We stayed at the Parador,quite beautiful. We reserved tickets 2 months ahead. Four months ahead on Parador.
We read up many cautionaries about when to pick up reserved tickets, when to hit the line in the morning, when to visit the Alhambra etc,etc. We can only recount our experience.
Oversaturated and confused we decided on 11 am for the Alahmbra Palace (in August) to split the difference. This turned out fine. We arrived the afternoon before and did the night visit, the earliest time possible.Picked up reserved night tickets at 4 pm quickly.
The entrada (entrance area) for the night visit was behind the Carlos Quinto. That afternoon, we also explored the Jardines (gardens) ,very hot beyond the shade line. Tickets were simple for Jardines.
That afternoon,the ticket lady was informing a French tourist that Palace tickets were sold out until one week from our day. Also she advised that Easter, holidays went fast:many months ahead. I can't emphasize enough to do the reserved tickets on line or BBBV banks.
In Granada, everyone was totally focused on getting us
to the taquilla (ticket office). When we asked other questions, like how far ahead we should stand in entrada line to the
Palace, what about Generalife etc, they would go back to taquilla advice.
If we had to do it all over again. Well,we would skip the Parador, get a hotel close to the taquilla. We spotted 3 near
the taquilla: Hotel Auxiliares, Hotel Washington Irivng, Hotel Guadalupe.And we would reserve for Cunini, a local
restaurant.
This, of course, is just location, not quality, comfort, price. Auxiliares seemed to offcer a 7 am rolls and coffee breakfast on their bar menu. We stopped there for a water
and coolness break after the Jardines.
When you get to the ticket office pick up area, be careful to get in the reservas line. Everyone had a computer print out. At
7:45 am, the line to get non-reserved tickets was waaaay
out and down the block. We waited 15 minutes for "reservas"
Line was rather daunting. so daunting that I double checked with the guards present (they have uniforms and pistols, but are very nice) about the correct split of lines. It was not immediately clear where it ended,there seemed to be a blend with the monumental long, long, long line. And many did not get
tickets that day. We could hear in "tickets out" anouncement later in the day. And the line was still huge. Not worth it.
Ask "reservas?", wave your computer print out. You will be guided. We then went back and had a nice foritfying breakfast at the Parador. After all we didn't have to beat a fast path, our reserved time was 11 am.
Then a lovely but hot August ramble around the Alcazar fortress area. beautiful views, especially of the hill across, the Albaycin. Each area is a definite in-and-out policy Once you're in area Alcazar, that's where you stay until you leave. Ditto Generalife area. But between the 2, once you leave, nobody cares where you go. The only important thing is to respect the Palace appointment and check out other areas in any order that day before 8 pm.
Way up the hill near the taquilla are snack shops. Nearby (fortress area) are machines with chips and water and aseos (toilets). Also the Parador has a terraza area for lunches, not so cheap.
Even the 11 am time in Palace was crowded but not oppressive. You want romance and the place to yourselve GO AT NIGHT. Even at night the lion's fountain area was glimmering with flash. At night,we simply turned in the opposite direction from the crowd and had the reflecting pool area to ourselves. 3 rooms, no one else......
Packed small flashlights and binoculars, which added. Actually the place is lit up enough. This was to pick up details on the ceilings. One room, the one with the melted cake icing ceiling, we plonked down on the floor to check it out.
Well, that how the guard found us. She pointed out very nicely that the small fountain reflected the ceiling.
Out at Carlos Quinto there seemed to be an occasional tussle with people who wanted to eat sandwiches and sodas. That seems to be a no-no. Guards would zip over and send you on.
One older man, maybe local, maybe not, was eating and feeding the pigeons. He argued long enough so that he finished his sandwich.
I will never forget the sound of water in that one small room in the Palace. Just the two of us. One floor level shell fountain. We sat on the floor and listened. The moldings really look different with the change of light at night. Walked all over the open area with the reflecting pool. Everywhere. No flashing cameras. No chatter, Just quiet. The next day we enjoyed the contrast, being able to spot the color. Getting into the Alhambra a piece of work, but we enjoyed our 5 hour visit.