Three palaces form this enclosure: the Mexuar, the Palace of Comares (Yusuf I) and the Court of the Lions (Mohammed V).
The Alcazaba, or fortress, is the oldest part of the Alhambra. It was built in the mid-13th century by the Sultan Alhamar, the founder of the Nasrid dynasty.
The complex consists of the Patio de la Acequia (Court of the Water Channel or Water-Garden Courtyard), which has a long pool framed by flowerbeds, fountains, colonnades and pavilions, and the Jardín de la Sultana (Sultana's Garden or Courtyard of the Cypress).
The Palace of Charles V is a Renaissance building in Granada, southern Spain, located on the top of the hill of the Assabica, inside the Nasrid fortification of the Alhambra. The building has never been a home to a monarch and holds the Alhambra's museum.
Very informative, appreciated the small group, easier to manuever since the Alhambra gets crowded. Go early in the day, it gets more crowded as the day goes on. easier to get up close and is better for photos
Beautiful place. Guide was okay- on time and friendly but a little repetitive. Go early as crowds increase along the days well as the extreme heat.
Just loved this tour! Our guide was wonderful. I actually felt as though we got sneak look at things and extra information, definitely enjoyed minute of it. I believe our guide’s name was Marta (I may be wrong), and what I really liked about her was that if we asked for further clarification,or we asked something off the beaten track, she happily shared her knowledge and made the entire experience, not only learning, but really enjoyable. ( I SO WISH I could remember our guide's name - she was sooooo good and I highly recommend her!)
Tour guide was exceptional, so knowledgeable, great pace, great tour. So kich better than goingbon our own
Our tour guide was veey knowledgeable and excellent. She provided a very enjoyable experience that we won't forget.
We had Adriana as our guide and she’s just wonderfully full of information and be able to explain history in an interesting and engaging way. Our small group consisted of our family of three and an older couple. The small group size allowed for a more intimate discussion and move easily through the morning crowds. We started at 9 and was done by 12:30 before the crowds get too heavy. Highly recommend.
Very well guidance, we saw everywhere 🙏🏻
A fantastic tour around the Alhambra Palace with our guide Juan. We visited the Alhambra Palace with friends a few days ago on our second visit to Granada. The tour was perfect with our guide explaining everything to us in a clear manner and his English was very clear too. We chose the reduced number tour and it was well worth the small extra cost. Rather than other tours with 25/30 people, there were only six of us so we could clearly hear what was being said by Juan (through the supplied headsets) and it was easy to keep up on what was an extensive two hour tour. I can highly recommend this tour to anyone in order to fully appreciate the magic of the Alhambra palace and gardens.
Adriana is very knowledgeable and thorough. She takes time explaining and answering our questions and keeps a good pace throughout the tour.
Before you purchase anything from Granada Selected Tours or from their owner Esther Garcia Rosado, do yourself a favor and go google "Granada Selected Tours" and read the experiences of many many customers. The story is the same. Esther and Granada Selected Tours are not selling you tickets to Alhambra. They are charging you 3-5x the official price (a complete and total rip-off) to "TRY" to get you tickets. When you pay Esther the insane price of 3-5x markup, YOU DO NOT HAVE TICKETS TO ALHAMBRA. Dozens and dozens of customers have paid her these scandalous marked up prices, then spent many thousands of dollars travelling to Granada for their once-in-a-lifetime tour of the magnificent Alhambra. Only to find that Esther and Granada Selected Tours "tried" to get you tickets but they failed. So they cancel your tour at the last moment. Read the google reviews and you'll see that they cancelled tours on people less than 12 hours before the tour was supposed to happen. Why should you trust me? Read my hundreds of posts in the forums. Or my hundreds of unbiased reviews. I've been in the TA community for ages and this is the best favor I will do for you. Avoid this scam. ONLY BUY FROM THE OFFICIAL SOURCE. If they are sold out, do not take the risk of dealing with the scamsters like Esther Garcia Rosado or the dozen other tour operators who claim they will "99.7%" likely get you tickets. You will be left empty handed after spending thousands of dollars. Without even a simple apology or any effort to make amends.
Highly recommend a tour to get a deeper appreciation of sights - Juan was prompt, got us set up with tickets and headsets efficiently, and then kept a perfect pace and level of commentary including basic info and adding interesting facts. The itinerary was well planned and included a short 10 min break halfway thru. Meeting at 9:30 meant getting through many sights and enjoying photos wo many other visitors, and before foot traffic became overwhelming. Small group meant we were a bit more nimble and relaxed. Audio headsets worked perfectly. Afterward we could stay and explore for as long as we wanted; we also stopped at the parador for a nice coffee on the terrace.
