nasrid Palace. Maybe we will take a taxi to the hotel then see the city prior to going up to the Alhambra. Thanks again!

Yes, take your time. There are many places in the Alhambra besides the Palaces, for example the Generalife buildings and gardens.