The Generalife was built as a summer palace for the Muslim emirs, a place of retreat where they could kick back with their harems and take some time away from the world. Its charming gardens – undoubtedly the highlight of the Generalife - are still a prime place to do just that.
Generalife Gardens are designed for tranquility, with everywhere the trickle of running water cooling the senses. Tall cypresses frame pathways, fountains play in arches over long pools, streams flow down staircases, flowers and flowering trees cast their scent, and hedges enclose serene little lawns. The sultana’s garden, with its ancient cypress trunk, was where one sultan’s wife trysted with her lover (and was caught, precipitating bloodshed – hard to believe as you stand in this artful paradise).
The Generalife Gardens make a delightfully relaxing end to an Alhambra visit. If you leave the Alhambra by the Puerta de la Justicia and walk around its southern end. If you want to visit the palace itself, follow the Paseo de los Cipreses (Passage of the Cypresses). You can visit the Alhambra with the general daytime ticket, with the option for morning or evening, and you can also visit it at night, for which you will have to purchase the Evening admission ticket.
If you wish to visit the gardens, with the daytime admission ticket there is a possibility of purchasing a ticket that allows to visit the main garden areas of the Monument.
