The one thing that probably every tourist who comes to the city sees, is Alhambra. An historical complex built in 1238 by the Nasrids, preserved and added onto through the centuries. Even though I had recently visited Alcazar in Seville, I knew I still wanted to see this. The extraordinary beauty of Alhambra Granada is unmatched.
Tickets & Entrance
Normally I would always try and purchase tickets from the source, but because of a credit card problem with verification, I sometimes have to resort to using Klook. This was the case with Alhambra for me. I ended up paying €27 or $40 CAD. To purchase tickets directly, will currently cost €19.09. Things to know are, you will have to select a time to enter the palaces. This is not changeable and if you miss your time slot you do not get in, period.
Visitors will need to provide their passport number for each ticket purchased and you will be asked to present your actual passport upon entry. No exceptions. If you turn up without your passport in hand, you will be turned away.
My ticket was for the 8:30am time slot and the palaces open at 8:30 in the winter. I entered the complex through the Justice Gate which is the closest entry point for the Nasrid Palaces. I arrived 15 minutes prior and found a line already forming near the entrance of the palace.
Nasrid Palaces
Your general entry ticket gains you entrance into two places, the rest of the complex is actually free. Visitors are required to show their tickets only twice, at Nasrid Palace at the time on your ticket, and the fortress (Alcazaba) at any time that is convenient for you.
Nasrid palaces is extraordinary. There are three in total and they are all alike in appearance, to the untrained eye as mine is. Recently viewing Alcazar in Seville, I found these very similar.
The Moorish architecture is stunning. Each building has a central courtyard that almost always includes a water feature. The most special one here is the 12 lions, which is actually a clock. The large alabaster bowl at the centre has 12 concentric holes placed precisely. As the bowl fills with water from a central pump, one hole is covered each hour. When each hole is covered, water will pour from the corresponding lions mouth, thus telling the time by hour. Extraordinary!
The individual rooms themselves are styled similarly. Colourful tiles decorate the lower portions of the walls, and the upper areas are absolutely covered in intricate hand carved stucco.
Up into the domed wooden ceilings, are a very unique decorative detail called murquarnas. These stalactite type carvings hang down and create a marvellous play of shadow and light.
Gardens
When you exit those two palaces you walk into a garden area which was the summer palace. Wander over to the walled courtyard with the large pond. At the farthest side, look through those arched windows and have the most glorious view of the city and mountains beyond.
Being winter, most of the plants in the gardens are in a dormant state, but with the fall colours on the trees, and the suns rays, the surroundings are magical. Walk around and admire any flowers you see, and the various ponds and water features sprinkled throughout this area.
Food
By this point in my visit, I was freezing! I don’t have any winter clothing and it was only 7 degrees Celsius when I left my hotel in the dark for the walk up the hillside. I have been here over an hour now, and its all outdoors. My fingers numb, I find a staff member and inquire if there is any coffee for sale in the complex.
There are indeed two options. One is the vending machines in the building with the toilets, not the best. Another is a kiosk in a wide-open area, close to where you have lined up to enter the palaces. Here find friendly gents who will make you a delicious coffee and a toasted croissant smothered with butter.
Take it over to the wall, in a sun drenched spot, and enjoy your warm breakfast al fresco in Alhambra! What a treat, I was in my own little personal spot of heaven. I held onto that glass until every ounce of warmth was transferred to my hands.
Palace of Charles V
A massive and domineering building from the outside, the Palace of Charles V is a slightly more recent structure. After the Christians took over from the Moors, Charles V made Alhambra his summer home. Wanting a more luxurious residence, he had this palace built in 1527.
A surprise awaits visitors, for walking inside what is thought to be a square building, one is instantly surrounded by a huge patio and a ring of towering columns. The courtyard is vast and visitors can climb a set of stairs for a better view.
Inside this building, is the Alhambra Museum, completely free to enter. A separate exhibition of Nasrid ceramics takes up another portion and both are absolutely worth seeing.
In fact, the quality of these museums is exemplary. It’s been a long time since I have been in a museum where the lighting has been so expertly curated. One is able to capture images of treasures behind the glass without any glare or reflection.
Contained here are the worlds best collection of Nasrid art. From architecture to pottery and coins, everything is exquisite.
Alcazaba, the Fortress
The oldest part of the complex is that of the military fortress. This is the second area that your ticket will be checked and your passport scanned. Enter a small unassuming doorway and begin to explore. Inside are three towers, one bigger and taller than the next. The views from each are absolutely stunning and worth every penny of that entrance ticket.
In the centre of the towers is a maze of rooms with staircases, wells and holes dropping down into the abyss. These areas are inaccessible, but after I bit of reading, I learned that some of these holes were used to keep prisoners.
Convent & Medina
My other favourite part and free place to explore is the convent turned hotel, known as Parador de Granada. Victors to Alhambra are free to wander around the gardens and view this beautiful building. There is also a restaurant on site that is open to the public should you wish to have a meal.
I cannot tell you how beautiful the gardens are here. The hotel creates a space of beauty and calm that is unrivalled, even in these colder winter months.
Walk down the enchanting stone streets beside the convent, in the Medina, and see craft shops making and selling wares, artistry that has been practised here for centuries.
This post is getting far too long now, so I will have to end it here. Alhambra is a world class site to see the exquisite Islamic architecture of historical Spain. From the deep red fortified walls of the fort to the intricate details of the palaces. There is so much to see here and absorb. Calling it a treasure is a understatement.
