On a rocky hill that is difficult to access, on the banks of the River Darro, protected by mountains and surrounded by woods, among the oldest quarters in the city, the Alhambra rises up like an imposing castle with reddish tones in its ramparts that prevent the outside world from seeing the delicate beauty they enclose. Originally designed as a military area, the Alhambra became the residence of royalty and of the court of Granada in the middle of the thirteenth century, after the establishment of the Nasrid kingdom and the construction of the first palace, by the founder king Mohammed ibn Yusuf ben Nasr, better known as Alhamar. The fortress became a citadel with high ramparts and defensive towers, which house two main areas: the military area, or Alcazaba, the barracks of the royal guard, and the medina or court city, the location of the famous Nasrid Palaces and the remains of the houses of noblemen and plebeians who lived there.
The habitual residence of the kings of Granada, their construction began at the beginning of the 14th century. The Nasrid Palaces are a palatial complex formed by three buildings: - The Mexuar is the oldest hall. It was employed for meetings between the ministers of the king and as a courtroom. - Next, we come to the Palace of Comares, which dates back to the era of Yusuf I. This dwelling was erected around the Patio de los Arrayanes (Courtyard of the Myrtles), and its side exits lead to the Sala de los Embajadores (Hall of Ambassadors) and the Sala de la Barca (Hall of the Boat). The Hall of Ambassadors is located inside the Tower of Comares. - The Palace of the Lions, dating back to the era of Muhammed V, is also a royal residence. It is composed of a central courtyard, the Courtyard of the Lions, and halls along each side, the Hall of the Mocarabes, the Hall of the Kings, the Hall of the Two Sisters, the Hall of the Ajimeces, leading on to the mirador Daraxa viewpoint, and the Hall of the Abencerrajes, along with the Harem
The Generalife is composed of a series of large gardens, where every corner holds a novelty and a pleasant surprise for the eyes, with a minimum of obtrusive buildings.
The Alcazaba plainly served a military function. The entrance to the Alcazaba was at the foot of the Tower of Homage . At the base of the tower is a slight slope. A simple L-shaped walkway keeps the main gate from being seen from the outside.
We had a wonderful 2.5-hour tour of the Alhambra with Antonio Villalobos! He was incredibly knowledgeable about the history and shared so many interesting details throughout the tour. He spoke great English, was very friendly, and made the entire experience enjoyable and easy to follow. We learned so much and would definitely recommend Antonio Villalobos to anyone visiting the Alhambra!
The inside of the palace was beautiful as well as the gardens . Hector was an amazing guide who took time to explain the historical significance of each place and the meaning of the art in all the palaces . He was the most engaging and amazing tour guide we had in the whole trip. Kids loved the tour because of him
Fernando was an excellent guide. He was knowledgeable, personable, and patient with all of our questions. I highly recommend a private tour with Fernando.
Our tour was communicated to be less than 10 people. We had about 20.. The shop for check in GranVision….was a bit past the ticket plaza for Alhambra. You must go INSIDE to meet guide. Required to buy headphones , unless you have the right kind. Aux. Ask for the guide , HECTOR-spoke several languages , tour was English speaking and he did a GREAT job. He was informative and funny. We learned a lot!
We had a fabulous experience with Antonio. He made the Alhambra come alive as entertained and engaged both of my children. This visit was the highlight of our trip to Spain.
I went in Granada to visit the city and I couldn’t surpass the excursion to Alhambra, I was accompanied by GUILLERMO that talks very fluently Italian and he was very clear, he made me feel the sensation of amazement. Honestly I was very impressed by everything that I’ve seen and the guide (Guillermo) made the visit really enjoyable and also with a shade of fun in a serious context. I wanna thank Granavisión for assigning to GUILLERMO my visit of Alhambra.
Gustavo, our guide, presented a huge amount of information in a dynamic, attractive and interactive way, with a strong voice and a good English, he combined the historical details with funny stories, he managed to optimise the time and to treat every tourist from our group as he was a special one. He was able to capture and maintain our interest for every minute of the 3 hours, we even didn't realize how the time was gone. Congratulations, we would to recommand you for sure!
We had a beautiful tour, guided by the exceptionally knowledgable Gustavo! He shared a lot of facts with us and made sure we had time for some great pictures. There were only five stars, but I would grant him a 10/5.
We love our private tour of the Alhambra with our tour guide, Antonio. Antonio was very knowledgeable and very attentive to the needs of our family, especially with our 5 year old daughter who gets tired and bored easily. The Alhambra is truly something everyone must experience at some point in their lives. I highly recommend this tour!
