History, architecture, beautiful gardens and craftsmanship beyond compare, the Alhambra has it all! Its also an immense fortress made up of many buildings including palaces, which made it high on my list of must see places. Located in Granada, Andalusia the Alhambra is one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We spent the better part of a day and evening exploring and still we weren’t able to see everything.
Though the original fortress was built in 889, it wasn’t until the mid-13th century that the current buildings and walls were renovated and built by moorish kings in the Mudéjar style. Although I did my best to try and capture it in pictures the intricacy and beauty of the carvings on the walls and ceilings inside the Nasrid Palaces must be seen to be believed.
Planning Your Visit
Due to extreme popularity and its delicate nature the number of visitors to the Alhambra is very limited. In fact they only allow 6,600 visitors in timed increments per day, so purchase your tickets as soon as you know you’re going. I can’t stress this enough especially if your visit will take place during the summer months.
Our visit took place in late September and there was only one day and time on the reservation calendar with availability. Lucky for us it was the one day we would be in town!
*YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO PURCHASE TICKETS THE DAY OF YOUR VISIT*
Okay, now that we’ve established that you’ll be planning ahead…
Tickets are purchased through the Ticketmaster website. There are many options to choose from for both day and night. We choose Alhambra General which includes all the highlights as well as the gardens and Alhambra at Night. The ticket buying process could be a bit smoother, but trust me its worth the hassle. For additional information on the ticket buying process check out this great post by WanderTooth!
Photo Frenzy!
A magical place, famous the world over, it’s no surprise that the Alhambra has been featured in literature, music, astronomy, and even video games! I definitely fell under its spell and hoping to capture some of what I was feeling I spent the day taking endless photos. I did my best to pick and choose but in the end it was tough to decide and I’ve probably included too many. I hope you enjoy them!
Now That’s What I Call A Picture Window
The Generalife Gardens
The Nasrid Palaces – Day & Night
Charles V Palace
Granada
Most of our time in Granada was spent visiting the Alhambra, but the little we did see we liked very much! Our reservation wasn’t until 2 pm which gave us time to walk around town and have a leisurely lunch. We enjoyed our lunch so much we went back to the same restaurant for dinner!
Kat
Wow, love your photos of the Alhambra and Granada. Makes me wanna pack my bags now and go to Spain 😉
Hilary
Thank you!
Thessauron
This place is really right out of a fairy tale. Thank you for sharing all those lovely pictures.
Hilary
It was truly magical! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
California Globetrotter
Absolutely beautiful! I’ve been dying to visit, so I’ve written down some notes about visiting! Thanks for the tips! #FarawayFiles
katy@untoldmorsels
Beautiful photos Hilary. The details on the buildings and gardens are extraordinary. Thanks for letting us know about the booking procedure. It would be a complete tragedy to make it to Granada and miss out on the Alhambra. Another lovely addition to #FarawayFiles. Thank you
Alex Muir
It’s surprisingly huge isn’t it! You’ve taken some great photo’s and I particularly like the collage of the clay tiles, the detail is amazing! I loved it here too. #farawayflies
Hilary
Thanks! It as hard to decide which ones to include… Yes, even with two visits we weren’t able to see it all. We also wished we’d had more time to spend in Granada, which we enjoyed quite a bit.
Elizabeth
I would love to visit Alhambra! It looks so absolutely breathtaking! Love your photos! #farawayfiles
Clare Thomson
Thank you SO much for taking me on this wonderful photo tour of the Alhambra. I almost feel as if I was there. Your photos are absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to see it for myself. Thanks so much for sharing it with us on #FarawayFiles
Hilary
Thank you for your kind words!!
youngandundecided
Your pictures are incredible! looks like sucha beautiful place! #farawayfiles
Hilary
Thank you!
BootsNotRoots
Whoa! I actually only recently heard about the Alahambra and WOW this is now a must-see. Amazing pictures and that dinner looks awesome. Thank you so much for sharing via #farawayfiles.
Hilary
Thank you!! It was a magical place! If I had to do it over again I’d spend more time in the city of Granada, which was lovely as well.
fifi + hop
The Alhambra is one of my favorite places in the world..it took my breath away when i first saw it, and like you, fell under its spell. Stunning photos. #farawayfiles
oregongirlaroundtheworld
My daughter noticed the smurfs in the gelato straight away.. but look at the beautiful mosaics! “I wonder what smurf ice cream tastes like?” Look at the gardens.. “Do you think it would be blue raspberry?” Look at the architecture! Yeah. The smurf ice cream would be what mine might remember most. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles – always been fascinated with Alhambra. Cheers from Copenhagen, Erin
Hilary
The best of all worlds! Beautiful architecture and Smurfs!! Cheers!!
Leona
This is so high on my bucket list plus I would love to explore Spanish food more
Hilary
Spanish food is up there as some of the best in the world! This was a dream destination for me and it did not disappoint!
Marta - Learningescapes
I remember visiting when I was a child, what an amazing place!! Great photos, you make me want to go back: it was so long ago digital photography didn’t exist…. definitely time to go back 🙂 #Citytripping
Hilary
Thank you! I loved our visit and definitely enjoyed snapping a lot of pics! My family would probably say too many… ha ha! I hope to get back someday.
Elizabeth (Wander Mum)
This is absolutely on my travel wish list. Great to read about your experience. Beautiful pictures. The gardens and mosaics have been captured wonderfully. Thanks for linking #citytripping
Hilary
Thank you! I loved our visit here. My only complaint, was wishing for more time… I would have stayed for one more day if I could, but it was booked up completely.
brandangelak
This is beautiful! I would love to visit someday. #citytripping
Hilary
It’s definitely worth it!
Nicola
I love your photos, it’s so spectacular there. Can’t wait to take my kids one day!
#citytripping
Hilary
Thank you, It was spectacular! I hope to find my way back there someday…
Alex - My LIfe Long Holiday
It’s a fascinating place isn’t it! I love Moorish design, it’s so intricate and beautiful. We really didn’t do the Alhambra justice the day we visited with 3 toddlers in tow – hopefully one day we will get to return. I loved all your photo’s btw – they gave a great overall feel for the place. #citytripping
Hilary
Thank you! We loved our visit, but even with a full day and evening there we still didn’t see it all. We also really enjoyed Granada. I hope to get back someday.
Ladies what travel
Wow, how impressive is this place! I’d love to explore this – an insta lovers dream! #citytripping
Hilary
So true! Too bad I wasn’t really on Insta too much when I was there…