This post is the continuation of a series documenting our travels through Andalusia in Southern Spain in the European Autumn of 2025. We were now in Granada after enjoying the beautiful towns of Cordoba ( Wandering through the streets, walls, churches & bridges of Old Town Cordoba – Alluring Andalusia, Part 3) and Ronda ( The Moorish Quarter/ Old town of Ronda – Alluring Andalusia, Part 4).
We had spent our first half day in Granada visiting the Grand Cathedral of Granada ( The Grand Cathedral of Granada ( After some more good times in Cordoba) – Alluring Andalusia, Part 6) and spending a beautiful evening up in the Albaicin neighbourhood.
We had booked tickets for the Alhambra for our second morning at 9 am and booked our entry slots to the Nasrid Palaces in the Alhambra at 11.30 as soon as I had booked our flights and hotels for this trip. Booking for the Alhambra is a must and it should be booked as soon as you know your dates in Granada ( In peak season it can get sold out months in advance!) ( Official website – https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/).
We skipped on our early morning walk because we knew the Alhambra complex was huge and we also had planned to walk up again to St Nicholas in Albaicin and see the sunset from there. That would be more than enough walking for the day and our mandatory early morning walk would have to wait for another day.
We woke up that day much later than our usual pre dawn wake up time and got ready and went to have breakfast in the breakfast room of our hotel Anacapri. The breakfast was excellent and we filled up anticipating a late lunch after we had visited the Alhambra.
Enjoying our breakfast at the Hotel Anacapri
We then walked to the bus stop close to our hotel where we took the bus C3 up to Alhambra saving us a long hike up ( Tickets can be bought from the driver). We got off at the Generalife stop as we wanted to see the gardens first before they got crowded.
Walking to the bus stop to take the bus uptown the Alhambra
We then proceeded to the entry where we showed our tickets and our passports ( Showing Passports is compulsory for foreign tourists and we have to provide the passport number while booking the tickets too!). Tickets and passports scanned we made our way to the Generalife.
The Alhambra complex is made up of 4 sites – The Palace of Charles V, The Alcazaba or the fort, The Generalife or the Summer palace and gardens and the famous Nasrid Palaces. The first 3 can be visited anytime on the day you have tickets for (one entry only per site). The Nasrid Palaces have a strict entry time which is enforced ( We saw a few people being turned away because they were late).
My plan was to see the Generalife gardens first, then visit the Alcazaba after which we would be in time for our entry slot to the Nasrid Palaces. Last we would see the Palace of Charles V and end our tour of the Alhambra. So we went to the entry of the Generalife where our tickets were scanned again and we started our visit of this must see site in Andalusia.
Autumn is never the best time to see an orchard and a garden but the Generalife was still very well maintained with manicured hedges and perfectly trimmed trees. We first came to the modern 1950s outdoor theatre which is still an important concert venue in Granada – the Cypress tree lined stage was something unique I haven’t seen anywhere else.
The Cypress tree lined stage at the outdoor theatre in the Generalife at the Alhambra
We then continued on the well marked one way path through the gardens which are outside the main fortifications of the Alhambra. These gardens are supposed to be the most accurately recreated Arabian Garden in Andalusia. Over 600 years this garden has existed in this location which is amazing longevity!
Walking through the beautiful Generalife Gardens
In addition to beautiful flowering and fruit bearing plants and patterned cobblestoned paths, the gardens also have a great view over the rest of the Alhambra complex. I would just let the photos do all the heavy lifting here.
Views from the Generalife over the rest of the Alhambra and Granada below
Walking through the Generalife Gardens at the Alhambra & enjoying the view
We then reached the tiny (as compared to the other palaces!) summer retreat of the sultans which had the same long pools and whitewashed and redbrick structure as in the rest of Andalusia. We climbed up to the upper level where the sultans might have sat and enjoyed this beautiful view all those centuries ago.
