The Alhambra after the earthquakes

What happened at the Alhambra in the August 2026 earthquakes?

A magnitude 4.8 earthquake near Alhendín on Saturday 15 August and another northwest of Gójar on Tuesday 18 August hit the Granada area. The Alhambra was evacuated on the 18th and closed for the rest of the day.

The second quake struck at 10:37 in the morning, only five kilometres deep, and several aftershocks of magnitude 4 and above followed within the hour, The Local reported. Three people were lightly hurt in the metropolitan area. The Spanish National Geographic Institute treats the two days as one seismic series.

Inside the monument the damage was small and local. In the Alcazaba, merlons, battlements and bits of render came loose, mostly around the Torre del Homenaje and the Torre Quebrada, and the affected parts turned out to be 20th-century restoration work rather than Nasrid masonry. Pieces of decorative plaster fell in the Nasrid Palaces, in the Throne Room above all, according to alhambradegranada.org. The technical teams ruled out significant structural damage.

The city came off worse than the hill. The National listed the Cathedral, closed for checks on its tower and vaults, falling tiles at San Miguel Bajo in the Albaicín and loose masonry at the Monastery of San Jerónimo.

What reopened on 19 August, and what stayed closed?

The Nasrid Palaces and the Generalife reopened on 19 August at normal hours, on routes changed so groups could be evacuated quickly. The Alcazaba, its towers and the Albaicín monuments stayed closed.

The idea of the new routes was simple: fewer dead ends, shorter paths to an exit. In the palaces that meant a fixed line through the main rooms. Planomato listed the Mexuar, the Court of the Myrtles, the Hall of the Two Sisters, the Hall of the Kings and the Hall of the Abencerrajes as open, with the Torre de la Vela and the Comares Tower off the visit. The Palace of Charles V and its two museums stayed open.

For visitors in late August the practical loss was the Alcazaba: the Torre de la Vela view over the Albaicín and the city is a highlight of the General ticket, and it was gone for five weeks. Anyone holding a Dar al-Horra or Dobla de Oro ticket also lost the Albaicín half of the visit.

One reassuring detail: the Patronato's FAQ says ticket purchases are final, with the exception of cases where the Patronato itself prevented the visit. A closure on their side is that case.

Is the Alcazaba open again?

Yes. The Alcazaba reopened on Wednesday 23 September 2026 on an adapted itinerary. The official notice says the route follows safety and conservation needs and may change.

The wording on the Patronato homepage is careful: the Alcazaba reopens "con un itinerario adaptado a las condiciones de seguridad de la visita pública y a las necesidades de conservación del patrimonio". In plain English, you walk a set route, and the stretches still under repair are roped off. The notice does not list which towers are in or out, and that can change from week to week.

Plan for the fortress taking a little less time than before, and do not promise the kids the top of the Torre de la Vela until you see it open on the day. Everything else about the Alcazaba visit is unchanged: it is included in the General ticket and in the Gardens, Generalife and Alcazaba ticket (€12.73), and you enter it once.

Our take: the reopening matters more than the details. A visit without the Alcazaba felt like two-thirds of the Alhambra. With it back, the classic route from the Puerta del Vino through the fortress to the palaces works again.

Are the Albaicín monuments open after the earthquakes?

Yes. Dar al-Horra and the Casa Morisca Horno de Oro reopened on Saturday 24 October, and the official site lists the Maristán as reopening on Wednesday 28 October, with entry only from Placeta de la Concepción.

These are the small Andalusí monuments the Patronato runs down in the city: the Dar al-Horra palace, the Casa Morisca Horno de Oro, El Bañuelo and others. They are sold on their own (€8.48, free on Sundays) or bundled with the Alhambra in the Dobla de Oro ticket (€30.48), as listed on the official prices page.

The Maristán, the old Nasrid hospital on the Carrera del Darro, has a catch. The homepage notice says access is "exclusivamente por la Placeta de la Concepción, y no por la Carrera del Darro". Do not queue at the riverside door. Walk round to the little square behind it.

What do the earthquakes mean for Alhambra tickets and tours now?

Very little. Prices, ticket types, hours and the Nasrid Palaces time slot are unchanged. The only difference is a set route in the Alcazaba, and guided tours follow it like everyone else.

The General ticket is still €22.27 online and still covers the Nasrid Palaces, the Alcazaba and the Generalife; the tickets and prices guide has every option. Winter hours started on 15 October as usual, covered in our winter post. Tickets are named, so bring the passport or ID you booked with.

For tours, read the listing for the Nasrid Palaces first, then for the Alcazaba. The NHUE small-group tour ($67, about 20 people, 3 hours) covers the palaces, the Alcazaba and the Generalife. The private tour covers the same ground with your own official guide and is the only one here with free cancellation, up to 24 hours ahead. Play Granada's Alhambra and Generalife tour includes the Alcazaba but not the Nasrid Palaces.

Most Alhambra tours on Viator are non-refundable. If a closure ever hits your date again, the operator holds the tickets and decides, so book a tour whose operator answers messages. And if the official site shows no General tickets for your dates, our sold-out guide covers what still works.

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