Capped at 6,600 visitors per day — and they sell out weeks in advance. Everything you need to know before booking the Nasrid Palaces, the Generalife and the night visits.
The official seller is the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, on tickets.alhambra-patronato.es. Tickets are named — bring the ID that matches the name — and the Nasrid Palaces can only be visited at the time slot printed on your ticket. Authorised resellers sell guided tours, which sometimes still have places when the official site is sold out.
The address must be tickets.alhambra-patronato.es. Sites with “alhambra” in a different address are resellers — which is fine, as long as you know what you are paying for. Whichever you choose, check the date, the Nasrid Palaces time and the name on the ticket before you pay.
The Alhambra is not a single monument — it is a fortified city. The Alcazaba is the older, austere military stronghold dating from the 9th century. The Nasrid Palaces, built between the 13th and 14th centuries under the last Muslim dynasty in Spain, are the artistic peak: muqarnas vaults, stucco arabesques, the Court of the Lions. Above them, the Generalife is the summer palace and its terraced water gardens. Together they make a UNESCO World Heritage site that draws nearly 3 million visitors a year.
Access to the Nasrid Palaces is strictly capped — about 300 visitors every 30 minutes. Your ticket assigns a specific entry slot, after which entry is refused. This is the single reason Alhambra tickets sell out: thousands of daily visitors compete for these narrow windows. Once inside the Palaces you can stay as long as you want, but you cannot re-enter.
Tickets are released on a rolling basis — about 3 months in advance. For Easter, May, October and most weekends, slots are gone within days. Same-day tickets are essentially fiction in peak season. Night visits (Nasrid or Generalife) sell out almost as fast and offer a radically different, far less crowded experience. Bring the exact ID document used at booking — entry is nominative and strictly checked.
General admission covers the Nasrid Palaces (at the time slot printed on your ticket), the Alcazaba and the Generalife gardens. The Gardens ticket leaves out the Nasrid Palaces. Reduced rates and free entry exist for some visitors, such as children and seniors — check the current conditions on the official site. Guided tours through authorised partners include a licensed guide, and are worth it on busy weeks when independent Nasrid slots are already gone.
Two separate nocturnal experiences exist. The Nasrid Palaces night visit (on selected evenings) shows only the Palaces, illuminated, with a stricter time slot. The Generalife night visit covers the gardens and water staircase, available in spring and summer. They are not interchangeable. Most photographers prefer the Nasrid night visit; families with children find the Generalife evening more relaxed.
The Alhambra opens 365 days a year except 25 December and 1 January. There is no formal dress code, but bare-chest, beach attire and large backpacks are refused. Tripods, drones and selfie sticks longer than 1 m are prohibited inside the Nasrid Palaces. Bringing the original passport or national ID matching the booking name is mandatory — a photocopy or photo on your phone is not accepted at the gate.
Granada is ~3 h by car from Seville, 1 h 30 from Málaga, 2 h from Marbella. The Avant high-speed train Seville–Granada takes 2 h 30. For day-trippers, book the first Nasrid Palaces slot of the morning (usually around 8:30) — the only realistic option that leaves enough buffer for the return journey before sunset. Organised day tours from Costa del Sol include transport and a guided Alhambra entry, simplifying the logistics but adding 1–2 hours of group pace.
Free admission to the Alhambra is available on selected dates each year — typically 16 February (Andalusia Day), 18 May (International Museum Day), 12 October (Spanish National Day) — though demand far outstrips the limited free slots, released online a few weeks ahead. Andalusian residents enjoy reduced fees year-round on presentation of regional ID. Students enrolled in EU universities can claim discounted Generalife tickets with valid student ID.
Discover all Granada attractions, the Albaicín, flamenco caves and Sierra Nevada day trips on our complete city guide.
Granada City Guide