The palace city of the Nasrid sultans, with some of the most exquisite palaces in Europe and the Generalife gardens. Here you’ll find which Alhambra tickets to buy (watch out for the Nasrid Palaces), the weather during opening hours, opening times and tips for your visit.
First of all: make sure your ticket includes the Nasrid Palaces. They’re the highlight of the Alhambra and have a timed entry. Many cheap tickets from resellers only cover the Alcazaba and the gardens, with the Nasrid Palaces sold as an extra.
Official “Alhambra General” ticket – €22.27 online (free under 12, but children still need a ticket). It covers the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba, the Partal and the Generalife. You buy it on the official ticket website: it’s in your name, you need an original ID at the entrance, and it can’t be changed or refunded. Tickets can sell out.
Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces guided tour on Tiqets – from €65. Nasrid Palaces included, live guide in English, small groups (up to 20), about 3 hours. Non-refundable.
Our pick: the guided tour. The Alhambra is huge and full of history: with a guide you understand what you’re looking at, you don’t get lost between the Alcazaba, the palaces and the gardens, and your Nasrid Palaces slot is sorted. It’s the right choice especially if official tickets for your day are gone.
If you want to spend as little as possible and book well ahead, buy the official ticket on the official ticket website and explore on your own: it’s cheaper, but it can’t be changed or refunded.
Official tickets often sell out, especially in high season: book ahead.
Our pick
Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces guided tour
Ticket including entry to the Nasrid Palaces
Alcazaba, Generalife, Palace of Charles V, Partal and Alhambra Museum
Guided tour in English (also Spanish, French, Arabic or Chinese), groups of up to 20
About 3 hours, with headsets to hear the guide
Live guide in English
Often available when official tickets are sold out
Skip the ticket line
Passport or ID number needed at booking · meeting point Café Bar Polinario · non-refundable
Costs more than the official ticket (€22.27) because a live guide and a guaranteed Nasrid Palaces slot are included, even when official tickets are sold out.
Indicative prices, checked onOctober 26, 2026: they may change: the final price is the one shown by the seller.
Perfect day
Alhambra weather today
Perfect day: partly cloudy, 22 to 22 degrees, no rain.
Perfect day
Alhambra weather tomorrow
Perfect day: clear, 15 to 22 degrees, no rain.
Time
Sky
Temperature
Rain
Wind
09:00
Clear
15°
–
5 km/h
10:00
Clear
17°
–
4 km/h
11:00
Clear
19°
–
5 km/h
12:00
Clear
21°
–
7 km/h
13:00
Clear
22°
–
9 km/h
14:00
Clear
22°
–
9 km/h
15:00
Clear
22°
–
10 km/h
16:00
Clear
22°
–
10 km/h
17:00
Clear
22°
–
9 km/h
Alhambra weather this weekend and the next days
The best days are Friday, October 30, Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1. The rating only looks at opening hours: rain at night doesn’t spoil the visit.
Fri, Oct 30Perfect day Partly cloudy · 22–22° · no rainTickets
Sat, Oct 31Perfect day Clear · 15–22° · no rainTickets
Sun, Nov 1Perfect day Clear · 13–20° · no rainTickets
Mon, Nov 2Perfect day Clear · 20–20° · no rainTickets
Tue, Nov 3Perfect day Clear · 19–19° · no rainTickets
Fri, Nov 6Perfect day Partly cloudy · 17–17° · no rainTickets
Sat, Nov 7Perfect day Partly cloudy · 19–19° · no rainTickets
Sun, Nov 8Perfect day Cloudy · 22–22° · no rainTickets
Today and tomorrow the forecast is accurate hour by hour; up to day seven it is reliable on the trend; the last days give a rough idea. Updated every hour.
Alhambra opening hours and best time to visit
Today, Friday, October 30: open 08:30–18:00.
Period
Hours
April 1 – October 14
08:30–20:00
October 15 – March 31
08:30–18:00
Closed on December 25 and January 1.
Ticket office: opens at 8 am, half an hour before the monument, and closes at closing time. Night visits to the Nasrid Palaces (Tiqets sells a guided night tour, in Spanish): from 1 April to 14 October, Tuesday to Saturday, 10 pm to 11:30 pm; from 15 October to 31 March, Friday and Saturday, 8 pm to 9:30 pm.
Best time to visit: April, May and October. Average highs are between 20 and 25°C with few rainy days, while in July and August they average over 34°C.
Summer (June–September): almost no rain, but strong heat in the middle of the day. Book an early-morning Nasrid Palaces slot or a night visit, and bring water and a hat.
Spring and autumn: the best weather for walking through the gardens and palaces.
Winter (November–February): highs around 13–17°C and fewer people, but it’s the wettest season and the Alhambra closes at 6 pm.
Month by month
Month
Average high
Rainy days
Jan
13°
6
Feb
15°
6
Mar
19°
5
AprRecommended
21°
6
MayRecommended
25°
4
Jun
31°
2
Jul
35°
0
Aug
34°
1
Sep
29°
3
OctRecommended
23°
5
Nov
17°
7
Dec
13°
7
1981–2010 climate normals for the AEMET station Granada Aeropuerto (560 m): average high and days with at least 1 mm of rain. Source: AEMET.
Alhambra in the rain: what changes
Visits go ahead in the rain, but keep in mind that most of the Alhambra is outdoors: the Alcazaba, the Partal, the gardens and the Generalife. The Nasrid Palaces and the Palace of Charles V are indoors.
Small umbrella or rain jacket: bags must be under 40×40 cm and backpacks have to be worn on your front.
Surfaces: courtyards and paths can get slippery, so wear shoes with good grip.
