Granada and the Alhambra day trip from Seville: is it realistic by train, the €22.27 ticket and the Nasrid Palaces slot, and 13-hour tours from €79

In this guide

💡 The Short Version: Granada is a long day: the direct train from Santa Justa takes about 2 hours 40 minutes each way, with about four a day in each direction, and the general Alhambra visit takes around three hours. The general ticket is €22.27, and the Nasrid Palaces can be entered only at the half-hour printed on it. Online sales close at 23:59 the day before, and tickets cannot be changed or refunded. Book the Alhambra first, then the train. From 15 October to 31 March the Alhambra is open 08:30 to 18:00. Tours from Seville are 13 hours from €79, such as Granada Day Trip with Alhambra and Albaicínad; the Alhambra entry is an option on them. Carry the passport or ID you gave when booking. Tour prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest “from” prices for one adult.

Is it realistic

Yes, with the earliest direct train out and a late one back, and with the Alhambra ticket bought before the train. The journey is about 2 hours 40 minutes each way on the direct train, Renfe’s service from Seville Santa Justa to Granada, and the direct trains run about four times a day, so the Granada end of the day is fixed by the timetable. Alsa runs coaches from the Plaza de Armas station. The Alhambra’s own figure for the general visit is around three hours, with a fixed half-hour for the Nasrid Palaces.

That leaves the palaces, the Alcazaba and the Generalife, and a short walk. The Albaicín, the old Moorish quarter below the Alhambra, needs a second half-day; a tour fits it in by driving. Stay a night in Granada if you want both.

Alhambra tickets

The Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife, which runs the monument, sells tickets in its online shop, by phone on +34 858 889 002, at machines and at the ticket office subject to availability (alhambra-patronato.es).

The Alhambra is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

The rules that decide a visit

• The Nasrid Palaces open to you only at the time on your ticket. They admit 300 people every half hour. If you are not at the entrance then, you are not let in.
• Online sales close at 23:59 the day before. The purchase is final: the time and date cannot be changed, and a ticket can be cancelled only if the Alhambra is at fault. There is no “book now, pay later”. Up to 10 tickets can be bought per person, bank card and month.
• The ticket is named. Carry the ID or passport; staff and police can ask for both.
• Collect on time. Tickets collected from a machine must be collected at least one hour before the Nasrid Palaces time, by the person who booked, with ID and the card used. A print-at-home or QR ticket avoids the queue.
• Bags over 40 by 40 cm are not allowed. Free lockers are available on showing a same-day ticket, subject to availability.
• Each place can be entered once (the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces, the Partal and the Generalife), but you can leave the complex and return within opening hours.

What to see

Allow three hours for the general visit, as the Patronato does, and plan around the Nasrid slot.

The Generalife seen from the Partal gardens. Photo: Benjamin Smith, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

• The Nasrid Palaces, the Mexuar, Comares and Lions palaces, with the Court of the Lions. Arrive at the entrance a few minutes before the slot.
• The Alcazaba, the military fortress, for the views over Granada and the mountains.
• The Generalife, the summer palace and gardens to the east of the Alhambra.
• The Carlos V Palace and the Bath of the Mosque, both on the general ticket.

On a day trip, take the Nasrid slot you can reach on the train and walk the rest either side of it. The gardens and Generalife ticket, €12.73, has no Nasrid slot.

The Court of the Lions in the Nasrid Palaces. Photo: Benjamin Smith, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.

The tours from Seville

All three main listings are 13-hour days with pick-up in central Seville, and the Alhambra entry is an option. The Albaicín walk is in the price of the first two.

Granada Day Trip with Alhambra and Albaicín

From €79 · 13 hours · 1,719 reviews · ANDALSUR

From Seville: Granada Day Trip with Alhambra and Albaicínad drives to Granada with a Spanish- and English-speaking guide, tours the Alhambra if you select the option, and then walks through the Albaicín. Lunch is at your own expense and headphones are not provided.

Alhambra and Albaicín with an optional ticket

From €89 · 13 hours · 1,594 reviews · Granavision

From Seville: Alhambra and Albayzin with Optional Ticketad includes a guided tour of the Albaicín and the Mirador de San Nicolás, with an audio guide. The Alhambra tickets are an option, lunch is an option at €19, and hotel pick-up is included. Granada & Alhambra Tour with Optional Ticketad (€89, 424 reviews, Naturanda) offers either the Alhambra with tickets or the Albaicín walk and free time.

The Alhambra from the Albaicín. Photo: Alan.lorenzo, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Guided Alhambra tours in Granada

These start at the Alhambra, so they suit a visitor arriving by train, who chooses the tour whose time fits the Nasrid slot.

• Granada: Alhambra & Generalife Fast-Track Guided Tourad: €52.50, 8,578 reviews, 3 hours, small groups. The tickets for the Nasrid Palaces, the Generalife, the Alcazaba and the Carlos V Palace are included.
• Alhambra: Nasrid Palaces & Generalife Gardens 3-Hour Tourad: €52.50, 1,528 reviews. The tickets for the palaces and the Generalife are included.
• Fast-Track Alhambra & Nasrid Palaces Guided Tourad: €53, 5,968 reviews, 3 hours, private or small groups. The tickets are included, with the Carlos V Palace.

The Alhambra’s general ticket alone is €22.27, so a guided tour with the ticket costs about €30 more than going in on your own.

Planning the day

1. Buy the Alhambra ticket first, choosing a Nasrid time you can reach: online sales stop at 23:59 the day before.
2. Then book the train on Renfe, out in the morning and back in the evening; the direct trains run about four times a day each way.
3. Carry the ID used for the ticket.
4. Skip the Albaicín on a train day, or take a tour.

Granada is one of the day trips from Seville; Córdoba is the shorter train. Seville public transport covers the way to Santa Justa, and what to book before you go to Seville lists the Alcázar and Cathedral slots to take on the other days. Where to stay in Seville compares the areas.

Common questions

Can you visit the Alhambra as a day trip from Seville?

Yes, but it is a long day. The direct train takes about 2 hours 40 minutes each way, with about four a day, and the general visit to the Alhambra takes around three hours. Book the Alhambra ticket first, because the Nasrid Palaces can be entered only in the half-hour slot printed on it, and plan the train around that slot.

How much is the Alhambra ticket?

€22.27 for the general day ticket, which covers the Alcazaba, the Nasrid Palaces, the Generalife, the Carlos V Palace and the Bath of the Mosque. The gardens and Generalife ticket without the Nasrid Palaces is €12.73. Children under 12 are free but their ticket must be bought at the same time.

How far ahead should I book the Alhambra?

Before you travel. Online sales close at 23:59 the day before, the ticket office sells only what is left for the day, and the Patronato says the purchase is final: no change of date or time and no cancellation, except where the Alhambra is at fault. The ticket carries your name, so bring the ID you gave.

What happens if I miss my Nasrid Palaces time?

You are not let in. The Nasrid Palaces admit 300 people every half hour and only at the time printed on the ticket. The rest of the complex, the gardens, the Generalife and the Alcazaba, can be visited at any time within opening hours.

Is a tour from Seville to Granada worth it?

A tour is a 13-hour day from €79 with the driving, a guide and the Albaicín walk handled, but the Alhambra ticket is an option on the main listings, so check the option you pick includes it. The train leaves you more time at the Alhambra if you book the ticket and the trains yourself.