Granada Attractions
Alhambra tickets sell out quickly, but there are still ways to secure entry if you haven’t booked in advance.
One of the best strategies is to check for last-minute cancellations, as tickets sometimes become available due to no-shows.
If full-access tickets are unavailable, consider partial entry options, which allow you to explore only areas like the Generalife Gardens and the Alcazaba.
Booking a guided tour is another great alternative, as many tour operators hold reserved tickets, even when general admission is sold out.
For a broader experience, purchasing the Dobla de Oro Ticket or a Granada City Pass can grant access to Alhambra along with other historic sites in the city.
Arriving early at the ticket office may also give you a chance to get same-day tickets, though availability is limited.
If all else fails, you can still soak in the beauty of Alhambra by visiting its free attractions, such as the Charles V Palace.
Continue reading for detailed practical tips on securing your last-minute Alhambra visit and making the most of your trip.
Top last-minute Alhambra tickets
# Alhambra Gardens tickets
# Guided tour
# Alhambra, Nasrid Palaces at night
Table of Contents
How to get last-minute entry to Alhambra
If you have put off buying tickets for Alhambra Granada until the last minute and are stranded, don’t worry – you aren’t alone.
There are several ways to get the Alhambra tickets on the day of your visit or explore alternative options for last-minute entry into this 13th-century castle.
Here are a few tips and tricks to help you get in.
Check for Last-Minute Cancellations
Since Alhambra tickets are often booked well in advance, sometimes up to 90 days, there is a high chance of cancellation.
To secure last-minute tickets, check the official website at midnight (Central European Time) and try booking. Starting at 0:00, you can find a few returned or unsold tickets available online on the same day.
This option is risky but worth trying, especially for those seeking last-minute Alhambra tickets.
We recommend this option only if you stay in Granada for a few days. If tickets aren’t available on your first attempt, you can try again the next night.
Keep refreshing the page at midnight and early in the morning for a chance to secure last-minute Alhambra tickets.
Explore partial Entry Ticket options
Besides the most popular Alhambra General ticket, there are many other ticket types that sell out the fastest.
These don’t give you complete access to the Castle, but they are a sure-shot way to enter the monument if there are no General tickets available.
Alhambra Gardens tickets
These tickets allow access to all parts of Alhambra Castle, including the Generalife Gardens and the Alcazaba Fortress, except the Nasrid Palaces.
They are also known as ‘Alhambra and Generalife tickets.’
One of the advantages of this ticket is that you don’t need to stick to a schedule while exploring the castle because the Nasrid Palaces, which have a timed entry, aren’t included.
Duration: 2 hours
Tour Guide: Yes
Audio Guide: Yes
Meeting point: Access Pavilion of the Alhambra, near the ticket office. Get Directions
Cost of tickets
Adult (12+ years): 34 – 38 Euros
Child (3 to 11 years): 19 Euros
Infant (up to 2 years): Free entry
Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces at night
Most tourists prefer to visit the attraction during the daytime, so the day tickets sell out fast.
The night entry tickets are almost always available on the same day, and these tours usually start at 10.00 pm.
If you decide to visit at night, you can either opt for the guided tour or a self-guided tour.
If you book the guided experience, the local guide will take you to Alhambra. Castle and the Nasrid Palaces. This 1.5-hour tour does not include access to the Generalife Gardens (the retreat Palace of the Kings) or Alcazaba (the Military part of the Fort).
If you opt for the self-guided tour, you have two options – you can explore Nasrid Palaces and Charles V Palace or the Alhambra Gardens and Generalife.
Book an Alhambra Guided Tour
Guided tours are always an excellent last-minute option for entering the Alhambra because tour operators such as GetYourGuide, Tiqets, Viator, Tripadvisor, etc., buy tickets in advance and package them for tourists.
Guided tours give you Skip the Line access to all castle areas.
A local guide leads you through the fortress (the Alcazaba), the Nasrid Palaces, and the Generalife’s Palace and Gardens.
Duration: 3 hours
Tour Guide: Yes
Audio Guide: Yes
Meeting point: At the Polinario Café Bar entrance (next to the ticket office), look out for a guide wearing GetYourGuide attire and holding a red flag. Get Directions
Cost of tickets
Adult ticket (12+ years): 49 Euros
Child ticket (3 to 11 years): 15 Euros
Infant ticket (up to 2 years): Free entry
Purchase the Dobla de Oro Ticket
The Dobla de Oro is a combined ticket that includes the full Alhambra General ticket experience (Nasrid Palaces, the Generalife Gardens, and the Alcazaba), along with access to several historic sites in the Albaicín neighborhood, such as the Bañuelo and Casa de Zafra.
If Alhambra tickets sell out online, you may still find availability through this pass. During booking, you’ll select a time slot for Nasrid Palaces, which confirms your ticket availability.
This ticket is perfect for exploring Granada’s rich history while enjoying stunning Moorish architecture.
Besides the Alhambra, the attractions included in this package are:
- Bañuelo
- Casa Morisca (C/Horno de Oro)
- Palacio de Dar al-Horra
- Casa del Chapíz
- Casa de Zafra
This ticket is valid for three days: the day before, the day of, and the day following the visit to the Alhambra.
Cost of tickets
Adult (12+ years): 75 Euros
Child (3 to 11 years): 35 Euros
Infant (up to 2 years): Free entry
Experience Combo Tours
Tour operators love to combine two attractions or activities in one combo ticket because they can sell more.
Tourists love these combo tours because they help them save 15-20% of ticket costs compared to what they would pay if they had bought them individually.
Combo tours are a great way to secure castle entry at the eleventh hour.
Here are a few popular combo tours, including access to the Moorish attraction.
Alhambra ticket and Arabian bath
This ticket gives you access to all areas – Nasrid Palaces, Alcazaba Fortress, and Generalife.
Later, you move on to a traditional 90-minute Arabian bath treatment at Granada’s opulent Hammam Al Andalus.
Cost of tickets: 195 Euros
Buy This TicketAlhambra guided tour and Flamenco show
This is a 5.5-hour trip from your hotel that starts at 10 am because the tickets include transfers.
An official tour guide will take you around the Alhambra Palace, where you will have three hours to explore.
The second part of this tour is at a Sacromonte cave for a dose of Andalucian culture as you watch a Flamenco show while sipping a drink or dinner.
Cost of tickets (with drink)
Adult (12+ years): 108 Euros
Child (3 to 11 years): 53 Euros
Infant (up to 2 years): 7 Euros
Cost of tickets (with dinner)
Adult (12+ years): 160 Euros
Child (3 to 11 years): 82 Euros
Infant (up to 2 years): 6 Euros
Alhambra Castle and e-Bike tour
During this 5-hour experience, you first discover the neighborhoods of Albaicin and the Sacromonte quarter on a guided e-bike tour.
Later, you enter the palace to experience all the areas open to the public.
Cost of tickets: 190 Euros for a group of two
Buy This TicketArrive early at the Alhambra Ticket Office
To get last-minute Alhambra tickets, you can also go directly to the ticket office early in the morning.
The Alhambra ticket office opens at 8 am, and a few same-day tickets may be released.
This method isn’t guaranteed, but if you’re in Granada and willing to start early, it’s worth trying before long queues form.
Buy a Granada City Pass
The Granada City Pass (Bono Turistico in Spanish) is an excellent option for visitors who want to explore Granada’s best attractions easily and conveniently.
Especially during peak times when tickets to Alhambra Castle may get sold off.
This pass, costing 26 Euros, can save time and money (up to 10%) while ensuring you don’t miss any of the city’s top sights.
Like all discount passes, the Granada City Pass helps you get priority access to key attractions such as the Alhambra, Generalife, and the Royal Chapel.
It also includes additional perks, such as guided tours, access to public transportation, and discounts at various restaurants and shops.
Visit only the free attractions at Alhambra
If none of the above suggestions work for you because of budget or time constraints, our last recommendation is to visit the free–to–enter areas of Alhambra Castle.
The attractions are divided into paid and non-paid areas.
The three parts of the castle that need entry tickets are the Nasrid Palaces (the King’s residences), Alcazaba (military buildings and towers), and the Generalife (relaxing Palaces and gardens).
