Alhambra Tickets

Buy the Alhambra General ticket from the official shop, tickets.alhambra-patronato.es, as soon as your Granada dates are firm. It costs €22.27 (about $25) online, or €21 (about $24) if you can still find one at the ticket office, and covers the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba fortress, the Palace of Charles V and the Generalife gardens for one day. When you buy, you pick a fixed entry time for the Nasrid Palaces and enter each visitor's name and passport number. Booking takes about ten minutes; the hard part is that spring, summer and fall dates sell out weeks ahead.

Which ticket to buy

The Alhambra is run by the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, the regional body that manages the monument and sells its tickets. It offers about ten ticket types. For a first visit, buy Alhambra General. The others suit second visits, sellouts or particular interests.

The online price includes an advance-sale commission of about 6 percent. The base prices (€21 for Alhambra General, €12 for the gardens ticket or the palace night visit, €8 for the Generalife night visit and the Albaicín monuments) come from a regional order in force since August 1, 2025. Combined tickets can change more often, so confirm the total in the shop before you pay, and check for any change in 2027.

Who pays, who pays less, who gets in free

• Children under 12: free, but each child needs a ticket in the booking (with a QR code), and must be with an adult.
• Children 12 to 15 with their parents: reduced rate (€14.85 for Alhambra General online).
• Reduced rates also apply to EU youth card holders, EU citizens over 65, large families and visitors with a recognized disability. Reduced tickets must be collected at the ticket office with proof.
• US seniors: the over-65 discount is limited to EU citizens, so American seniors pay the full price.

How to book, step by step

1. Go to tickets.alhambra-patronato.es. Check the address bar: the domain must end in alhambra-patronato.es.
2. Choose Alhambra General (or another type) and your date on the calendar.
3. Pick your Nasrid Palaces time. You can enter the rest of the complex any time from 8:30 a.m., but the palaces only at that slot.
4. Enter the number of adults and children. Children under 12 are added at €0.
5. Type each visitor's full name and passport number exactly as in the passport. Tickets are personal, and the name cannot be changed later.
6. Pay by credit card. US Visa and Mastercard cards work; if your bank blocks the charge, approve it in your banking app and try again.
7. Save the confirmation email and the QR codes on your phone, and print a copy as backup.

How far ahead to book

Tickets go on sale well in advance, and the shop shows availability months ahead. Sales close shortly before your slot: any ticket that includes the Nasrid Palaces must be bought or collected at least one hour before your palace time.

• April to June and September to October: book four to eight weeks ahead, longer for Holy Week, long weekends and morning palace slots.
• July and August: busy despite the heat; book three to six weeks ahead.
• November to February: the easiest months. A week or two ahead is usually enough, except around Christmas, New Year and the Spanish long weekend in early December.

Night visits and the gardens-only ticket sell out more slowly than Alhambra General. The first palace slots of the morning and the last of the afternoon are the calmest and go first.

Opening hours and night visits

Daytime ticket offices open at 8 a.m. The complex is closed on December 25 and January 1 and opens every other day of the year.

The night visit to the Nasrid Palaces is short and quieter, with the courts lit softly and the fountains audible. It is a lovely second visit and a good fallback if day tickets are gone, but it shows only the palaces: no Generalife, no Alcazaba, no views by daylight.

At the gate: ID, security and the palace slot

Bring your passport. Staff check the name on each ticket against photo ID, and the Patronato calls the ID mandatory. A photo of your passport on your phone may not be accepted.

The main entrance is the Pabellón de Acceso (entrance pavilion) near the Generalife, where the minibuses and taxis stop. If you walk up the Cuesta de Gomérez from Plaza Nueva with your ticket already on your phone, you can usually go in through the Gate of Justice (Puerta de la Justicia), closer to the palaces. Bags larger than 40 × 40 cm (about 16 × 16 inches) are not allowed, so leave the big backpack at the hotel.

From the entrance pavilion to the Nasrid Palaces is about a 20-minute walk. Arrive at the complex at least 30 minutes before your palace time; an hour gives you time to see the Alcazaba first. Staff refuse entry to latecomers, and the ticket is lost.

Resellers, guided tours and markups

Many websites sell Alhambra access at a markup: "skip the line" tickets, combined tours or simply the same ticket for more money. Some lookalike sites use "Alhambra" and "Granada" in their domain names and copy the official design. A few are information sites, a few are licensed resellers, and some sell tickets that do not include the Nasrid Palaces.

• A full Alhambra visit offered for less than €21 probably excludes the palaces.
• A plain ticket offered for €35 or more is a resale or a tour.
• Avoid anyone selling tickets outside the gate or on the Cuesta de Gomérez. Tickets carry the original buyer's name and will not work for you.

Licensed guided tours are a legitimate way in when tickets are gone, because tour companies hold group allocations. Standard group tours from licensed operators cost around €40 to €45 (about $45 to $50) per adult, more for private guides. Groups are capped at 30 people. A guide adds a lot here: the inscriptions, the history of the Nasrid court and the 19th-century restorations make more sense with someone explaining them.

Is the Granada Card worth it?

The Granada Card (Bono Turístico) bundles Alhambra entry with other city monuments, such as the Royal Chapel and the Cathedral, plus city bus rides. It is sold through the official Alhambra ticketing channels, and you still book a Nasrid Palaces time. It pays off if you plan to see most of the included sights in two or three days, and it is worth checking when individual tickets look scarce. Check the current price and inclusions on the official shop before you buy.

If your date is sold out

1. Check other times and the day before or after. Availability can shift from day to day.
2. Try the Dobla de Oro and the Alhambra and Rodríguez-Acosta tickets, which include the full Alhambra visit.
3. Look at the Granada Card.
4. Book a licensed guided tour.
5. Combine a night visit to the palaces with the Gardens, Generalife and Alcazaba ticket by day, or buy Alhambra Experiences, which does both.
6. Check the official shop early each morning in Granada. Some tickets may be sold at the ticket office on the day, but lines are long and nothing is guaranteed.

For the rest of the city, from the Albaicín to the free tapas, see our Granada guide. For seasons and crowds across Spain, see when to go; for the other big timed ticket, see Sagrada Família tickets.

Alhambra ticket questions

How long does the Alhambra visit take?

Three to four hours for the full visit, including about an hour in the Nasrid Palaces. You walk 2 to 3 miles (3 to 5 km) on gravel paths and stairs, with little shade in summer.

Can I buy Alhambra tickets at the door?

Sometimes, at €21, but do not count on it from March to November. Check availability online first; if the shop shows nothing, the office will rarely have more.

Can I change the name or date on my ticket?

No. Tickets cannot be exchanged, refunded or renamed. You can buy for other people by entering their names and passport numbers, but get them right.

Do I need to print my ticket?

No. A QR code on your phone works. Print a copy anyway in case your battery dies on the hill.

What if I am late for the Nasrid Palaces?

Expect to be turned away from the palaces, with no refund. You can still see the rest of the complex on the same ticket.

Is the night visit as good as the day?

It is different. You see only the Nasrid Palaces, in about 90 minutes, with soft lighting and smaller crowds. Do the day visit first if you can only do one.

Is the Palace of Charles V free?

The palace's round courtyard and the two museums inside it (the Alhambra Museum and the Fine Arts Museum) have long been open to visitors without the Alhambra General ticket, which makes them a fallback if you only want a look at the hill. Check at the entrance, since access rules can change.