Alhambra
UNESCO World Heritage Site (Alhambra, Generalife And Albayzin, Inscribed 1984), Nasrid Royal Palace And Fortress Complex Begun 1238 And The Most Visited Monument In Spain After The Sagrada Familia · Granada, Andalusia
The last and greatest thing the Moors built in Spain, finished in the fourteenth century and handed over intact in 1492, which is why it survives when almost nothing else of that world does. It is not one building but a walled hill town: a fortress at the western end, a run of royal palaces in the middle, a ruined medina between them, and the Generalife gardens on the slope opposite. The palaces are the reason to come and are the hardest thing to get into. Inside them the walls are covered in carved plaster, tile and Arabic inscription worked so finely that stone appears to have been woven, and courtyards are built around still water that doubles everything above it. It should be understood as architecture made for a climate: shade, running water and the sound of it, arranged to cool a room. Book weeks ahead, learn your Nasrid Palaces time, and be at that door early, because it will not be moved for you.
Calle Real de la Alhambra, Granada, Andalusia, 18009, Spain
NO OPENING TIME HERE WAS CHECKED. The structure: daytime visits run in two blocks with SEPARATE SUMMER AND WINTER SCHEDULES, and last admission is well before closing. NIGHT VISITS run on limited evenings as a separate ticket, showing either the Nasrid Palaces or the Generalife but not both. The binding constraint is not the opening time but the HALF-HOUR NASRID PALACES SLOT printed on your ticket. Sections close for restoration on rotation. Confirm the season schedule and your slot.