Refunds: neither the official ticket nor the Tiqets guided tour is refunded because of rain.
Granada doesn’t get much rain, though: even in the wettest months there are only 6–7 rainy days, and almost none in summer. In July and August the real challenge is the heat.
Queues and crowds
The Alhambra welcomed 2.38 million visitors in 2022, making it one of the most visited monuments in Spain.
In summer 2025 it had 738,000 visitors and an average occupancy of 95.5%: in high season tickets are almost always sold out.
The Nasrid Palaces admit up to 300 people every half hour at fixed times: no queue inside, but places are limited.
The rest of the complex can be explored freely during opening hours.
An hour-by-hour crowd estimate is coming later, always marked as an estimate and with its source.
What to see inside Alhambra
The Patio de la Acequia in the Generalife gardens
The general visit takes about three hours and covers four areas.
Nasrid Palaces: the heart of the Alhambra, with timed entry. You walk through the Mexuar, the Comares Palace with the Court of the Myrtles and the Hall of the Ambassadors, and the Palace of the Lions with its fountain ringed by twelve stone lions.
Alcazaba: the military fortress and the oldest part. From the Torre de la Vela you can see the whole of Granada.
Palace of Charles V: the grand Renaissance palace built for the emperor after the Christian conquest, with its circular courtyard. It houses the Alhambra Museum.
Partal and Generalife: pavilions, pools and gardens; the Generalife was the sultans’ summer residence, famous for the Court of the Water Channel (Patio de la Acequia).
The history of Alhambra
The Alhambra is the last great legacy of Muslim Spain.
13th century: Muhammad I, founder of the Nasrid dynasty, starts building the citadel on the Sabika hill.
14th century: under Yusuf I and Muhammad V the most famous palaces are built, including Comares and the Palace of the Lions.
1492: on 2 January Granada surrenders to the Catholic Monarchs, ending the last Muslim kingdom in the peninsula.
1527: work begins on the Palace of Charles V, which remained unfinished for centuries.
1832: Washington Irving publishes Tales of the Alhambra and makes it famous worldwide.
1984: the Alhambra and the Generalife become a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Useful tips for your visit
Book early: tickets can sell out, especially for the Nasrid Palaces. You can buy up to 10 tickets per person.
Bring ID: tickets are in your name and staff may ask to see original photo ID.
Be on time for the Nasrid Palaces: the time on your ticket is strict. Allow time to get there, as the complex is large.
How long you need: about three hours for the general visit; half a day if you want to take it easy.
With kids: under-12s go free but need a ticket, booked together with the adults’. Strollers aren’t allowed inside the buildings.
Accessibility: there’s a wheelchair route, wheelchairs can be borrowed at the entrance and the Palace of Charles V has a lift.
For the classic photo: see the Alhambra at sunset from the Mirador de San Nicolás in the Albaicín.
Getting to Alhambra
By bus: from central Granada, lines C30 (from Plaza Isabel la Católica), C32 (from the Albaicín) and C35 go up to the Alhambra.
By car: private cars can’t drive up from the city centre. Use the southern ring road (Ronda Sur) to reach the Alhambra car park, with 360 spaces and 24-hour security.
On foot: from the centre, walk up the Cuesta de Gomérez, uphill all the way.
Lockers: free at the entrance pavilion and the Puerta del Vino, while available.
Important: if you collect tickets at the ticket office, do it at least an hour before your Nasrid Palaces time. The palaces admit 300 people every half hour: if you’re not at the entrance at the time on your ticket, you won’t get in.
Perfect day: partly cloudy, 22 to 22 degrees, no rain.
What will the weather be like at Alhambra this weekend?
Saturday, October 31: Perfect day: clear, 15 to 22 degrees, no rain. Sunday, November 1: Perfect day: clear, 13 to 20 degrees, no rain.
How much are Alhambra tickets?
The official “Alhambra General” ticket costs €22.27 online and covers the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba, the Partal and the Generalife. Under-12s go free but still need a ticket. On Tiqets, guided tours including the Nasrid Palaces start from €65.
Which tickets include the Nasrid Palaces?
The official “Alhambra General” ticket does, with a fixed entry time. Many cheap reseller tickets don’t: always check that “Nasrid Palaces” is listed as included.
What are the Alhambra’s opening hours?
From 1 April to 14 October, 8:30 am to 8 pm; from 15 October to 31 March, 8:30 am to 6 pm, every day. It’s closed on 25 December and 1 January. The ticket office opens at 8 am.
What happens if I’m late for the Nasrid Palaces?
You won’t get in: entry is timed, 300 people every half hour, and anyone not at the entrance at the time on their ticket loses their slot. You can still visit the rest of the complex.
Can I change or refund my Alhambra ticket?
No: official tickets can’t be changed or refunded after purchase, and the same goes for the Tiqets guided tour we recommend. Visitor names can be changed until the day before by calling the official customer service.
Is there a 15-day forecast for Alhambra?
Reliable forecasts reach about 10 days: here you get the next 10, hour by hour for today and tomorrow and as a trend after that. To pick a month, check the climate month by month.
Where does this data come from?
Forecasts come from MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates and updated every hour during the day and every 3 hours at night. Crowd figures are labelled as estimates, with their source.
Alhambra tickets
Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces guided tour · from €65
Live guide in English
Often available when official tickets are sold out
Skip the ticket line
Official tickets often sell out, especially in high season: book ahead.
Forecast by MET Norway, the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, calculated for the castle’s coordinates. Forecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0), updated every hour. Updated: October 26, 2026.
Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces guided tourfrom €65 · Live guide in English