The entrance to the summer retreat in the Generalife Gardens
More views from the summer retreat palace of the Alhambra
Long pools and small round fountains are the Andalusian way
The better half enjoys the view over the courtyard of the Summer Palace
A mandatory selfie at the summer palace in the Alhambra
An elaborately carved arch at the Summer Palace
One last look at the serene courtyard of the Summer Palace
We took the option of going up the staircase called the Escalera del Agua – as its bannisters double as little water canals carrying water from above down to the lower parts of the garden. Another uniquely Arab thing – respecting water and using it wisely.
At the Escalera del Agua
We then came to the top most viewpoint in the Generalife after exiting the summer palace and took a few more photos before starting our walk towards the fortified complex itself via a beautiful tall conifer lined avenue.
The highest viewpoint in the Generalife
The tall conifer lined avenue leading from the Generalife to the rest of the Alhambra complex
Putting on the 300 mm to take photos of some flowers , berries and the posing blackbird
We then walked to the Alcazaba the fort that guards the palaces – the original Red Castle or Alhambra. This existing structure is from the 13th century but there always was a fort here since Roman times. This is also the most ruined part of the complex as it hasn’t been used for defence purposes for centuries. We entered the fort getting our tickets and passports scanned again. We then proceeded to walk through the cobblestoned paths of the fort climbing each of the towers that were accessible taking photos of Granada sprawling below.
The thick walls of the Alcazaba and Granada down below
Walking through the Alcazaba
The ruined fort part of the Alcazaba
The sheer size of the fortifications is amazing
Granada Cathedral in the middle of the photo from the Alcazaba
With the cathedral in the background
The Albaicin from the Alcazaba – The Tower of the St Nicholas Church in the centre of the photo
The better half poses with the towers and walls of the Alcazaba
From the farthest and tallest tower of the Alcazaba
Happy us at the top of the Tallest tower of the Alcazaba
View of Granada and the Sierra Nevada mountains on the left
At the top of the Alcazaba – Flags of the EU, Andalusia, Spain & Granada left to right
After we had climbed the tallest tower and taken our fill of the view we retraced our steps and exited the Alcazaba not wanting to be late for our designated entry time to the Nasrid Palaces.
The Alcazaba from outside
We still had some time before our entry to the Palaces so we went for a water and toilet break to the conveniently located facilities right in between the two. We passed our time in the shade and saw the pedestrian route we would take back down to Granada once our visit was done.
The resident feline inspector at the luggage storage at the Alhambra
The Pedestrian path down to the city from outside the Alcazaba
Finally it was our time to enter the Nasrid Palaces or the Palacios Nazaries. Again our entry time was checked and we were allowed inside. Although there is a fixed entry time to the Palaces once inside you can linger as long as you want. So whenever we wanted to take photos at a particular place we would wait out the crowds when possible or use the oldest trick in the book – point the camera upwards!
The Palacios Nazaries built in the 14th century and surprisingly not destroyed by the Christian conquerors is decorated from floor to ceiling. Decorated carved wooden ceilings above, stucco stalactites hanging from domes, ceramic coloured tiles and filigree windows. It wasn’t like anything we had seen before. We clicked away to glory. I will again let the photos do the heavy lifting rather than describing the exquisitely decorated rooms.
Wooden ceilings and painted ceramic tiles in the Nasrid Palaces
Carved wooden ceilings decorated with stars and arabic script
There is not a bare cm left in the Nasrid Palaces – everything is decorated
Delicate Filigree windows above the arches
Another amazing wooden ceiling
Once again the room is fully decorated from floor to ceiling
Perfect example of stucco stalactites from domes at the Palaces
Couldn’t resist a selfie with such wonderful architecture
A modern restored floor and left wall and Moorish art everywhere else
We then came to the Courtyard of Myrtles – The standard palace design of the Moors included this central courtyard with a tranquil pool and hedges all around. I wanted to take reflection photos but there were far too many people waiting for the same so we decided to go and see the Grand Hall of Ambassadors where the Sultan would meet his visitors dazzling them with the most grandest of wooden ceilings in this palace.
