How to Get Cheap or Free Tickets for the Granada Alhambra Palace
If you would like to visit the Alhambra for less or for free, this post tells you how you can do it.
Detail of the arches of the Alhambra | Luis Cardoso
The Alhambra is one of the most beautiful monuments in Spain, which receives thousands of visitors every year. It is a unique palatine city in Europe and a cultural reference of Hispano-Muslim art in the West whose beauty has inspired travellers from all corners of the globe.
To visit it you will have to buy a ticket. Getting tickets for the Alhambra on the Internet is easy because the offer is wide and varied. However, the possibility of finding discounts that allow you to see the Alhambra for less money or for free is not so easy, although there are some exceptions.
If you would like to know if you are one of the visitors who can have access to cheaper tickets for the Alhambra, I advise you to read on.
The most cost-effective way to see the Alhambra: a guided tour
If you are travelling to Granada on a tight budget and you want to save as much as possible when visiting the Alhambra because you have other activities planned, you can always buy the single ticket (without guided tour or audio guide) on the official website of the monument or at the ticket office.
However, these tickets cannot be cancelled in case of unforeseen circumstances and if you choose to buy them at the ticket office for the same day, the queues can be endless and you run the risk of running out of tickets as places are limited. The standard price for adult tickets is 14 euros.
In my opinion, for a little more money the best option to explore this mythical Nasrid palace city is to take a guided tour of the Alhambra with a professional guide who will reveal all the secrets of this landmark of Islamic architecture and art in Spain
The price of guided tours of the Alhambra varies depending on the type of tour you book and what the tour includes but in Hellotickets you can find options from 37 euros.
How can I save on tickets to the Alhambra?
The Alhambra in Granada is one of the most famous and visited monuments in Spain. As you can imagine, it is difficult to find discounts, offers or cheap tickets at the last minute. However, it is not impossible to save money when buying tickets for the Alhambra. I'll tell you how you can do it, it's very easy!
Buying your ticket at the ticket office
One option is to try to buy a single ticket without a guided tour for the same day of the visit at the ticket office. Although it is a bit cheaper, I don't recommend it because the demand to see the Alhambra is very high and places are limited.
Tickets usually sell out in no time at all and it is not worth queuing endlessly at the ticket office. Your time is also precious and if you buy your Alhambra tickets online in advance you can spend it doing other more fun activities in Granada.
Visiting the Alhambra with the Granada Card
Another possibility to save money on your visit to the Alhambra is to get the Granada Card, a tourist pass with which you can visit the Alhambra and the Generalife as well as other very interesting attractions in the city. With this card you can also use the city bus to get from one place to another comfortably seated.
Buying the Granada Card has several advantages. Not only will you save time (you won't need to queue at the ticket office of each monument to get your tickets) but also money because this 24, 48 or 72-hour tourist card will allow you to access the main attractions of Granada at a reduced or flat rate. You can also enjoy discounts on other tourist services.
Children from 2 to 11 years old can also use the Granada Card for children, which includes the same services as the adult card, so if you are travelling as a family this is an option to consider to save a little more.
Take advantage of discounts
The Alhambra has some discounts for specific groups (people with disabilities, European Youth Card holders, EU citizens over 65, etc.) who can buy tickets at a lower price than the general public, but in order to benefit from these discounts it is essential that these people present a supporting document at the ticket office.
Who has access to reduced rates at the Alhambra?
The visit to the Alhambra in Granada is paid and you will need to buy a ticket to gain access. However, some groups can get them at a lower price than the general public.
Broadly speaking, this is the list of people who could benefit from discounts to visit the Alhambra:
- European Youth Card holders.
- EU citizens over 65 years of age.
- Groups linked to cultural or educational institutions with 15 or more members, with prior authorisation.
- Disabled persons.
If you are one of them, you will have to present at the ticket office of the monument a document proving that you are entitled to the discount. To do this procedure and get your definitive ticket, I recommend you to go to the ticket office well in advance so that this procedure does not take too much time away from your visit to the Alhambra.
