Overview
The site holds four things at once: the Alcazaba fortress, the Nasrid palaces, the Generalife gardens across the ravine, and the Renaissance palace Charles V dropped into the middle of it in 1527. The Nasrid rooms are plaster, tile and water rather than stone — the carved surfaces are gypsum, cast in moulds and cut by hand, and the courtyards are built around basins that hold the sky. Washington Irving lived in the ruins in 1829 and his book started the restoration.
Highlights
Book months ahead: entry to the Nasrid palaces is by half-hour slot and it sells out, especially in spring. Your slot is for the palaces only — arrive early and see the Alcazaba and Generalife first. Go back at night if you can; the palaces are open on selected evenings and are a different building without daylight or crowds.