Absolutely wonderful privately guided experience at the Alhambra with Antonio V. of Granavision. Enthusiastic, knowledgeable, thoughtful and energetic- we would give our highest recommendation of this very worthwhile tour!
We visited Alhambra during Easter when the Spaniards celebrate their catholic faith with traditional pageants marching through streets, alleys, and city squares. What better way to start our stay than taking a private, guided tour through the last stronghold of the Moors on the Iberian peninsula? Felipe, our guide, was the perfect companion for our tour of the vast complex, sharing his wealth of knowledge about the site's rich architecture and history. He led us deftly past the long queues of ordinary visitors, providing VIP access to the Nasrid Palaces. What most impressed us was how he managed to conjure, not only an understanding of the subtle symbolism running through every aspect of the structure, but the supernatural awe it was designed to inspire in supplicants coming to plead their cases before the Sultan's throne. It was also fascinating to learn, among a lot of other things, that this very throne room is the very spot where Queen Isabella held court just months after evicting the last Sultan in the momentous year of 1492 when they received and decided to fund Christopher Columbus' expedition to what he later named the Americas. I'm convinced that the sole reason we had such a great time visiting the Alhambra, is the fact that we decided to use Granavisons services. We highly recommend them to future visitors.
We had Eduaru Moreno as a guide and he was excellent, knowledge and had a personal and invited approach. Thank you for an amazing day! We will be back!
Great tour from Hamdi - thanks for the nice relaxing time and good experience. Taking pictures of us was a big positive. Something to remember now that we are back in Norway
We have visited the Alhambra many times before but this experience was really superior as Guillermo Lopez Capelli was an outstanding guide who made the trip alive and memorable. He had an excellent knowledge of the Alhambra but his learning went way beyond with a deep understanding of Spanish and European history. Thank you so. much for making our day. We will hope to have him as our guide on our next visit.
Great experience! Our guide Fernando did a fantastic job and made the experience even better! Would highly recommend.
Yestetdsy Eduardo showed true knowledge and passion for the Alhambra. He made 3h of tour go by and I was eaguer yo see more. At moments his explanationts made me travel in time. I recommend it. Always felt safe, regarding the pandemia. Everyone with mask and there weren't any large groups of people together.
Alba was our guide of Alhambra. She is extremely knowledgeable about the history, culture, religion, and philosophies of the palaces. She understands them holistically and with great reverence, and provided a very interesting and informative tour. We learned a lot from her!
Our experience with the tour by Granavision was amazing! Our tour guide Sergio was really knowledgeable, passionate and interesting in his story-telling. Totally enjoyed the tour!
This tour was perfect for our family of four. There was a lot to learn and see but our guide Antonio was excellent. I would highly recommend this tour!
On June 8, we visited Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces with our guide Antonio. It was the second time for my husband and I, and the first for our daughters, 24 and 29 years old, visiting the Alhambra and Nasrid. We decided on a private tour, because the first time we were a large group, on a fast track, and you need time to appreciate these places. Antonio was wonderful. He has a Master in History and it shows. The visual part was accomplished via a tablet. There he showed us photos of how things were during the Alhambra splendor years, as we were in the different rooms of the palace. He gave us oil samples to touch and smell, as the ones prepared in that time. Then gave us an “ empanada” to eat, as the ones prepared at that time. Certainly it was a wonderful experience through the senses, without skipping any information and with a very good guide. Highly recommended.
Really enjoyed our tour with Guillermo. Very knowledgeable, easygoing and friendly. Also his English was excellent.
Our guide in May was great. His name is Carlos S. His knowledge was extensive as he had studied the Moorish period of control of Spain while he was in college. Its a long 4 hours and so much information that you can easily be overwhelmed. There are so many things that you want to photograph, its hard to choose. We thoroughly enjoyed the tour, though we were exhausted but the time it was over. The only drawback was that our guide did the tough in two languages, Spanish and English, so that took extra time for him to say everything twice.
We had a great experience with Sergio! His knowledge of the Nasrid Palaces and the Alhambra was beyond what we expected. What made Sergio even more impressive was his ability to bring and energy and passion to the experience- even though he’s likely done the same tour hundreds of times! If you’re visiting the Alhambra, I’d only do it with Sergio!
Our tour of the Alhambra was well organized and communication was good. There was a slight change in the tour start time (moved back one hour) which we did not mind since we got a extra hour of sleep after a late night. The Alhambra, Palaces and General Life gardens are were amazing. We would have enjoyed them even without a tour guide, but our tour guide Antonio made the experience so much better. Antonio gave us detailed information on the history of the Alhambra and presented the information in an entertaining manner. Antonio’s English was very good. He invited questions and answered all of them. The through the senses aspect he provides was and added bonus as we smelled, touched and tasted historical elements associated with Granada and Alhambra. We highly recommend Antonio and the tour. It was highlight among so many highlights of our trip to Spain.
