Staying in Granada for 1 night, 2 days in July, 07. In visiting Alhambra - is it wise to get a guide vs. the rental guide cassettes? should we book with a tour or go ourselves and find a guide? How far in advance should we purchase tickets?

Get a guide. I rented the cassettes and while there was good info, they were sometimes tough to understand and with some poetic style narration peppered in at times which was a bit annoying. The first time I did The Alhambra we had a guide and she was not only highly educated, but very pleasant. Worth every penny because while this is one of the most spectacular places you would ever visit, its uniqueness is not easily aparent. Enjoy! It's going to be HOT! 8-)

How do you reserve a guide? Can you request a guide when making reservations?

Please purchase the ticket months in advance. Here is some nformation from their website.


Advance purchase.
Tickets may be purchased up to one year in advance or as little as one day before the visit.
Tickets are available at any of the branches of the bank Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria in Spain, as well as at their Paris, London, Milan and New York offices.
Electronic sales are handled through BBVA Telephone Banking: 902 22 44 60 in Spain and (+34) 91 537 91 78 if calling from outside Spain.
Internet purchases can be made at: www.alhambratickets.com (by the BBVA). Important: The purchase is not finished until the reservation number is obtained

We waited and could have stood in line in the blazing heat for 4 hours (beginning at 6:00 AM) but chose not to as we were traveling with children. It wasn't that big of deal for us b/c we will be back but it is still a shame. If I were you and I already had the hotels set, I would book now.
Cheers,
Jan

Wevisited the Alhambra in July 2005 and bought our tickets on-line at this site:

https://w3.grupobbva.com/ALHAMBRA/alhambra/home.html

Even though we had made the advance ticket purchase we still had to wait in a separate line for almost an hour to pick those previously-reserved tickets up so please remain aware of that.

We did not use guides services but I am certain having one would probably make your visit even more interesting.

How far in advance do you need to get tickets for a visit in March? I have my airline tickets but was waiting till early January to finialize hotels, days in which cities, etc - so can't reserve the tickets till I do that. Is it dangerous to wait till January to get March tickets?

I visited the Alhambra in March about six years ago; just walked up in the afternoon and bought tickets and walked in; there wasn't even much of a crowd. Was that typical then or would it be similar now I have no idea. The Alhambra is enchanting and I would suggest being safe and booking tickets as soon as one's travel plans are firm.

Guides are not expensive and yes very worth while. They will take you through and point you at so much detail here. It isnt a ruin thus the amount of things there are to see is fanominal. A quick look here http://www.hotels-spain-accommodatio...nada/alhambra/ and the many links on the left hand side will give you an idea of what it is you are undertaking .. without a guide it will be all to easy to get lost and confused.

Hi all, am planning to head straight for the Alhambra from Malaga airport next June. Any suggestions as to mode of transport? I am most probably arriving at about 1-ish in the afternoon and as am on tight time budget, will try to make the most of my time

I thought the audioguide was fine, and I liked being able to repeat sections as necessary. We could go at our own pace this way (we spent over 4 hours in total at the site, including a brief coffee break.)

If you go to the ticket office in the evening before the day of your visit, after sales for the daily visits have closed for the day but while sales for the night visits are still on, you can pick up your pre-reserved tickets for the following day without waiting in line. This is very handy to do if you are staying in a hotel 'on the hill' by the Alhambra, as opposed to in the downtown area. (As I recall, one can supposedly also pick up pre-reserved tix from BBVA; it's worth a try if you don't want to make the trek up the hill the day beforehand.)

In late March on a weekday, it was still possible for people to land a spot in the afternoon without pre-reserving, although not necessarily the time of their choice. (I know this from talking to people in line with us at the gate prior to the 1400 opening). On the other hand, I've heard of people who got shut out entirely. So guessing when the latest day to pre-reserve/purchase isn't an exact science. We booked late November for late March (2006), but I'm a bit compulsive when it comes to planning.

Shayne, your plan is very likely unworkable. You would have to commute from Malaga airport to the downtown bus station, there to grab a bus for Granada, which takes around 2 hours. The bus drops you off downtown Granada; from there you would have to get to a shuttle bus stop and grab a shuttle to the Alhambra (and presumably you have bags with you that you would first have to drop off, there's no baggage drop at the Alhambra that I know of.) Factor in schedule coordination of the various buses, plane arrival times etc. and your afternoon is pretty well shot. So, stay the night in Granada and go the next morning.

Touring the Alhambra at night is one of Europe's most enchanting and beautiful experiences. In July, when the weather is hot, I would think it almost essential.

If not too late, I would try to book Hotel America or the Parador at the Alhambra -- both of which share the hill of the Alhambra -- to eliminate the need to walk up the hill.

Even if you plan a morning tour of the gardens in daylight, I urge to also take the night tour of the interiors, when the crowds are low and an air of mystery pervades.

Get a guide. Well worth it.

Woody

You could also take a taxi up to the Alhambra from anywhere you "land" in Granada.

Definitely second the suggestion to do the night tour first and then the day tour. The first view at night is really spectacular, and then you can revisit everything in daylight, and enjoy it just that much more.

The number of Alhambra visitors is constantly increasing. I strongly recommend you purchase your tickets online as soon as you are sure of the day of your visit. I do not think that Jan. should be late for March. Sometimes there is an "unsuspected" local holiday, and you may find a crowd. The sue_xx_yy idea of picking in the previous evening your (already purchased) tickets I find very convenient.