The Courtyard of Myrtles at the Palacios Nazaries
A quick selfie at the courtyard of Myrtles before going into the Great Hall of Ambassadors
The lobby of the Great hall of Ambassadors – already more decorated than most other palaces
Then you walk into this room – if you aren’t impressed then you are probably blind
The most exquisitely decorated ceiling of the Nasrid Palaces – The Great Hall of Ambassadors
When you don’t point the camera up at the Palacios Nazaries
Decorative tiles at the Great Hall
The Stucco Stalactites at the dome of the entrance of the Great Hall
Yet another selfie with beautiful architecture
We then saw that the crowd at the Courtyard had lessened and took our chance to take those photos with reflections of the palace tower in the pool of the courtyard. It’s the photo you see when you search for the Palacios Nazaries online – I had to take one myself!
Photos with a reflection of the palace in the courtyard pool
A selfie with the palace reflection
We then moved to the next courtyard. This one had the famous fountain with a ring of 12 marble lions ( another photo you see if you search Palacios Nazaries or Alhambra). The arched gallery around the courtyard has 124 slender columns capped by finely decorated arches.
The courtyard of lions surrounded by thin pillars and delicately carved arches above
The best of Moorish Architecture at the Palacios Nazaries in the Alhambra
Once again there were a lot of people taking photos with the 14th century fountain so we went into the Hall of the Abencerrajes – the Sultan’s living room. This room has different sort of amazing ceiling – an exquisitely carved 8 sided muslim star. It doesn’t seem impressive when you read about it, just see the photos!
The amazing 8 sided star ceiling of the Hall of Abencerrajes
We then walked out back into the courtyard and found the lions a bit less surrounded by people so we took our chance for a photo op with the 14th century fountain.
The 14th century lion fountain
The beautiful Courtyard of the Lions at the Palacios Nazaries
Beautiful skies overhead at the Courtyard of the Lions
Yet another example of superb Moorish Architecture
We then moved across the courtyard to a room with yet another stuccoed masterpiece of a ceiling. The Hall of Two Sisters had windows just below the beautiful ceiling which made it one of the more brightly lit rooms. It also has one of the few surviving Moorish stained glass in the ceiling! I don’t remember the last time I strained my neck so much taking photos of all the beautiful ceilings at the Alhambra.
At a seat inside the Hall of the Two sisters
Stuccoed perfection at the Hall of the Two Sisters
If you aren’t impressed with the Nasrid Palaces by now – I have nothing to say!
Ceiling to arches to wall to arched doorway – everything is covered in decorations
Rare Moorish Stained glass in the ceiling of the Hall
Imagine the workmanship needed to make something like this without any modern machinery!
Another selfie with Moorish Art
Couldn’t get enough photos of this ceiling – the last turned out to be my favourite
A selfie with the ceiling of the Hall of the Two Sisters
That finished our visit of the Palacios Nazaries and walked out through the Patio de Lindaraja with its fountains and manicured hedges.
The Patio de Lindaraja after the Nasrid Palaces
We then walked to the Partal Gardens which are built on the ruins of the Partal Palace. Only a part has been restored and we first took photos of the restored palace reflected in the pool before visiting this restored part.
The reflection of the Partal Palace remnant in the pool in the Gardens
The view from the window of the newly restored oratory of the Partal Palace
The better half poses with the Partal Palace
That ended our tour of the Palacios Nazaries and we passed through the one way turnstiles out and turned back to see the only part of the Alhambra we hadn’t seen yet – The Palace of Charles V. Charles V was a unique Monarch who didn’t destroy the conquered foes palaces. He was so impressed with the Moorish Palace he decided to keep them. To make his mark he decided to build a Renaissance Palace for official functions while using the existing Nasrid Palaces as his residence.
The Outside of the Palace looks like a square but when you come inside it’s a circle! This is Spain’s most impressive renaissance building. It is theorised that the building was intended to have a dome but it was never finished as his son Philip II abandoned it to build the El Escorial Palace outside Madrid. The structure looks impressive and the symmetry makes it a joy to photograph. It also houses 2 museums which we had no interest in seeing. We had our fill of art where it was meant to be in the Palaces.
The Palace of Charles V
At the most impressive Renaissance building – The Palace of Charles V
The better half poses with the two tiered rings of the Palace of Charles V
The pleasing symmetry of the Palace of Charles V
Happy us at having spent a great morning at the Alhambra
We walked around the top balcony and took a few photos before walking out and finishing our self guided tour of the Alhambra. It was well past lunch time and we had walked around quite a lot. The heavy breakfast was long digested and tummies were growling. I had seen that there was a 5 star Parador hotel at the Alhambra near the gardens and it had a surprisingly reasonably priced restaurant. So we went there and got a great outdoor table after a short wait.
We ordered a beer for myself and a lemon iced tea for the better half to refresh ourselves & ordered burgers, salad and fries. Vegan Burger for the better half and a classic cheeseburger for myself. The burgers were huge and tasty. The fries were chunky and crisp and the salad was fresh and refreshing. It turned out to be a great place for a nice lunch in a quiet setting after a great morning of sightseeing.
Our drinks at the restaurant of the Parador Hotel at the Alhambra
A Vegan Burger with Salad and Fries for the better half
With our food and drinks after a great morning at the Alhambra
After a leisurely lunch we started our walk down to Granada through the pedestrian path we had seen earlier. It was a dirt track at first which then became a steep cobblestoned slope called the Slope of the red Chico down to Granada. After seeing the steep slope we were glad we had chosen to take the bus up!
On the pedestrian path down to Granada
A part of the path is through a wooded patch
The better half does her patented jump with the walls of the Alcazaba behind
The steep Slope of the Rey Chico down to Granada from the Alhambra
Soon we were almost down in Granada and the Alhambra was high above. We stopped to take photos with the Palaces in the background before the ramp ended at a viewpoint called the Mirador del Rey Chico.
Posing with the Nasrid Palaces of the Alhambra high above at the Mirador del Rey Chico
The last of the pedestrian path down to city level from the Alhambra – The Slope of the Rey Chico
One last photo of the Alhambra – For now!
We then reached a street at the base of the Sacromonte neighbourhood and started our walk back to the hotel. The street then opened out parallel to the little Darro river and we had a nice walk by the river – funnily this street is called the Paseo de los Tristes or Walk of the sad ones as this was the route taken by funeral processions in the olden days to the cemetery at the edge of the town. We certainly weren’t sad that day, we happily walked down to a bridge across the tiny stream of a river for some photos before we resumed our walk back to Plaza Nueva.
A pretty lane parallel to the Darro river
The Paseo de Los Tristes goes parallel to the river making it a perfect place for a stroll
Happily posing on a bridge just off the “Walk of the Sad Ones”
Just before we reached Plaza Nueva we smelled a very pleasing aroma – freshly baked cookies! Our noses took us to the La Galletera Carrera del Darro. There was a sizeable crowd there, drawn by the aroma I’m sure. We bought two cookies for ourselves as we hadn’t eaten dessert and enjoyed the cookies with a view of the regional Palace of Justice on Plaza Nueva.
Enjoying our cookies at the Plaza Nueva
The Palace of Justice with it’s grand facade at the Plaza Nueva
This was the end of a great morning spent at one of the must see sites in Spain and Europe. The Alhambra had met our expectations with its grandeur and perfect hilltop setting. We were happy we had gotten a perfect sunny autumn morning to enjoy the grand complex without having to worry about the weather.
We would return to our hotel for a late afternoon Siesta. We had plans to go up to the St Nicholas Church in Albaicin and see the sunset from there. If the weather would hold and grant us our perfect day in Granada is topic for another post some other time, some other day.
Till then,
Adios.
PS – I know this post has too many photos and is way too long, pardon my indulgences for the same!
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