The Alhambra is the main reason most people travel to Granada, and it was for me as well. But when I arrived in Granada I had no idea that it would be so hard to get tickets there. On my first day in Granada, I just walked to the Alhambra and assumed that I would be able to buy a ticket on the spot. How wrong was I! The tickets were sold out, and I regretted that I hadn’t done proper research.
I went back to the hostel and asked the staff if they had any idea how to buy the tickets. They suggested me to buy the tickets online here.
It didn’t work out as the tickets were sold out as well. I was getting desperate. I sent a message to a girl I met in a hostel in Valencia. I knew that she had visited Alhambra. She told me that she managed to buy tickets from Corral del Carbon two days in advance. So off I went again and walked to Corral de Carbon just to find out that there is a three-week wait for the next available tickets.
My last chance was to wake up early the next morning so that I could get in the ticket line at 6 am. And that’s what I did. I woke up at 5:30 am, and I was there at 6:15 am. There were already people waiting when I arrived, so I suggest you not to come later than 6:30 am.
They have two lines to choose from – one for cash and one for a credit card. The credit card line is much faster so choose that one. The ticket office opens at 8 am so you have a nice two-hour wait. Be prepared with food, water, and some warm clothes. It’s worth the wait, Alhambra is such a beautiful place.
So in conclusion, you have three options to buy Alhambra tickets:
- Buy the tickets online beforehand
- When you are in Granada go to Corral del Carbon
- Or if everything else fails, be there waiting at 6:30 am
Read more: A Guide to Visiting The Alhambra in Summer
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4 comments
Beautiful shots of Alhambra! That place isn’t on my radar, but I think I might have to write it down now. Thanks for the post and keep up the great work!
Thanks!
whoa! Glad I read this. I’ll figure out which date I’ll be in Granada and buy my ticket early. Were you there during tourist season? I’ll be there in off-season, so hopefully tickets are more available.
I was there in October so I figured it won’t be so busy anymore. I was wrong!