Everyone loves the Alhambra, especially Washington Irving.

When traveling for pleasure and exploration, it is such a difficult task narrowing down which places to visit. I asked a young friend, Beth Jones, which of the cities she visited in Spain was a must-see. She said, “Seville and definitely Granada.” We already had Seville booked, so we added Granada to the itinerary.

We did some minimal online searching, found a good Airbnb near Elvira’s Gate, once a major passageway into the city. It was a great location for the few days we spent in Granada. Not to mention, this apartment had the most ingenious dish cabinets. They were bottomless–well, they had drying racks as bottoms–allowing those last drops of moisture to fall back into the double sink.

Most importantly, it was walking distance to the Alhambra, a former fortress, turned mosque, turned castle and more, and the No. 1 tourist attraction in Granada. We had seen online that it was a lovely old palace to visit, but photos just can’t describe the essence of walking the grounds and gardens, which cover almost 35 acres. Even in winter, the sights were beautiful and filled with evergreen bushes, a withered persimmon orchard, and there was even a colorful bed of flowers to brighten the day.

Much of the grounds are accessible for free, but this in one time you don’t skimp. Purchase the Palace and Palacio de Generalife ticket and make a day of it. At nearly 14 Euros apiece, tickets aren’t cheap. But it’s worth it.

It’s a good idea to buy tickets in advance–up to days in advance depending on the time of year–because they do sell out. Tickets are purchased for a specific admission time. It requires a little advance planning, but it’s a good thing because the policy eliminates overcrowding.

Our tour time was 2 p.m. We wanted to give ourselves a little time to tour the grounds so we left the apartment about 11 a.m.

I mentioned our Airbnb was walking distance to the Alhambra, a mere 1.5 km (about nine-tenths of a mile for American audiences). I didn’t mention the Alhambra is at the top of a big hill, and most of the walk was an extreme uphill hike. Buses and taxis are available for the less masochistic, but we’re young and fit–at least that’s what we keep telling ourselves–so off we went.

Our path began at the Arco de las Granadas entrance, which was the closet point from our apartment. It is an ancient stone barrier with a vehicle passage arch in the center flanked by smaller pedestrian arches.

Along our route we saw, and used, slanted benches with shortened legs on the uphill to level the seat for the extreme slope. After catching our breath and trudging on up the hill, we were surprised to see a statue of Washington Irving. After we got air in our lungs and brains again, a recollection came of a book Irving wrote, “Tales of the Alhambra.” Later, after touring the palace rooms he inhabited during his 1829 visit, I added the book to my reading list.

The route past the statue takes you through the Gate of Justice building, the last big ascent, which opens into a grand courtyard near the palaces and fort entrances. It is hard to choose which direction to run off to first. The views are great facing east or west. There is also a rest area, storage locker, snack combo building with nice water closets (European-speak for bathrooms) in this location.

We set off, crisscrossing the yard looking at views and cannons and entering King George’s castle, which is free and has a beautiful circular courtyard. Because we don’t have unlimited resources and are trying to save money where we can, we typically shun tour guides, but this is one place so large and full of history we regret not reserving one. We did speak to a kindly tour guide who warned us to be sure to be IN LINE at the time of our tour through the main palace. We kept that in mind and he gave us a skeptical look as we raced off in the opposite direction. He didn’t know how fast we can cover ground.

It was a long walk from that courtyard to the topiary-arched gardens at the villa Palacio de Generalife; there seemed to be a view worth photographing from all angles: of the town below, of the intricate fountains, the last of the summer roses, the villa itself, and maze-like hedge walls. We even took time to photograph fellow tourists.

We race-walked back to the queue to enter the Royal palace, only to wait with the masses at least 15 minutes. (I expect the line is much longer in summer.) We learned that it had become the Royal Court of Ferdinand and Isabella and was the location where in 1492 Christopher Columbus gained permission to set sail for what became the Americas.

The architecture in the mosque-style palace was intricate and amazing. The walk through is self-paced and it’s possible to sit and take it all in at a number of benches. I loved seeing the tile floors, the lion fountain, the reflecting pool, and the view overlooking Granada from most every room.

The wing of the palace where Washington Irving stayed while hearing fairy stories mixed with facts about the Alhambra is a set of long, narrow, and cool rooms. They did not have much of a view, but opened up to a passage that on one side led to a private sitting garden, and on the other showed the shear drop-off from the palace with the small river below and overlooking the town and the Sierra Nevada mountain range in the horizon.

After spending about an hour walking in and around the big palace, we went into the Alcazaba and walked along its fortress walls. There are lots of opportunities to climb up to multi-leveled walls and to the tower for a 360 view, or you could take the opportunity to soak up some rays.

The Alhambra is “the” reason a tourist should visit the city of Granada. My personal view on traveling is to always go forward. There are so many fascinating places to be seen. However, I would go out of my way to visit the Alhambra again, next time with a tour guide.

To cite an alleged quote from Washington Irving, “How unworthy is my scribbling of the place.”

I believe it.

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