The Alhambra is undoubtedly the main draw-card for many visitors to Granada. Year on year this fort, palace and church receive a higher volume of visitors than any other attraction or landmark in Spain. After visiting there last week, I can certainly see why. The complex is lush, imposing, and beautiful all at once, and demanded my attention more than any other building I’d come upon in Spain thus far. The vast complex stretches luxuriantly on a hillside, all symmetry and brown walls, sitting against a backdrop of distant snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada. Needless to say then, that the Alhambra deserves a bit of space on your SD card or phone memory. Taking a photo or three-hundred of this complex is an absolute must for any visitor. But where do you go to get the best shot when in Granada? Read on to find out.

NB: Wanna read more about Granada? Read our thoughts on visiting here.

Alhambra 2019 — ALhambra

**WHERE**: Granada, Andalucia
**WHY**: World class monument
**TIME**: 1 afternoon

LOCATION 1: MIRADOR SAN NICOLAS

Calle Mirador de San Nicolás, 18010 Granada

The first option for photographing the Alhambra is easily the most popular. However, after spending a few hours there photographing the site, I can certainly see why. This viewpoint, located a short 15 minute walk from the centre of town affords the visitor an excellent panoramic view of the Alhambra and the surrounding mountains. However, proximity to Granada centro has its costs, and this viewpoint is an exceptionally popular location for other tourists, stalls, and street vendors, making it a less than tranquil location from which to shoot. However, the view is unparalleled, and I can vouch for just how awesome the Alhambra looks as the sun begins to set over the mountains to the west. My advice, get here by 4:30, secure a spot on the wall, and bunker down until sunset, which should be at 5:30 – you’re unlikely to get a better shot of this bad boy. Also, Bill Clinton described this spot as having ‘the most beautiful sunset in the world,’ way back in 1997. As of December 2019, this statement still holds up.

LOCATION 2: Albaicin neighborhood

calle de San luis, 18010, Granada

Conveniently located just below Mirador San Nicolas, the winding alleyways of the Albaicin neighbourhood also afford a few sneaky vantage points by which to shoot Alhambra. If you’re looking for an excellent frame for the main fortress, the alleways, dead ends, and steep hills of this suburb will provide you a series of great photo opportunities. While the light was absolutely horrible when I was walking through, I managed to get a few good shots at a few street junctions, which got better as I walked. I’d recommend exploring this neighborhood heavily on your descent down from the Alhambra.

LOCation 3: Sacromonte

Calle Siete Cuestas, 1801, Granada

If distance isn’t too much of a concern for you, then the views on offer at the top of Sacromonte should be the top of your list, especially for an early (I mean very early) sunrise shot. While a bit of a trek from the main drag within Granada, Sacromonte is well worth the effort. Sacromonte is traditionally known as the ‘gypsy quarter’ of Granada, and you can reach the viewpoint by heading to the hill above the Sacromonte Caves museum. The view is the type of breathtakingly awesome that you wish travel bloggers would cease writing about it in aid of preservation. I wish that too, hypocritically.

Feeling hungry? Read our guide to food, drink and wine in Granada here.

LOCATION 4: MIRADOR DE SAN MIGUEL ALTO

Calle Patio de la Alberca, 36, 18010 Granada

Hardly the ‘best kept secret’ of the city anymore, the highest point in Granada can provide some truly awesome photographic opportunities of the Alhambra and the surrounding city, but you certainly have to be willing to work for it. To get here, you essentially need to clamber up a small mountain – the co-ordinates you need to plug into google maps will be for ‘Ermita De San Miguel Alto,’ and you can reach it after visiting San Nicolas viewpoint. Word of warning, this site is purportedly the location for a religious pilgrimage that occurs ever year in late September, so probably avoid it then. However, it will be far quieter than San Nicolas, and provide a wider view.

Location 5: Generalife Gardens

Palacio generalife, 18009, Granada

This is a seemingly obvious one, but is one that I feel is worth pointing out. The actual tickets for visiting the Alhambra will include ticketing to visit the adjoining Generalife Palace and garden complex. The eastern side of this garden complex will provide you the most unmolested views of the Alhambra that you will find in Granada – there is plenty of room for every pundit with a massive lens, so you will easily be able to find room to take a few decent shots. For the 14 euro entry, its an absolute given.

GENERAL ADVICE

While this is by no means a photography blog, let me give you some really simple pointed on how to make the most out of your shots at each of these locations.

Have a zoom lens. A prime lens isn’t going to work for any of these locations, and you’re going to need at least a 150mm lens to do it any kind of justice.
Go for golden hour. This is a simple rule for pretty well all photography – however, it stands particularly poignant for the Alhambra. The site will look dull and lifeless in pretty well all light outside of sunrise and sunset. I suspect this is due to the smog of the city, but I found that I only got decent shots of the exterior or the complex at around 7:30 am and after 4:30 pm.
General safety: without stereotyping too much, the ‘Roma’ neighborhood of Sacramonte is extraordinarily touristy, and will be full of some more undesirable types – keep a strong grip on your gear, and do not, I repeat, not accept any rosemary offered to you from the Roma ladies around these areas, you’ll be expected to pay a premium for it. Just say, ‘No tengo dinero,’ when it is offered to you.
Don’t be a tool: travel photographers, as a rule, are a boorish bunch. Forcing their way through crowds to shoot the same photo that every Jack, Jane and Alejandro is currently taking. Don’t be that guy. Be patient, wait your turn, or get there early, for heaven’s sake.

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