My husband and I did a private tour this morning with Alberto Rodriguez, and we absolutely loved it! He was filled with information and a lovely sense of humour. Would definitely recommend ❤️
For some reason the tour I booked was postponed for two hours. They informed to me on time but lacking clarity, so I went to ´pick up the tickets at the time they suggested in the printing ticket (before 2.00 pm)...bad idea because the tickets could be picked only until 4.15 pm. I explained the girl in the front desk that they could make clear the new time but she insisted that I could call them to ask for the picking time. As tourist in a foreign country I have just limited minutes for calling... she was rude and put all the responsibility in the customer... Any way, Antonio was a kind and fun tourist guide who helped me to forget the bad treatment at the front desk
We were disappointed that our tour was changed from morning to afternoon just a few days before but we were delighted with our guide Alberto. He was friendly and engaging and had a wealth of knowledge - historical, architectural and botanical. He also knew lots of little interesting background facts. We both enjoyed our tour of almost 3 hours. Highly recommended.
My daughter and I wanted to explore Seville this easter holliday and since Granada is only 3 hours away, we decided to book an excursion to Granada and the Alhambra. We checked the positive reviews on Tripadvisor and decided on the tour offered by Granavision. We were to go to a hotel not far from our own for the pick up by the bus. It was quite early, at 6u20 am, but that was fine. The bus arrived on time and we were met by a very enthousiastic guide. After an hour and a half, which most passengers spent sleeping, we stopped for breakfast at a very big, clean restaurant - which was designed to process busloads of tourists in a very professional way. We were the only bus there at that time, so we could all quickly grab a sandwich or whatever we liked and eat it there. 15 minutes later we were back on the way to Granada. Once we got there we were met by a local, professional guide Antonio Villalobos. Born and bred in Granada and a learned historian, he could captivate us by telling us all about the Alhambra and its occupants over the centuries. He made history come alive and he was very entertaining. Of course, you could visit the Alhambra on your own, but doing so with a knowledgeable guide, who can explain everything there is to know in an entertaining and interesting way, is so much better!
We’re a family of four fortunate enough to travel frequently, and often hire private guides. Selected Granavision after doing research on 3 different sites (Trip Advisor plus 2 others). Our guide, Antonio Villalobos, did not disappoint. I’d place him among the top 10% we’ve ever had. He stands with the best of them. We met him at Granavision headquarters at top of hill, and from there it was perfect once we were in his knowledgeable, capable hands. He brought everything to life, and made it interesting for all of us (including teen boys). What I loved most was his clear intellectual interest in the site, and his ability to engage us on the full range of academic disciplines of interest...the geometry, the poetry, the history, etc. and how it all comes together in the architecture. He was equally-admired by both parents and teens, which is what makes me rate him so very highly. Easily switched between a conversation about poetry with me, a conversation about geometry with our middle-schooler, and then proactively engaged our older son in a conversation about college student life in Granada, piquing his interest in study abroad opportunities. One bit of advice to travelers....plan to arrive at least 30 mins before your scheduled departure. Our hotel told us it would be a 15 min max cab ride to Alhambra, but traffic conditions that day (including rain) made it 35. Then the cab driver dropped us in wrong spot, adding an additional 10 mins walk to Granavision. The palace entries are timed and not controlled by Granavision, so do yourself a favor to arrive early and avoid any stress. That way you wring every second of enjoyment out of this amazing tour...it’s fantastic and worth the time and money.
This is such a huge and crowded place but with the right guide you can make the best of it. We were really lucky to be with Victor. He is very knowledgeable and accommodating so this ended up being one of our favorite tours in Spain. It may seem a bit pricey but it's definitively worth it. You will learn a lot about this beautiful place but also abut Spain and its rich history. Even though it was a lot of information and a bit of a walk Victor made it super interesting and amusing. I highly recommend it!
We just did this 3 hour walking tour of the Alhambra complex in a group of 15. Victor was not only fluent in Spanish and English, but also hugely knowledgeable and entertaining. He could answer every question , however complex, about the Alhambra, and also Granada and Spanish history as well. Out of all the tours we've done in Andalucia this is by far the best. It was a real pleasure to have him as our guide. I'm grateful to have visited such a stunning historical monument in such good company. Thank you Victor! Highly recommended.
Although this was an expensive visit, having Alberto as our guide made it worth every euro! He directed us for three hours, explaining everything in fantastic detail.The walking was measured and calm so we did not feel weary despite the heat.The sights were truly amazing and unforgettable.
Antonio led us on a fantastic tour offering us so much out of his abundant knowledge. Lots of visual aids, and things to touch and see, emerging from his “carpetbag” man bag to enhance our experience and understanding of what life was like at Alhambra, and how it was created. Fabulous and highly recommended.
we were 7 people with 5 children and had the 3 hour tour through the Alhambra and Generalife. Thanks to the knowledge of Carlos Serrano of the history and arabic language it was the one of the best tour in our lives. He also was very kind to the kids and patient and we would book him again any day
Antonio, who was born and raised in Granada and has a degree in history, was our guide. Thanks to Antonio our tour was a fantastic! Clearly Antonio has a love of history and a knack for teaching which translates to a fun and informative tour. We liked the sensory touches: trying a traditional pastry with minced chicken, sampling perfume, holding an astrolabe, and various references to sensory items of the day. We also thought Antonio's mini films at strategic moments on the tour were really really good! giving us an understanding of such things as the water system, and the pervasive geometry of the Alhambra. Really great tour!!! Highly recommend!!!
Our personal guide, Beatrice Arenas, was amazing! Best tour I have experienced. Beatrice was well educated and versed on the history of the Alhambra. Will recommend Beatrice to all my friends!
My wife and I had a 3 hour tour through the Alhambra. It is a must see if you are visiting Granada. We managed to get a late booking with Granavision Exercursions as we found out you have to purchase tickets months in advance. Fortunately for us we had a great guide, Guillermo. He had great knowledge and a passion for taking tourists through the Alhambra. We were guided through the complex stopping to see all the sites with excellent and understandable explanations of the history of the place. His tour was well structured so that it flowed continuously through the complex. I saw people wondering around aimlessly by themselves trying to capture the assense of the place. Thanks to Guillermo we got all the history and all the best views of Alhambra, without him I think we too would have missed a lot. Thanks Guillermo.
I was scared to book this tour because it was too expensive compared of buying the tickets directly, but it was worth the cost, Marina explained everything to us, very nice and of course a great experience!
We delayed booking our tickets to the Alhambra and had to purchase tickets with this private tour. I am so grateful we did not wander the Alhambra on our own!! Felipe did an incredible job of explaining the history of the sites! I learned so much that I would probably not have learned if I had wandered on my own. Felipe was so knowledgeable and presented the history in such an engaging way. Everyone in our party felt the extra expense was well worth it! I would definitely choose a private tour if I had the opportunity to visit again!
We had a guided tour with Felipe. He was excellent. He explained lots of really interesting things in a very entertaining and engaging style. He had a good sense of humour. Thanks Felipe
We are extremely satisfied and absolutely thrilled with the experience and the tour by Carlos Serrano! Many thanks and highly recommended!!! The Schilliger family
The guides Alex and Gustavo are excellent! Attentive, careful with the group and with great knowledge about the historical context and the peculiarities of each place.
Antonio Villalobos our guide was great explaining all details, great knowledge, professionalism and sympathy, you can see that he feels his land and enjoys his work, great idea to design a visit based on the 5 senses, Antonio is a crack !! Recommended 100%
Maravilloso guía Antonio Villa lobos. It's been very enjoyable and fun. Great connoisseur of the history of Granada. One hundred percent recommended.
The best tour option to know everything and more about the Alhambra, very well explained the history and the route that made the experience incredible.
Wonderful day, with the excellent and very knowledgeable guide Antonio Villajos, who told us about everyday life as it was 800 years ago. The work of the staff in the palace and the gardeners in the gardens. Antonio was very benevolent in his guidance throughout the trip. You were very inspired to listen to him. It meant that we borrowed books from the library and read about Alhambra after we came to Denmark. We saw most of the fantastic views where there was plenty of opportunity to take pictures for memory.
Our guide Francesc gave our family (2 adults, 2 teenagers) and another German couple a very interesting, very competent, funny and original 3-hour tour of the Alhambra. Every minute was interesting and he was able to answer all of our questions. He also knows the corners away from the tourist crowds. Steffen & Sabine
El guía estuvo impresionante!! Si bien es un paseo de varias horas se nos hizo corto. El guía tenía mucho conocimiento, y lo trasmitió de forma amena y con humor. Realmente lo recomiendo
I find it scandalous that 21 hours before the start time of our visit to the Alhambra, an email shows that there is no room. This means that we came especially for the Alhambra, four days in Granada, so we came for nothing. Costs for the tickets and the hotel were thrown away. I booked months ago and now cancel 21 hours before departure, never been treated so badly. Lousy service. Never again.
The views were beautiful, well preserved and the guide was charming. Very spectacular, three hours of very enjoyable and instructive visit, to go again
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