Alhambra tickets for children
Tickets at the ticket office
Families who want to try to get single tickets without a guided tour for the same day of the visit at the ticket office can take advantage of the free or discounted tickets available for children.
- The general visit for children up to 11 years old (inclusive) is free when accompanied by an adult.
- The general visit for children from 12 to 15 (inclusive) will have a reduced price of 8 euros when accompanied by an adult.
However, you will have to bring an identity document where the child's age can be verified at the ticket office and access to the Alhambra.
Even though they are free, it is compulsory for any visitor to have a ticket to access the monumental complex as it is a guarantee against any incident that could occur in it.
Buy tickets online
The great advantage of booking your Alhambra tickets online in advance is that you will have the tickets with you before your trip and you won't have to queue endlessly at the ticket office to try to get one of the tickets on sale for the same day.
The capacity is limited and the demand is very high so you could run the risk of running out of tickets after having been there for so long.
In Hellotickets you can find tickets or guided tours to the Alhambra where the price of the children's ticket is also somewhat lower than that of the adults, so you can save money without having to get the tickets at the last minute once in Granada!
When is it free to enter the Alhambra?
There is currently no specific day on which you can enter the Alhambra for free. To visit the interior of the monumental complex you need to buy a ticket beforehand.
However, there are some exceptions that will allow you to enjoy the Alhambra without spending a euro. Here's how you can do it!
If you are from Granada or resident in Granada
The Alhambra is the great emblem of the city of Granada and in order to raise awareness of its historical and cultural importance among the local population, the Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife launched an initiative so that all locals and residents in the province can enter for free during the weekends.
Those who want to visit the Alhambra for free have to make a reservation online by filling in the form and attaching the required supporting documentation. Another option is to book in person at the Residents' Office located in the Corral del Carbón.
Unfortunately, people who are not from Granada or do not live there cannot participate in this initiative, but foreigners still have another option to contemplate the Alhambra without opening their wallets.
If you are a foreign traveller
If you are on a tight budget on your trip to Granada and prefer not to buy tickets to the Alhambra in order to see other places or in case you can't afford tickets to the monument, don't worry because you can always visit the free part of the Nasrid palace city and take some beautiful photographs as a souvenir.
Although the free part is the least spectacular part of the monumental complex, it has some very interesting places to see such as:
- The walls
- The Gate of Justice, which is the most iconic gate of the enclosure.
- The Plaza de los Aljibes
- The Puerta de los Carros
- The Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.
- On the esplanade in front of the palace you can see the Wine Gate and even take a souvenir photo with the Albaicín in the background.
- The Calle Real, the main street of the old Medina which has been preserved since the Middle Ages.
- The Parador de Turismo de Granada in the Alhambra
Another place you can go for free to enjoy the wonderful Alhambra is the Mirador de San Nicolás in the Albaicín neighbourhood.
It is said that this is the most beautiful sunset in Spain and from here you will get the best panoramic view of the Andalusian fortress with the Sierra Nevada in the background. You will also have unbeatable views of the Alcazaba, the Nasrid palaces and the Generalife.
In short, what can I see for free in the Alhambra?
Access to the monumental complex of the Alhambra in Granada is fee-paying and you will need to buy a ticket to take a tour of the Nasrid palace city. However, there are some sites in the Alhambra that you can see without spending money.
To make it clearer, here is a summary of what you can see in the Alhambra for free and what you can't see:
Requires a paid entrance ticket
- The Nasrid Palaces
- The Generalife Gardens and Palace
- The Alcazaba
- The Bath of the Mosque
It is free and does not require a ticket
- The Walls
- The Gate of Justice
- The Plaza de los Aljibes
- The Palace of Charles V, which houses the Alhambra Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.
- The Royal Street of the Alhambra
- The Wine Gate
- The Mirador of San Nicolas
- The Gate of the Carriages
- The Parador of Granada in the Alhambra, a former 15th century convent built by the Catholic Monarchs.