Full day in Granada. Private guided tour of the Alhambra and the Hispano-Muslim Dobla de Oro monuments
| Duration | 7 hours |
| Languages | Spanish - English - German - French |
| Number of participants | Minimum 1 person - Maximum 10 people |
What the experience includes
If you choose to visit Granada, don't miss the Alhambra, the most visited monument in Spain. But don't do like others: don't miss the other half of Granada. The history of one cannot be understood without the other. And to better appreciate and value the splendour of both, there is nothing better than a combined visit accompanied by the best specialist guides in our history and cultural legacy.
This experience includes a private guided tour of the Alhambra, which means that you and your family or group of friends can enjoy the Alhambra alone with a professional guide with years of experience and passion for his work. No need to worry about getting tickets or visiting the different areas of the palatial city. In this guided tour, everything is included, and the itinerary is specially designed to adapt the visit to the access times to the Nasrid palaces.
During this exciting experience, we will visit magical places inside the Alhambra such as the Patio de los Leones or the Patio de los Arrayanes, and we will follow in the footsteps of the sultans and kings who once inhabited them. We will also visit the beautiful gardens of the Generalife and the Partal, and you will understand why visiting the Alhambra is a unique and memorable experience that everyone who visits Andalusia must have.
To complete the experience, what better than to visit Granada, the city that overlooks the Alhambra on the banks of the river Darro and which communicated with the Alhambra from its bridges. In the Nasrid period, the Albaicín was full of palaces of the nobility and the rich silk merchants.
We will visit some of these stately homes and Moorish palaces, which are superbly preserved in the Albaicín quarter, despite the poorly resistant materials with which they were built. We will take into account the inheritance and influences that we still perceive in our Andalusian culture after several centuries, even in our customs, domestic typologies, modification of spaces, tastes or ways of thinking...
You will get to know in detail the traditional Hammams, or Arab baths where the cleansing of the body and spirit was more important than a simple custom. And you will learn about the history of the Silk trade in Granada and the Caravanserais.
This full day experience invites us to reflect on a multicultural and overlapping history in a city that jealously hides and preserves the urban layout of that Hispano-Muslim city that invites you to dream.
A unique opportunity not to be missed, ideal for visitors and travellers who want to make the most of their stay in Granada, and for those who want to spend an unforgettable day travelling from Seville, Cordoba or Malaga.
Everything you need to know
- The full name, ID or passport number, age and nationality of participants, including children, is mandatory, as we have to provide a free children's ticket for children under 2 years old.
- A valid ID or passport is required for all visitors, including children. Otherwise, a parent or guardian must sign a liability waiver at the ticket office. The Patronato de la Alhambra does not accept photocopies.
- This tour is on foot. Comfortable shoes are recommended.
- We can adapt the tour for people with reduced mobility, with prior notice.
- The maximum group size is 10 people.
- The voucher is non-transferable because the tickets are personal.
- We use secure transmission, your personal information is protected.
- Immediate confirmation of booking.
- You can present your voucher on paper or electronic device.
- Please note that the guide will arrive a few minutes before the tour start time.
- Prams are not allowed inside the monument, we recommend the use of baby carriers.
- No luggage or large backpacks are allowed inside the monument.
- For those who do not wish to walk to the meeting point, we recommend using public transport, rather than a car.
- A mobile phone with a charged battery and headphones may be required.
Prices:
Adults + 12years
Children from 3 to 11 years old
Infants 0-2 years
Price
Including
- Tickets to the Monumental Complex of the Alhambra and the Generalife
- Tickets to the Hispanic-Muslim Monuments "Dobla de Oro".
- Live commentary in the chosen language
- Transport within the city.
Not included
- Hotel pick up
- Tips
- Meals and drinks
Itinerary
Stop at: In the Alhambra: Charles V Palace
The origin of the Palace of Charles V is due to the need for a place that would meet all the comforts of the time for the emperor and his family, as the Alcazar, which was his summer residence, did not meet their needs.
The emperor ordered the construction of the palace next to the Alhambra so that he could enjoy its wonders. The architect in charge of the work was Pedro Machuca, a Renaissance lover of proven experience. The construction of the palace began in 1527 and was fully financed in 1957. The construction went through several stages, lack of funds, uprisings that stopped the works, and so on. The roofs even collapsed due to neglect.
