We booked tickets in advance to visit, as the Alhambra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Spain's most visited historic monument and fourth most visited tourist attraction. Thankfully there is lots of parking, including for mohos, so we were able to drive from our campsite to it. But first, we wanted to visit the city of Granada, and luckily there is a regular shuttle bus that runs from outside the ticket office at the Alhambra to the centre of the city.
We didn't set off very early as our tickets to visit the Nasrid Palaces were for the last slot of the day, which was at 7pm! This is the one part of the Alhambra complex where you need to book an actual time, the rest you are free to visit at any time during your one day ticket.
I don't know what all the buildings are that I took photos of, as we just wandered around wherever, then had lunch. Granada is lovely, and I'm sure there is tons to see and we only saw a very small amount.
I think this is the cathedral, as the bus dropped us nearby, at Plaza Isabel la Catolica (statue of Isabel above). It was not built until the C16th, after the Nasrid rulers had left.
We found ourselves down a mass of tiny alleyways full of tourist shops - a nice shady place for a hot day - for us it was a warm day but thankfully not too hot!
An example of Moorish architecture in the city but I don't know what it is.
We came around to the cathedral again and went in to have a look.
After lunch we headed back to the Alhambra. You can see part of the complex behind me. We first visited an area known as the Generalife, which was a summer palace and country estate for the Nasrid rulers, and constructed most probably at the end of the 13th century, or the beginning of the 14th century.
There were lots of lovely gardens here, and wandering around, although it had warmed up quite a lot, there are trees and shade so was never too hot. Water and fountains always help in making you feel cooler anyway.
Inside one of the buildings.
Views of the buildings and views from the buildings.
We then went back to the main complex though I don't know what this building is.
The oldest building at the Alhambra is the alcazaba, or fortress. It was built by Mohammed I Ibn al-Ahmar, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty, after 1238, and stands on the site of another fortress built by another kingdom in the C11th.
There isn't a huge amount to see here although you can climb up some of the towers but I wanted to conserve my leg strength for the rest of the day and neither of the guys were interested either! There are some excavations within the site as there was a small residential district, storerooms, a bathhouse and more but you can't access it all, and it was not labelled up as far as I recall.
Below are more views of the alcazaba and a view of the snow capped Sierra Nevada. It's always best to click on the collages to view larger and you will see the nice cracks in the wall below!
The building bottom right however, is the patio at the centre of the Palace of Charles V.
Yes, there are some more palaces here built after the end of the Nasrid dynasty and dedicated to the Spanish catholic rulers. This palace began construction in 1527 but due to various reasons it was still only partially finished a hundred years later and was abandoned in 1637, still without a roof. The building deteriorated over the centuries and was only completed after 1923 when restoration began, with its roof finally going on in 1967!
It houses the museum which was interesting with some fabulous pieces such as this folding leather and wood chair from c. 1380 and used as the throne from the time of Mohammed V.
Examples of tile work and a carved wooden wall/partition with a door above.
Some exquisite inlay work.
After this it was time for our visit to the Nasrid Palaces which I will continue in another post as I have many more photos!
Lovely post! Interesting place.
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