We had a 3 pm tour booked. On the day of the tour we received a phone call at 10 am asking if we were coming to the tour, the 10 am tour. we We said "no" we're booked for 3 pm. Luckily we had the paperwork with a confirmation number that said we were booked for 3 pm. They checked and yes, we were right. Apparently they were overbooked and couldn't take us at 3 pm. We were offered a refund ( which we haven't received yet) and free tickets to tour on our own. We walked around overwhelmed and confused about what we were seeing. The lines were very long and after about half an hour left without seeing much. We had booked this tour to avoid that. Very dissappointed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Esther was a superb guide and very knowledgeable. She took us around at a good pace and provided lots of information. Highly recommended
Our tour guide, Ester, was very knowledgeable & considerate of the four people on our tour. We would definitely recommend this small group tour as the grounds of the Alhambra are very extensive. Ester made our day very enjoyable!!
Our tour guide, Ester, was very knowledgeable and very considerate of the four people on our tour. We would definitely recommend this small group tour as it took three hours to cover the extensive grounds of the Alhambra!!
My small group tour was cancelled less than 24 hours before and I was put into a large tour at 9:30am. I am due a refund and have yet to hear from Viator about this. The large group tour was like $35pp and I paid $114.
Great time with Juan who was informative and of good humor. He helped me understand the history of the area. Recommended small group.
The Alhambra is a special place to visit ,and it was brought to life by our tour host, Juan Domingo . He was brilliant. Juan was extremely knowledgeable and obviously proud to show tourists this fantastic place. The tour is over 3 hours, but it flies by and you never get bored. We walked up to the Alhambra, which was an effort but worth it, although you can get a taxi. We highly recommend it.
Ester was our guide and she was very knowledgeable and passionate about Alhambra. The others cancelled so we ended up having a private tour.
Our guide to The Alhambra was Juan. Not only is it a very special place but Juan’s knowledge and passion for it is fantastic. It was a 3 hour guided tour and he kept our attention for the whole time, sharing its amazing history, stories and facts. He was also a pretty good photographer and knew exactly where we should stand for the best photos! He was the best guide we’ve ever had. I would highly recommend the tour and especially Juan!
Juan was an amazing guide and definitely shared lesser known secrets! Was a lovely small group as well. Highly recommend this tour as a good way to see Alhambra
The Alhambra is a bit overwhelming in details and complexity so having a guide to provide the background and tell the stories is such a wonderful way to spend your time here.
Esther was knowledgeable and had perfect timing. She spoke slowly and clearly and gave us time to digest what she was saying. She called us a few minutes before the tour began to be sure we were in the right place. She has been our best guide in Spain so far. Highly recommend.
Well detailed Ester was to the point and descrived the palaces grandeur with exquisite passion from as thwmey lived on the times.
Our tour was cancelled, on the morning of our booking! Our 30th wedding anniversary trip to Granada, so a shame for us and so disappointing! Initially when planning our trips months ago, we wanted to book direct only which was already sold out, and this was the only third party company we trusted, after extensive research and still 6 weeks before our holiday. Book with caution!!
Esther was a great guide providing lots of detailed information about the Alhambra. An essential visit when in Granada.
This tour was really excellent . Esther was such an excellent tour guide and really took her time and knew her history of the Alhambra and Grenada. She really made the visit worthwhile and I thoroughly recommend this.
This tour was the perfect size. We had seven people in our group and our guide used a microphone with earpiece situation that allowed us all to hear very easily while being able to spend time in each spot without having to deal with a large group. Our guide was great… Very knowledgeable and friendly! Having a tour was a great way to visit the Alhambra as you got to learn a little bit about the campus while not having to navigate it on your own. Thank you to our guide, Javi, for a great day!
What a fantastic morning at the Alhambra! Esther was extremely knowledgeable of all the cultural, historical, and architectural facts we could possibly want. She was sociable and answered all of our questions as we navigated the huge property. Esther English was excellent as well. We would highly recommend her and this tour. Gracias!!
I had booked a small group tour but in fact we were the only ones. Angelina was very friendly and informative - we were so glad we hadn’t tried to guide ourselves as it’s a vast complex and we would have missed so much. She is very knowledgeable and could answer every question we had. Would love to visit again when the weather is warmer!
Esther provided us with a wonderful, informative tour that was the highlight of our experience in Granada. She also offered great local recommendations. We appreciated the pacing of the tour, and the details of history and architecture.