Many tourists don’t know this, but many attractions at the Fortress complex are free. We list them below –
- Gate of Justice
- Pomegranates Gate
- The Alhambra Forest
- Carlos V Palace
- Plaza de Los Aljibes
- Gate of Wine
- Torres Bermejas
- Church of Santa María de La Encarnación
- Gate of the Carriages
- Cuesta de Gomérez
- Gate of Bib-Rambla
- Hamma
- Carmen de los Mártires
- Crimson Towers
- Museum of Fine Arts
- Museum of the Alhambra
Why the demand for last-minute tickets
The Alhambra ticket office (online and at the venue) sells only limited tickets, with 6,600 palace tickets available daily.
That’s why they get over very soon – most tickets are bought online and in advance.
Being a UNESCO World Heritage site, Alhambra tickets sell out 90 days in advance, especially during the peak summer months.
How does this impact visitors?
This massive demand for Alhambra tickets affects tourists in four ways –
1. Some tourists who take a chance and go all the way up usually end up disappointed because the tickets at the venue also sell out.
2. Visitors NOT on budget holidays book the costlier guided or private tours.
3. Some end up booking not-so-popular entry tickets, which don’t allow access to all parts of the attraction.
4. Tourists who are aware end up exploring the free areas of the Palace complex.
Crowd at Alhambra
Almost every one of the 2.7 million visitors the city of Granada gets in a year ends up visiting the Castle.
That’s around 12,000 visitors during peak summer months and approximately 3000 during non-peak season.
Since the castle is 2.5 Km (1.5 Miles) from the center of Granada City, many locals also visit on weekends and holidays.
As if that wasn’t enough, tourists also visit from cities such as Malaga, Seville, Madrid, Cordoba, etc., from the Andalusia province of Spain.
Alhambra’s new ticketing system
Alhambra keeps an eye on tourists’ issues because of the massive demand for its tickets and continuously tweaks its systems.
On March 1, 2020, they launched their system for selling tickets, which is currently live.
The three significant modifications are:
1. More tickets are now available for users to purchase online.
2. Visitors can now purchase the tickets one year in advance, so planning makes sense.
3. Same-day General tickets are now available. You can buy them up to two hours before the allocated time for entering the Nasrid Palaces.
Important: Please carry your passport when visiting Alhambra. It is the only form of identification accepted at the venue.
Last minute Alhambra tickets – online or offline?
Visitors can buy same-day tickets from the ticket office in the Access Pavillion, allowing them to enter the Alcazaba, Nasrid Palaces, and Generalife.
However, we won’t recommend it.
Why are online tickets better?
Here is why we always recommend you buy Alhambra tickets online and in advance –
1. Since many tourists visit the attraction, the lines to the ticket counter are always long.
2. With around 6600 tourists visiting daily, the tickets dry up soon. You don’t want to reach the Castle and find out that the ticket you wanted to buy is sold out.
3. Entry to Nasrid Palaces is timed and restricted to 300 people per half hour. When you buy tickets at the venue on crowded days (which is every day), you may get a time slot further away into the day, which will cause you to have to wait longer for your turn.
4. You miss the grand entry into Alhambra via the Gate of Justice because you must reach the ticket counters at another entrance – the Access Pavillion.
5. When you buy tickets at the venue, you also waste time getting from the ticket counters to the attractions within the complex.
For instance, from the ticket counters, you must walk:
20 minutes to get to the Alcazaba
17 minutes to reach Nasrid Palaces
15 minutes to get to the Generalife
If you already have your entry tickets, you can enter Alhambra through the Gate of Justice, a part of Alcazaba.
Printing last-minute Alhambra ticket
Buying your castle ticket at the last minute and worried about how to take the printout?
Don’t worry.
When you book your tickets online, you get an email confirmation with a QR code.
You can scan this code from your mobile at the castle entrance and walk-in.
If you aren’t carrying your mobile, you can print your tickets at the ATMs in the ticket offices at the Generalife and the Estafeta (Visitor Information Point) near Charles V’s Palace.
Image: Alhambra-patronato.es
When you book your tickets online, you get an email confirmation with a QR code.
You can scan this code from your mobile at the castle entrance and walk in.
If you aren’t carrying your mobile, you can print your tickets at ATMs in the Generalife and the Estafeta (Visitor Information Point) ticket offices near Charles V’s Palace.
