A flight of stairs in Alhambra, Granada, Spain. Alhambra is easily one of the most magical castles in the world and a personal favorite. Its architecture and history embody much of what makes Spain such a culturally rich and fascinating place. I remember studying Alhambra in art history class. It has served as inspiration for numerous artist such as M. C. Escher and Matisse. It has been a scene in western literature since its creation, being featured in works by Washington Irving, Salman Rushdie, Paulo Coelho and George Bernard Shaw as well as serving as inspiration for music, film sets and video games. It’s an amazing place and the image above is just one small corner. More photos of other spots in the palace complex will feature soon.

I highly recommend visiting, but I do have some advice: The Alhambra Palace complex is huge, being composed of three separate palaces and the surrounding grounds. You can easily spend all day there so plan in advance. If I recall correctly, visiting the interior of the actual Alhambra Palace requires a timed ticket purchased in advance. The first link below is where you buy tickets and it’s via Ticketmaster. The second link is the official tourism site for the city of Granada, the source for the first link, and where to get more information on both Alhambra and Granada. In addition, the palace complex is very busy, expect crowds and queues when you’re there, but it’s very much worth it. Finally, Granada is one of those wonderful cities that gets abused by thoughtless tourists barging in and out of the city to see a single tourist site. If I’m going to recommend you visit Alhambra, please be thoughtful and courteous to the city and the locals.

http://apc.ticketmaster.es/nav/landings/es/mucho_mas/entradas_alhambra/entradas.html

http://www.alhambra-patronato.es/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhambra

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generalife