10 Tips for Visiting the Alhambra in Granada with Kids

Discovering the Alhambra with children is a fantastic idea, but like all family activities, it requires a bit of organisation for everything to go perfectly. Even more so when it's a long visit of several hours, as is the case of the Nasrid palace city. I'll tell you everything you need to know!

The dream of many travellers is to go to Granada to discover its mythical Alhambra, one of the most beautiful monuments in Spain and a cultural reference of Hispano-Muslim art in the West. It is, therefore, a very popular monument where the capacity is limited due to security and conservation reasons.

So, in order to ensure access to the Nasrid fortress on the date and time you want, I recommend that you book your tickets to the Alhambra as far in advance as possible, as soon as you book your flight or your hotel.

This is the first piece of advice I would give you when it comes to seeing the Alhambra, especially if you are travelling to the city with your family. If you buy your Alhambra tickets in advance, as well as being able to compare rates and prices, you will avoid long queues with your children at the ticket office to get them. This is essential so that they don't get tired before the visit even begins.

The visit to the Alhambra in Granada is paid and a ticket is required to access the Alhambra. However, children can get them at a lower price than adults, which allows families to save a little on holidays, which is never a bad thing.

Getting tickets at the box office

Sometimes parents prefer to buy tickets to the Alhambra and do the cultural visits at their own pace because they feel that they will be more comfortable if at some point there is an emergency to go to the toilet or if there is a need to take a break to eat or play, especially when the children are still young.

If this is your case, you can book your skip-the-line tickets for the Alhambra without a guided tour on the day of the visit and benefit from a discount or free tickets for children up to 11 years old.

Every day the capacity is limited and there are long lines at the ticket office to try to get tickets. If you don't mind the risk of queuing and not getting tickets for the same day, I recommend you take a look at the conditions to try your luck and take advantage of the reduced price on children's tickets at the box office. Of course, you will have to bring an identity document where the age of the children can be verified at the entrance to the Alhambra.

How to buy tickets online for your visit to the Alhambra

However, if the children are older and you think they can have a good time on a guided tour of the Alhambra, I highly recommend this option. Not only will they enjoy the beautiful views of the Andalusian palace city, its gardens and fountains, but they will also hear some very curious legends and learn very interesting things in a fun way.

This type of tour is adapted to families and the guides are very friendly with the kids, so taking a guided tour of the Alhambra is a fantastic idea if you want to do something different with your family and at the same time get to know this monument in detail.

If you want to book your places in one of these tours that visit the Nasrid fortress, 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 adults, so you can save money without having to get the tickets at the last minute once you are in Granada!

When booking your tickets for the Alhambra with children, it is a good idea to prepare the visit with them beforehand so that they know something about what they are going to see and can let their imagination run wild once they are inside the Alhambra. For example, you can introduce them to its history by telling them when it was built, who used to live there, what life was like here, etc.

In fact, there are books about the Alhambra and its legends dedicated to children that can help you in this task, such as La Alhambra contada a los niños by Ricardo Villa Real Molina or Cuentos de la Alhambra para niños by Washington Irving, an adaptation for children of the original work by the American writer.

Older children will probably be familiar with it from their history classes at school or from having seen it on TV series such as Isabel, which tells the story of the reconquest of the kingdom of Granada.

The visit to the Alhambra is a long one: it lasts about 3 hours, so it is likely that at some point during the tour the children will get hungry and thirsty. It is important not to be caught unawares and to carry plenty of water and a snack in your backpack or bag, as there are no refreshment areas inside the Alhambra.

Granada is hot, especially in summer, so if you are going to visit the Alhambra with children I recommend you to do it early in the morning when it is still cool. The kids will wake up full of energy and will be able to make the most of the tour of the monument.

Also, if you book your tickets for the Alhambra early in the day there are usually not so many tourists or large groups, so it will be more pleasant to walk around without crowds, take pictures, enjoy the details and even take a break to recharge your batteries during the visit.

As with any excursion with children, when booking your Alhambra tickets there are a few things to bear in mind, such as the weather and the children's clothing.

Many families take advantage of the summer holidays to visit the Alhambra and, at this time of year, it tends to be very hot in Granada. Remember to protect your children from the sun by wearing a hat and sunglasses, as well as sun cream on their skin, as they will be exposed to outdoor spaces such as the Generalife and its gardens or the Partal.

Don't forget to dress them in comfortable shoes either, as the visit to the Nasrid fortress is long and they will be walking a lot from one place to another. Besides, they will probably take advantage of the open-air paths to play and run around, so it is best to wear shoes that have already been broken in so that they can enjoy themselves to the full.

Before starting your visit to the Alhambra with children, it is essential to take them to the toilets, as there are hardly any toilets inside the monumental complex, and we know that children can have an emergency at any time.

At the entrances to the palatine city and near the Palace of Charles V you will find a toilet area, so bear this in mind when planning your visit!

For those of you who have babies or children who do not walk very far, you should know that access to the Alhambra with pushchairs is not permitted for reasons of conservation of the monument.

However, don't worry because there is a free baby carrier service (up to a maximum of 12 kilos) for visitors who need to leave their pushchairs in the cloakroom. You will find it at the Wine Gate and you can use it on presentation of your ticket. It is a good option to move around more freely and to make a visit to the Alhambra with children more comfortable.

When travelling with children, another important point to prepare in advance is where to eat after the visit. It's not something that should be left to chance, as by the time you're done the kids might be very hungry and if you don't know Granada it's not advisable to make them wander around looking for a free table in such a touristy city. They might get tired and have a tantrum!

So before you go into the first restaurant you come across, I recommend you check out my article on where to eat near the Alhambra. You'll hit the nail on the head for sure!

To make your visit to the Alhambra more exciting and fun, on the day of the activity I recommend you to book the Granada tourist train, which has a stop at the monument. This way, the kids won't get tired walking up the slope that leads to the top of Sabika Hill, the place where the Andalusian palace city is located. It is important that they save their energy for the visit afterwards.

It is a means of transport that takes you around the main tourist attractions of Granada and has an audio guide service and two special information channels for children that narrate in an entertaining way what they are seeing, so both adults and children will really enjoy the experience.

Moreover, thanks to the Hop-on Hop-off system, you can use the vehicle as public transport to move between different parts of the city, as you can get on and off at any stop along the route. This is a very useful option if you want to save time on your journeys or give your legs a rest after all that walking. However, if you want to know other ways to get to the monument, I recommend you to read my article how to get to the Alhambra.