KarenWoo

Hello,
I have read the many posts about the Alhambra. We have our reservations for 9/26 for the daytime (9:30AM entry) to the Nasrid Palace, and for the evening visit on the 26th. I plan on picking up our tickets the day before; we will probably take a taxi to the Gate of Justice; and I know the Nasrid Palace is a short walk from the Gate of Justice.

The only thing I am unsure about is what to do for lunch. Can we leave the complex, if we choose to do so, and return after lunch? I believe there are restaurants at the Hotel Gaudalupe and the Parador. Are they inside or outside the Alhambra complex? I just don't want to be in a situation where we leave the complex and can't get back in.

I also know some people bring drinks and snacks for lunch instead of eating at a restaurant, and we may very well decide to do that because it might be quicker. Are there "picnic" areas where we can sit down at a table & eat our "bring your own" lunch?

And one more thing: If I remember correctly, the place to purchase audio guides is right by the Nasrid Palace, right?

Thank you so much!

Nelson

Two years ago we had exactly what you have: morning tickets with 9:30 palace entry. Around noon or so we left the complex to have a bite to eat at the snack bar near the main entrance. There is a seating area there. The Hotel Guadalupe, where we stayed, is also a good choice but will take longer.

Then we re-entered the complex and stayed all afternoon in the gardens.

BUT: you must re-enter before the 2:00 PM cutoff time for the morning tickets! If you are late then you are out for the day.

At least that was the story back then.

IMDonehere

Isn't the ticket for the Generalife, different than the one for the Alhambra proper?

KarenWoo

Nelson, thank you for your helpful reply about lunch options.
The only difference is that now there is no separate morning ticket and no separate afternoon ticket. I think that was abolished this past spring. So you do not have to choose between morning and afternoon. You only choose your timed ticket entry to the Nasrid Palace.

We reserved the General ticket, so our ticket covers admission to the Nasrid Palace, the Alcazaba, and the Generalife Gardens. There is no timed entry to the Alcazaba and the Generalife. The only timed entry is for the Nasrid Place.

Nelson

It's confusing for sure. The official ticketmaster site says:

The general daytime visit allows access to allthe [sic] visitable spaces of the Monument: Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, Generalife, Palace of Charles V and the Mosque Baths. <b>This type of visit also includes the Visit to the Gardens.</b>

(They have boldfaced the last sentence on the site.)

So it still seems that you can leave, get back into the gardens before 2:00, and then you can stay there. But you must be in the gardens before 2:00, not just on the grounds.

Nelson

Karen, we posted at the same time. But to me it still looks like there are separate tickets, if this link works.

http://apc.ticketmaster.es/nav/en/mu...nk&canalMB=ALH

But I also know there seems to be a dozen ways to buy tickets. In any case, enjoy your visit!

KarenWoo

Nelson, thanks for the clarification about being in the gardens before 2PM. That is what I was unsure about. I don't want to miss something because we left the Alhambra complex, and then didn't return in time.

Right now I think bringing some drinks and snacks might be the less stressful and easier option.

heart2travel

We were there several years ago so not sure my advice is valid. However we had a spectacular lunch at the Parador then re-entered to finish our visit to the Alhambra. It was my first look at one of Spain's spectacular Paradors now I'm hooked! Going back to stay at others this fall. My 2 cents.....

Robert2016

The restaurant at the Parador (on the Alhambra grounds) doesn't open until 1:00 pm and most locals will not be going to lunch before 2:00. The terrace will be open for snacks, but not dining.

Restaurante Jardines Alberto opens for lunch daily at noon.

Reservations are recommended at either.

IMDonehere

BTW, the restaurant at the Parador has spectacular views of the Generalife.

quiltingmamma

With no disrespect to Nelson, the information on the Ticketmaster voucher and site seems to be just one more website that hasn't been updated. There seems to be no reason to have to be anywhere by 2pm any longer. Previously, you bought a morning ticket that was good for entry into the main sites; including Generalife until 2pm. If you were not in the ticketed areas by then you forfeited entry. If there is not longer a morning or afternoon ticket, logically, what is the relevance of a 2 pm deadline?
I realize the only people who can answer this with certainty are those who reentered after 2pm, or Alhambra staff. If you pick up your ticket at Corral de Carbon the day before, I believe that is Alhambra staff so should be able to answer you. Otherwise, check with staff once there.
Here are the tips about visiting the Alhambra - from the official website. It says entry is until 1 hour before closing.
http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/ind...2336a14fd5082a

KarenWoo

quiltingmama, thanks for the link. I have read so much on the Alhambra and purchasing tickets, but I don't think I have seen the website you posted. This one is updated, but the ticketmaster website has not been updated, which was confusing. I know that since this past spring the Alhambra eliminated the morning ticket and the afternoon ticket so some of the information I was reading didn't make sense.

I do plan on picking up our tickets at Corral de Carbon the day before, and I do plan on entering through the Gate of Justice. I will ask my travel companions (my husband and 2 close friends) what they prefer to do for lunch. Thanks for this link!

Robert2016, where is the Restaurante Jardines Alberto? I also like the idea of having snacks at the Parador terrace. Sounds like it will be quicker than having a formal sit-down lunch. And snacks should tide us over until dinner.

KarenWoo

Oh, one more piece of information that might be helpful to future travelers. When I ordered my Alhambra tickets (by calling Spain), I was told we have to be at the Alhambra one hour before our timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces.

Nelson

Thanks for the clarification quiltingmamma. Yes, looks like the 2:00 PM issue is a thing of the past.

annhig

When we went [albeit a few years ago] there was a snack bar within the grounds and a cafe as well as the cafe by the entrance/ticket office where we had a coffee with all the guides [well, we weren't with them, but we were in the same space!] before we went it. For lunch we grabbed something from the snack bar and ate it sitting on one of the low walls, and then had a long lunch afterwards when we didn't have to worry about getting back inside.

As the Parador is inside the grounds, there should be no trouble having a long lunch there and then finishing your visit, if that's what you want to do .

what I think is the official website [very difficult to tell] says very little about food and drink apart from the location of vending machines:

https://www.alhambra.org/en/alhambra-services.html

Have a wonderful time - we just loved our visit to the Alhambra and to Granada.

Elizabeth_S

The Parador bar has a pretty extensive menu for lunch and it's open before noon. Where are you staying? You may not have to take a cab if you're near the jitney bus stop near the cathedral. Runs about every 10 minutes and costs 1.20E When we were there last year.

quiltingmamma

annig, for future reference, that is not the official website. Read my previous post for that link. Certainly not an obvious google return, but is the official one.
Karen,one caution about taxis to Alhambra, I have often read that despite the request for Justice gate, they end up at the main gate adding 15 minutes walking time. I think part of that reason is the traffic design, but keep an eye for justice gate and be prepared to call out. Or write it on a paper so it is clear what you expect.

annhig

Thanks, quilitngmamma - they go to ever great lengths to hijack us, don't they?

The one I found actually copies some of the wording in the official one - I noted that the wording about the vending machines was exactly the same; presumably the reason that there was nothing about the restaurants in the false one is that there is nothing in the official one.

quiltingmamma

Well, at least they are copying 'correct' information ��

Mimar

Spaniards eat lunch around 2 or 3 o'clock. 3:30 is not too late. Maybe by the time you get to Granada you will have adopted Spanish eating times and will be able eat lunch after your visit to Nasrid Palace and Generalife.

The Hotel America, in the Alhambra complex, also has a restaurant in its courtyard.