Visiting the Alhambra in Granada

November 2023

Apr 07, 2024

I’m my mother’s daughter, which means that if we’re going to travel the world, I’m going to make sure we do some educational outings. Plus also, we’re worldschooling and that’s kind of the point. So while we were in southern Spain, we took a day and drove to Granada to see El Alhambra. Let’s just say on a scale of 1-10, the kids were about level 1 excited. Ha!

The walk from the parking lot to the entrance

I’m glad we went in the off season; it was busy enough with some school groups and other tourists there. Plus, I can’t imagine visiting in the heat of summer. “We” (me) decided at the last minute to do a tour versus navigate on our own with audio guides. In part, it was because the grounds were so big. I was afraid we’d all lose interest in audio guides and not get much out of the visit otherwise. But I can now say that audio guides would’ve been better. Oh, hindsight.

Our guide meant well, but she was very difficult to understand and she spoke with the enthusiasm and vocabulary of a PhD student. Most of what she shared went over the girls’ heads. Even Chris and I had a hard time understanding and following her. And our 3-hour tour became a 4-hour tour. It was way too much for our brains to absorb.

But the grounds were stunning. There are three main parts: Generalife (“the garden of paradise,” a summer palace for the rulers with beautiful water features lush greenery), the Nasrid Palaces (stunningly intricate Moorish courtyards, reception halls, and royal quarters), and the Alcazar (the fortress, or military area). You can buy tickets to individual areas or to all of them together. We did the latter. They have specific entrances and you have to have your passport scanned for each one (which is a bit annoying).

The architecture is absolutely amazing. There’s a ton to know about El Alhambra, but if you want just a bit of high-level info, here are some good sources that won’t overwhelm: