A tour of the famous Islamic palace under the night sky.
For years, I’ve equated the city of Granada with The Alhambra. Friends and strangers have sung the praises of this Islamic palace complex and said that it was one of the most arresting things they saw on their trip to Spain. So it was with excitement that I discovered that our explorations of the Sierra Nevada region with Minube would include a stop here.
We were told that a night visit would be all the more special than one in the daytime, so when we arrived to Granada in the late afternoon we did an extended tour of the Parque de las Ciencias, an interactive science museum. Here we surveyed a number of interesting exhibits and I literally got to cosy up to Einstein.
Night fell, however, and it was time to see the main attraction. In the spring and summer months The Alhambra closes its doors for two hours at 8pm to prepare for the night visitors. By the time we were at the entrance at 10pm the site was buzzing with activity. We scanned our tickets and went inside.
Our very well-versed guide explained the illustrious history behind the complex and its intricate carvings, but memory fails me now (due to fatigue, my brain partially stops functioning past 10pm, unfortunately!). What I do know, and what you can probably see in the photos below, is that the architecture is very impressive.
All that said, however, I found myself a bit underwhelmed by the site in general. The problem, I imagine, is that The Alhambra had been SO built up in my mind — after numerous gushing reports about how epic it was I somehow imagined it grander, bolder, more sexy and exhilarating. Of course, you have to take this with a grain of salt from me: after travels to Jordan, Israel, India, Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE, I’d seen more than my fair share of Islamic architecture and thus have a healthy base for comparison.
As for visiting The Alhambra at night, I highly recommend it: the play of light and shadows made for interesting pictures and gave an aura of mystery. And just like that, despite the lack of furniture and abundance of tourists, I got lost in the narrative: I could almost trick myself into believing a sultan or emir sat holding court in the next room. I don’t know if it would have had the same effect in the daylight.
Have you ever been to the Alhambra? Did you think it was amazing?
I was a guest of Minube and the Sierra Nevada Tourism on this trip but as always, all opinions are mine.
53 Comments
I was just in Granada last week, to visit the Alhambra! Unfortunately, I was using my guide book from 2001, basically pre-internet, and didn’t realize til we arrived that you need to book your tickets to the palace ahead of time and for a specific time slot. There was a massive queue and all the day time tickets were sold out (you could still buy tickets for the 10 pm slot though). We ended up finding the automatic ticket machine hidden around a corner(?!) and bought tickets to the gardens, which was lovely and from the Generalife, the summer palace that is situated higher up the hill, we had stunning views of the palace. I guess we just have to book another trip to Granada, which is not a punishment. What a beautiful city! I am dying to spend a day walking around the Jewish neighborhood, after looking at it from the terrasses at the Alhambra. You do make me wonder if we shouldn’t have done the niht tour after all.
This place has been on my list of must-sees. I’d love to see it at night. I can understand your “seen one Islamic palace, seen ’em all” weariness though. I can get that way about cathedrals in France. The first one is always amazing, then the others have a lot to stand up to in comparison to your first visit. Thanks for the gorgeous photos.
Wow – stunning photos! The design details are so intricate that you can tell that a lot of love and passion went into the designers’ work. I have yet to make it to Spain and the Alhambra. I’ve also been to Turkey and was amazed by the architecture there, but this looks pretty awesome to me!
I’m one of the few people who have been to Granada and NOT managed to see the Alhambra and fail to find free tapas – massive traveller fail! Looks like seeing the Alhambra at night would be the best way to see it and the view of Granada must be amazing.
I remember feeling somewhat underwhelmed as well. It was nice, but it’s supposedly one of the greatest things ever, and it was just…pretty cool. I think it’s that it was designed in the 1100s, I think, or somewhere around there, whereas equivalent monuments from Europe (cathedrals) were designed 500 years later, and are hands-down more glorious, as they were intended to be that way. On the other hand, imagine this palace with a full range of furniture, tapestries, and other decorations. It was probably be great in its heyday.
Oneika, I love your night photos of the Alhambra!! I was unaware that you could even tour it at night! I visited this amazing palace back in 2006 during the day, but now I really want to go back at night!! 🙂 Beautiful photos- Thanks for sharing 🙂
You and Einstein look great together 🙂
I’ve never been to Spain! Someday.
You are like my lost twin. We have similar taste. I hated the alhambra. Tourist trap and way overated. That water that looks great in pictures is dirty. My kids loved going up the science museum tower and could see people ski on sierra Nevada. Granada was a disapointment for me and yet i am so fond of many places in andalucia
WOW….. what awesome pictures! Breath taking! Being a photographer myself, I love the colors, angles, and effects you captured. You should publish an album!! Thanks for posting these!
I was just in Spain 2 weeks ago and got to see the Alhambra in the afternoon. I did find it a bit boring without furniture but the walls and ceilings are amazing. I loved the room that looks the the ceiling is a sky full of stars. It was beautiful and I can only imagine how much more so at night!! But yes, sometimes you do get burned out. I actually found the gardens even more impressive and could have spent all day there.
Wow, amazing shots. It does look more beautiful at night than at day time I think. It has something magical out of a 1001 nights adventure.
Went there this past February and it was amazing! I wish I went back to visit at night. During the day, it was really busy and it wasn’t even peak season yet. I love the architecture and all the detailing on the ceilings. I don’t think my photograph will ever do justice to the beauty of the Alhambra.
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