The palace is square, with a main façade measuring 63 metres wide by 17 metres high. The circular courtyard in the centre stands out, unique in its style and the most outstanding work of the Renaissance in Spain. Only the south and west façades are decorated in their entirety. The north and east façades are only partially decorated, due to the fact that the building is linked to the Alcazar of the Alhambra.
Stop at: Wind Gate
In a way, this gate has a similar function to the one it had in the Nasrid period. It is the main access gate to the Medina of the Alhambra, which encloses, within the common walled enclosure of the fortress, the residential and artisan sector at the service of the court.
As it is an inner gate, it is directly accessible, unlike the outer gates, which must have been more protected and were built around a bend in the wall. Nevertheless, the inner area retains the necessary space and the benches for the guard who controlled the passage.
Stop at: Nasrid Palaces: Palace of El Mexuar
It is difficult to know how the Mexuar was originally built, as the many restorations and reconstructions that have been carried out up to the present day prevent us from knowing what its rooms were like, those that are not in ruins. According to the quotations of the poet Ibn Zamrak, we could say that it belonged to the primitive Nasrid citadels. Both the alterations carried out after the Christian occupation and the explosion in 1590 of a powder magazine that caused great destruction have produced great modifications in the distribution and communication, so it is difficult to know how it was originally. In reality, all that remains of the group of rooms, located next to the tower of Mohammed I, is the eastern nave, which is what we now call the "Mexuar", which has not been spared from Christian reconstructions, and the gallery and Tower of Machuca, so called because it was the home of the architects Pedro and Luis Machuca during the construction of the Palace of Charles V.
Stop at: Courtyard and golden room
This small courtyard between the Mexuar and the Cuarto Dorado serves as a link between the two palaces. During the Christian period, it had wooden galleries to connect the upper rooms, which were preserved until the 19th century. The basin that occupies the centre of the courtyard today is an exact copy (dating from 1943) of the original fountain, which can be found in the Daraxa Gardens.
Stop at: Two Sisters' Hall
The Hall of the Two Sisters is the second residence of the Palace of the Lions, with a structure similar to that of the Abencerrajes, i.e. it is elevated above the courtyard and is accessed through a single door, with a wooden door lock, richly decorated with geometric compositions.
After the entrance, there are corridors to the right and left that lead respectively to the rooms on the upper floor and to the toilet of the house. The name is derived from the two large marble slabs, which are centred by a small fountain that flows into the Patio de los Leones through a gutter.
The tiled plinth, one of the most original in the Alhambra in terms of its peculiarity, is a beautiful geometric composition based on the interlacing of ribbons of various colours.
The plaster decoration on the walls, divided, as is characteristic of Nasrid art, into large panels separated by epigraphic inscriptions, covers the entire wall, culminating in what is undoubtedly the masterpiece: a muqarnas dome which, starting from a central star, is developed by means of the well-known Pythagorean theorem.
Two alcoves open on either side of the square-shaped room. Each has its own characteristic space for a platform or bed, which is covered with extraordinary, beautifully decorated wooden coffered ceilings.
Stop at: Hall of the Kings
Stop at: Rooms Carlos V
Stop at: Generalife Gardens and Palace
The Almunia del Generalife was an ideal estate for farming and relaxation, with a nucleus of residential buildings and a vast expanse of land for cultivation and grazing, compartmentalised into paratas or terraces by means of four large orchards, taking advantage of its orographic outlines.
These huertas are delimited by thick retaining walls, some of which can still be seen today. Their Castilian names, preserved and handed down from ancient times, are: 'Colorada', 'Grande', 'Fuente Peña' and 'Mercería', whose current boundaries must coincide approximately with those of medieval times. A meadow surrounds the estate, where horses and farm animals are bred and even served as a hunting ground for the use of the sultan.
More info
What to bring- Comfortable footwear
Meeting point and return
| Meeting point | 10:30 | Pabellón de entrada. Explanada principal. Cartel "punto de encuentro/meeting point". |  |
Cancellations
Bookings are non-refundable. All sales are final.