We signed in for a group tour but only two of us, so it became a private tour! Our guide was super knowledgeable and guided us in the Alhambra for 3 hours. It was super informative and happy to know so much about Alhambra
Juan was a wonderful tour guide! Very friendly, communicative and knowledgeable. He has an excellent command of English and made our tour fun, educational and enjoyable! The Alhambra was an amazing location, but we were very happy to have a guide fill us in on its hidden gems and secrets. Thank you
Xavi was a great guide!!! He was very knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the Alhambra. I thought the pace was good and didn’t feel rushed. I recommend this tour with Xavi.
We booked a small group tour of the Alhambra, Nasrid Palaces and Generalife. Javier was our guide and he was amazing. Javi was incredibly knowledgeable about the history of the site and answered all of my questions patiently and thoroughly. He even agreed to take some photos of us with the beautiful scenery in the background. 10/10, highly recommend.
Amazing and informative tour Miguel was great guide! I would recommend to anyone who wants to experience the Alhambra.
We enjoyed sunny and relaxing time in a small group of four with our experienced and charming local guide Ester. We would not get such a complex picture and understanding of what Alhambra meant in past and is nowadays without her. This was very different to the big groups we have seen around us. Thank you Ester for making our visit of Alhambra memorable😊
We booked the small group tour, and it really was! Just the two of us and our guide, Esther. We had a great tour and Esther was brilliant at explaining everything, including the best way to get a good photo of the ceiling! A fantastic few hours, we enjoyed it thoroughly.
This tour was amazing. Our guide was very informative and I don’t even understand how 3 hours passed…definitely recommended!
Excellent, very informative tour of the Alhambra. Esther is an excellent guide, very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommended!
We had a private evening tour with Consuelo and she was easy going, informative, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. It was a lovely way to see the palace and learn the history in a non crowded intimate setting. Highly recommend!
What can you say? A tour of the Alhambra includes an unbelievable collection of history, culture, and beauty. The three-hour tour was just about right. The beauty is unbelievable. I suggest comfortable clothing and shoes, and to bring water.
Our tour was of Alhambra and the gardens. It was the reason why we went to Granada and it did not disappoint. We were lucky that there was only 5 in our group so we got to have good quality time with our guide Esther. Esther was fabulous and brought us through Alhambra at a lovely pace. She was very informative and answered any questions with ease. My one tip is to take the morning tour as early as you can get it. It gets very busy as the day goes on
Esther was a fantastic guide with a wealth of knowledge about the Alhambra. We were provided with a radio and headphones which made it easy to hear our guide as we explored the site. We were able to wander within a small vicinity of the group to take pictures and look at various features of the palaces and grounds. We found it to be the perfect pace to not feel rushed, but still see all of the key sections of the complex. This tour also worked well for a range of ages as our group ranged in age from 34 to 80, and everyone had a great time!
Our guide was Esther. Everything was just perfect! She pointed out the most important aspects, answered our questions and, most importantly, did everything with passion and good energy. Highly recommend!
Fantastic tour. Our guide, Esther, was wonderful. Very knowledgeable, happy to answer questions and well-organized. The site is huge and the tour took the full 3 hours with a very small group. Good communication from provider with exact location for meet-up provided. Alhambra is very popular and tickets often sellout. I can see why booking at least a month ahead is advised. Very happy to recommend this tour.
Great tour. The Palaces and gardens are beautiful. Our tour guide was fantastic and we ended having the tour to ourselves. Definitively recommend having a tour guide to see the Alhambra--so much to see that it could easily be overwhelming. This allowed you to see the highlights and learn but also keep moving. Guide also gave some great recommendations of additional spots to hit in Granada.
Best experience during our two week trip to Spain! We had a small group tour with Jose which ended up being a private tour. Over four hours, we walked the entire site, including Alcazar and the Gardens up to the summer palace. Jose is an extremely knowledgable and multi-lingual guide who provided deep historical, social, and political insights to the history of the Alhambra. We learned so much which was important for us since we were traveling with our teen and wanted the experience to be educational and fun. Jose delivered on both and is a joy to spend time with. His friendly thoughtful disposition gave us plenty of time to stroll through the very large site at a nice pace, stopping when needed for photos or questions or to just simply soak in the amazing architecture. Choosing a semi-private small group tour was worth every penny as we were able to maneuver around larger groups at the three checkpoints. The highlight of the tour was a less traveled view point where Jose took us to look back at the Alhambra from the summer palace and enjoy the shade and cool breeze. Truly amazing experience, I would definitely sign up for a private guide with Jose again.
Small group of 4 was ideal. Esther was an excellent host - so knowledgeable and friendly. Excellent English. We really loved the experience.
Very good experience. Our tour guide Juan was very knowledgeable about the story and history of the Alhambra, and was able to give a lot of meaning to things we would have otherwise missed. Highly recommend the tour!
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