Skip-the-Line Alhambra, Nasrid Palaces & Generalife Granada Tour

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.