Alhambra Surrounds
The palace grounds without the palace ticket.
Most visitors to the Alhambra focus on the Nasrid Palaces — understandably, since they are among the most beautiful interiors ever built. But the hillside surrounding the palace complex is freely accessible and tells its own story: the military gates, the Renaissance intrusion of Charles V’s palace, the forest planted by foreign soldiers, and the water system that made it all possible.
This walk covers the grounds you can visit without a ticket, from the lower gates to the upper terraces. It is ideal preparation for a palace visit, or a complete experience for those who could not get tickets — which, in peak season, is most people.
The Alhambra is more than its most famous rooms. This walk proves it.
What you'll discover
·The Puerta de la Justicia has a hand carved into the keystone. Five fingers, five pillars of Islam.
·Charles V built a Renaissance palace inside the Alhambra walls. The Moors would have been appalled.
·The forest on the hillside was planted by the Duke of Wellington's troops. It is still called the Alameda.
·A pomegranate tree at the Gate of the Pomegranates — granada means pomegranate in Spanish.
·The aqueduct that fed the Alhambra still carries water from the Darro river, 8 kilometers upstream.
·Washington Irving lived in the Alhambra in 1829 and wrote the book that saved it from ruin.
Before you go
Best time
Morning. The forest is coolest before noon and the light through the trees is worth the early start.
Getting there
Walk up Cuesta de Gomérez from Plaza Nueva. The Puerta de las Granadas marks the entrance to the grounds.
Duration
60 minutes through the grounds. Add 3 hours if you have Nasrid Palace tickets.
Footwear
Forest paths and stone ramps. Sturdy walking shoes recommended — some paths are steep and uneven.
€3.99
This walk. 30 days.
Or all 4 Granada walks for €18.99
Open in app2 devices. One can be a friend's.