The Mighty Alhambra palace, Granada

Alhambra Palace, Grenada, Andalusia Spain The Alhambra palace is a fascinating landmark and icon of southern Spain, a must see if you are traveling within Andalusia. Easily accessible by high speed rail or motorway Granada itself is a beautiful city worth visiting, with it’s hilltop palace the crowing glory. At over 1800 years old this magnificent palace is a combination of architectural styles and features as the palace changed hands so many times between Christans and Muslims. It is one of the most in tact examples of medieval Islamic architecture and it is something you have to see to believe. Starting at the bottom you can take side streets from central Granda that give way to a cobbled path that starts the boundaries of the palace grounds. Working your way up the hill you can see the sheer scale of the building before you. Within the grounds there are various different buildings to explore, each with their own historical and architectural story and identity. Along with it these buildings offer stunning views of the city below and the surrounding areas. There are plenty of toilets, gift shops and places to buy snacks and beverages but the palace does get overwhelmed by tour groups at times. I went early on a weekday morning so managed to avoid the rush, but by about 11 the place was very full. Certain areas are only accessible with tickets but the majority of the grounds and lesser known buildings are free to enter. I didn’t get the tickets to access all areas but still managed to see plenty of areas within the grounds. There is also a car park on site but again that gets very busy and it is quite expensive compared to the area, best option is to drive into the city or get public transport and make your way into the palace on foot #andalucia #spain #alhambra #palace #history #architecture #summervacation #travelinspiration