Malaga Excursion to the Alhambra Palace in Granada
Many cruise passengers arriving in Malaga take a shore excursion to Granada's
Alhambra Palace. This is often the highlight of their entire vacation.
This is no wonder because the Alhambra is the most outstanding remaining example
of Moorish art in the Western world attracting over two million annual visitors.
Guide books to Spain suggest that if you only see one town in Spain it should
be Granada so your ship's arrival in nearby Malaga provides the perfect
opportunity to visit this most exciting, sensual and romantic of all European
monuments.
What is the Alhambra Palace?
Spain was subject to Moorish rule to
varying extents geographically between the year 711 and 1492 with Al-Andalus,
modern day Andalucia in the south of the country, most influenced. The
Alhambra was the palace-fortress of the last Spanish Moorish kingdom, and in its
construction Moorish art reached a spectacular climax. But the building seems to
go further than this, revealing something of the whole brilliance and spirit of
Moorish life and culture.
On this private tour we will meet at a prearranged time at your ship then
begin the 80 mile drive to Granada heading northeast along the N-331. This takes
around 1½ hours depending on traffic getting out of Malaga city. Upon arrival in
Granada we will park at the entrance to the Alhambra Palace from where your
visit begins.
You have two tour options on arrival:
1) You can visit the Palaces alone or maybe rent the audio guides which are
available at the ticket office. We will reserve your tickets in advance
and our driver will accompany you to the ticket office to collect them.
2) You can choose to have a private guided tour with a licensed guide who
will meet you at the ticket office and take you on a three hour tour of the
Palaces and Generalife gardens.
Typically most cruise ships arrive in Malaga in the morning (around 9am) and
depart in the early evening (around 6.30pm). Considering the journey time
without allowing for any delays due to traffic is approximately 1½ hours we
usually suggest that visitors have lunch in the grounds of the Alhambra (Parador
or Hotel America) then we depart between 3pm and 3.30pm. Unfortunately,
this doesn't allow much time to see very much of the city of Granada.
If your ship's arrival and departure time does allow for some flexibility our
driver will be happy to head down to Plaza Nueva with you along Cuesta de
Gomerez then along the Carrera del Darro into the Albaicín district. This is the
largest and most characteristic Moorish quarter that survives in Spain. Here you
can visit the Mirador de San Nicolás which offers a spectacular, panoramic view
of the Alhambra with the snow capped peaks of the Sierra Nevada mountains in the
background.
Excursion Prices
The price of this shore excursion from Malaga port to Granada's Alhambra
Palace is found by adding the daily rate for the vehicle with driver from the
1st box to the ticket/guide price in the 2nd box.
For Example:
2 People wanting a private guided tour on a weekday
= €435 + €12 + €12 + €175 = €634 Total.
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