Skip-the-Line Alhambra, Nasrid & Generalife Granada Tour
Description
Enjoy guaranteed and skip-the-line access to the popular Nasrid Palaces, Alhambra fortress, Carlos V Palace, Generalife, and its gardens. Go with an official guide and get swept up in the beauty and architecture of this UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Tour Departure Point: My Top Tour Tickets Office (Paseo de la Sabica nº32, junto al Hotel Guadalupe)
The Alhambra, located on the Sabica hill, is an Andalusian palatine city. Its name comes from the reddish colour of its walls, coming from the clay of the land itself (Al-Hamra in Arabic). It is formed by a group of palaces, gardens and fortress where there was a citadel within the city of Granada itself, its main function was to serve as accommodation for the monarch and the court of the Nasrid Kingdom of Granada. There are also Christian settlements, such as the palace of Charles V and the church of Santa Maria, built on top of the old mosque. It is one of the most visited monuments in Spain and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1984. Enjoy the visit with an official guide.
The Alcazaba is the oldest part of the Alhambra, from the Arabic: القصبة al-qaṣbah (citadel) was a fortified enclosure of urban character, whose function was to serve as royal residence to Mohamed I until the Palaces were finished, from there its function was purely military.
The Nasrid Palaces, are a palace complex of the Alhambra of Granada formed by two independent palaces, the Palace of Comares and the Palace of the Lions, and annexes, Mexuar, its construction dates from the first third of the fourteenth century. The Alcázar or "Qasr al-Sultán" was the palace area of the Alhambra, the nucleus of the Nasrid kingdom. In this area resided the sultans, in addition to receiving an audience, dispachar the affairs of government or manage the administration of the court.
Carlos V's palace is a Renaissance construction by the architect Pedro Machuca. The palace is unique in its style, forming a square with a circular courtyard inscribed inside. It is the most outstanding work of the Spanish Renaissance.
The Generalife is the villa with gardens used by the Muslim kings of Granada as a place of retreat and rest. It was conceived as a rural villa, where ornamental gardens, orchards and architecture were integrated in the vicinity of the Alhambra. The name we give to the Generalife complex literally means Yannat al-Arif: "The Architect's Garden", an allusion to the gardens and orchards that supplied fruit and vegetables to the Nasrid court. However, the palace to which we are heading, designed as a resting place for the monarch, was what the poet Ibn al-Jayyab called "the royal house of happiness".
El Partal integrates archaeological and architectural remains corresponding to palatine rooms. Its name in Arabic means portico, and refers to the remains of the residence of Sultan Muhammad III, the northernmost and oldest. In these gardens, you can see the remains of several palaces, as this area was inhabited by the Muslim nobility. The most important was the Palace of Yusuf III, with a floor plan similar to the Palace of Comares, sadly demolished in the 18th century. The Partal Gardens are an incredible place to stroll or stop during your visit to the Alhambra in Granada.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Passport name, number, expiry, date of born and country is required at time of booking for all participants.
- A current valid passport/ID card is required on the day of travel
- The tour requires a minimum group of 6 participants to take place. If exceptionally the minimum number is not reached, they will be given an audio guide and the difference will be refunded.
Reviews(758)
I wish to warn all travelers about this agency. Their website is structured to appear among the top results on search engines, misleading users and effectively posing as the official channel. I purchased tickets for the Alhambra only to discover afterward that the price they charged is four times higher than the actual cost from the official vendor (Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife). Once on site, speaking with the staff at the official ticket office, I confirmed that I am not at all the first to fall into this trap and that the situation is unfortunately well known to everyone locally. I find it scandalous that these platforms are allowed to profit in this way by speculating on tourists' misinformation. If you want to visit the Alhambra, make sure to purchase only and exclusively from the official website of the Patronato to avoid this enormous unjustified extra expense. Stay away from it.
Ciao, ci dispiace leggere che la tua esperienza non abbia soddisfatto le tue aspettative. Comprendiamo che il confronto con il prezzo del biglietto ufficiale possa generare insoddisfazione. Tuttavia, My Top Tour non è il sito ufficiale del Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife e non afferma di esserlo. Siamo un’agenzia di viaggi e il prezzo del nostro servizio non corrisponde solo al valore del biglietto d’ingresso, ma include anche la gestione della prenotazione, l’assistenza al cliente e i servizi associati all’esperienza selezionata. Il prezzo finale viene mostrato durante il processo di acquisto prima della conferma della prenotazione. Detto questo, prendiamo nota del tuo commento per continuare a migliorare la chiarezza delle informazioni mostrate ai viaggiatori. Non condividiamo però l’accusa di sito ingannevole o di volerci far passare per il canale ufficiale. Cordiali saluti, Il tuo team My Top Tour
Not for people with walking disability. The organization is poor. Backwards and forwards. People sending you one way and then another. Not very friendly or helpful staff either. Poor signage when we saw any. Sandra, our guide was excellent
Hi JH_M, thank you for sharing your experience. We’re sorry to hear that the organization before the visit did not feel clear or helpful, especially regarding mobility needs. We understand how important it is to receive accurate directions, good signage and proper assistance in a place like the Alhambra, and we will take your comments into account to keep improving this part of the experience. We’re glad to know that, despite these difficulties, Sandra provided an excellent guided visit. We’ll be happy to share your kind words with her. Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
This is a travel must-do. Having a guided tour elevates the experience exponentially. Ruth was our tour guide who we would in every way recommend; relaxed, knowledgeable, and organised, she made a great experience truly amazing.
Hi Jeremy, thank you so much for your wonderful review. We’re delighted to know that the guided tour made your visit even more special and that Ruth helped turn a great experience into something truly amazing. We’ll be very happy to share your kind words with her. Discover more experiences with us 👉🏼 www.mytoptour.org/en/ Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
We enjoyed the trip. The tour leader Carolina was very knowledgeable ,professional ,kind,passionate and very sympathetic.
Hi Anwari, thank you very much for your kind review. We’re so glad to know that you enjoyed the trip and that Carolina made the experience so memorable with her knowledge, professionalism and passion. We’ll be delighted to share your words with her. Discover more experiences with us 👉🏼 www.mytoptour.org/en/ Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
Very nice visit with the guide Carina, who speaks perfect French and clearly masters her subject. I recommend it.
Bonjour Denise, merci beaucoup pour votre recommandation. Nous sommes ravis de savoir que vous avez autant apprécié la visite avec Carina. Sa maîtrise du sujet et sa manière de partager l’histoire de l’Alhambra ont rendu l’expérience encore plus agréable. Nous lui transmettrons vos mots avec grand plaisir. Cordialement, L’équipe My Top Tour
Thank you to our Very knowledgeable guide.Natalie. We enjoyed our guided tour very much.” However would have been great to receive a message or email about the change of time of the start of tour. Wasted waiting time could been spend more useful.
Hi Jeannette, thank you very much for sharing your experience. We’re delighted to know that you enjoyed the guided tour with Natalie and that her explanations helped make the visit so worthwhile. We’re also sorry for the inconvenience caused by the change of starting time. You’re right that clear communication before the visit is important, and we’ll take your comment into account to improve how these updates are shared with our customers. Best regards, Your My Top Tour Team
We found it very enjoyable and interesting.
Hola Beatriz, muchas gracias por tu reseña. Nos alegra saber que disfrutasteis de la visita y que la información recibida os ayudó a vivir mejor la experiencia en la Alhambra. Saludos, Equipo de Alhambra Entradas
My husband and I had a great time with this tour. Our tour guide, Jana, was very friendly and knowledgeable. She had a lot of information to share with us and did a great job keeping us organized and on time, especially when we needed to arrive for our schedule time for the Nasrid Palace.
Hi Tasha, thank you so much for sharing your experience. We’re delighted to know that you and your husband enjoyed the tour with Jana. It’s great to read that her explanations, kindness and organization helped everything run smoothly, especially with the scheduled access to the Nasrid Palaces. We’ll be very happy to pass your kind words on to her. Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
Great experience! The tour guidance is a must. We couldn't have asked for a better guide than Ventura. We highly recommend it.
Hi Joel, thank you so much for your recommendation. We’re delighted to know that Ventura made your visit to the Alhambra so memorable and that the guided tour helped you enjoy the experience even more. We’ll be very happy to share your kind words with him. Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
Do not book if you expect a full Alhambra tour. While the website says the tour will include the Generalife or Nasrid Palaces, the staff assures you that both are included and you end up only being able to do the Generalife because spots fill up for the Nasrid Palaces. There was no language barrier creating any confusion as several people in my group are fluent Spanish speakers. If you want to do everything with top tour you need to buy their audio service plus the full Alhambra tour from the official site, a price that doubles up on a lot of features and far exceeds the price of the official full tour. There many reviews on here indicating that you can do both but that is untrue.
Hi Matthew, we’re sorry to read that the experience did not match what you expected. Access to the Nasrid Palaces is subject to very limited availability and often sells out well in advance. For this reason, the areas included in each option are shown during the booking process before the purchase is completed, depending on the selected product and the availability for the chosen date. We understand your disappointment if you expected access to both areas. However, when the Nasrid Palaces are no longer available, the visit can only include the areas confirmed in the reservation. We take your feedback seriously and will continue reviewing how this information is displayed so that visitors can understand the included areas as clearly as possible before booking. Best regards, Your My Top Tour team
