8 Must Know tips for Alhambra visit and the secret best viewpoints and photography spots

Forget about only getting inside Alhambra, you need to get into these viewpoints, especially if you are into photography.

Before I delve into actual photography spot tips, you gotta be well on time booking your tickets to Alhambra, as otherwise there’s a high chance you miss out on the whole experience.

First time I actually only visited the Alhambra Gardens and other buildings, not the Alhambra itself as from photographer point of view that is even better (but more on that later on the article).

Get your tickets here on Alhambra’s official website: https://tickets.alhambra-patronato.es/en/

Please note that this is the only official site, all kinds of travel agencies may charge much bigger prices and they do not have more availability on their site so I definitely recommend using the official one.

Remember also to take your passport along and have the ticket QR code ready on your phone as both are asked.

The best thing about the Alhambra ticket is that it is valid all day.

Alhambra and its surroundings can be visited from 8:30-18:00 in winter and 8:30-20:00 in summer.

Only spot with specific time slot is for Nasrid Palaces, and for that you need to select a time slot while purchasing the ticket.

I started with the Alhambra Gardens in the morning when it was not too crowded yet, as most of the people head first inside Alhambra.

This way I could get loads of awesome images without crowds in the pictures.

Anyhow, as the area is quite big, you can get great pictures in more crowded times as well, you just gotta be more patient to wait for your time for that perfect shot.

The more you get into photography and you start developing your own eye and vision, the less you understand what the crowds are photographing with their phones.

So actually even in busy times in tourist attractions you can catch loads of stunning images without having anybody on the way, as people tend to gather on photographing the same spot, same view, same idea.

In that way homo sapiens is quite a herd animal, just following the masses.

Nothing wrong with that, but if you are aspiring photographer, take your time finding actually visually pleasing angles, perspectives and ideas.

You’d be surprised how nobody else is doing the same and you feel like a winner with that awesome photo in your DSLR.

You have probably seen stunning images of Alhambra from the outside, with all the towers, walls and the hill, yet you wonder where is that from.

So, this is a bit of a walk, but this is a viewpoint you don’t want to miss out on, on your visit in Granada.

The best secret viewpoint of Alhambra in Granada is in Albaicin, here’s an exact location on Google maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/FAsRfK48bvWTYMtn7

So, forget about the official viewpoints and do an evening walk up this hill for stunning views of Alhambra.

Not to take anything away from Granada centre, but it is not that different from other Spanish towns.

I would definitely rather choose to stay nearby Alhambra than in the city centre during the stay in Alhambra.

We stayed in this hotel, which is a decent hotel with good breakfast buffet, nice pool and standard, good hotel room.

It is located very near Alhambra entrance.

There are not really stores nearby, but there are some nice restaurants, like a pizzeria and some fancier places and the hotel we stayed in also offers lunch and dinner buffet with very reasonable price (that was great after a day of walking and photographing Alhambra).

There is also a bus going to city, yet I did not take it due to the next point.

I know travelling is often a guarantee of minimum 10k steps a day, but if you still have energy to walk, I definitely recommend taking a stroll down to the city instead of going by bus.

The pedestrian path goes through gardens and greenery which is closed off from cars.

It is beautiful, serene and green. There are definitely lovely green photoshoot locations as well.

Sorry for spoiling, but you may have read about the artisan district in Granada centre, which is presumably photogenic, nice and authentic.

Well, in my opinion it really is not.

For someone who has visited about 8 times in Morocco, the Granada artisan district was very disappointing.

They don’t sell much actual artisan stuff, like rugs, ceramics or spices, but they have cheap Chinese stuff, like water bottles, post cards, plastic souvenirs and clothes.

I know you may be curious to see it yourself, but I wish I skipped it and spent my time rather exploring Albaicin. Which brings me to last point.

I would recommend strolling and dining in Albaicin rather than spending time in Granada centre.

It is more romantic, old town vibes, whereas the cente is, well, nice, basic Spanish city.

If you stay nearby Alhambra, again I recommend rather walking than taking a bus/taxi, as the pedestrian path goes through Alhambra area into beautiful pathways.

That’s all the tips from me for your visit to Alhambra, for more photography ideas you can see all my favorite photos I did in

Alhambra over here: