I visited this WHS in September 2017. I knew before going that this site was very popular and that it is supposedly one of Europe's top sites. However, the information available online is quite confusing and everything seems far more complicated than it actually is to visit.

First of course you need to book your ticket online to visit the Nasrid Palace and Gardens (it really is a must and a highlight). There are so many different possibilities and so many different online travel agencies acting as if they were the official vendors that the whole booking process can be quite daunting at first. Moreover, the tickets are available only from three months in advance. The official site is the one linked to Ticketmaster and you simply choose the date of your visit, and whether you would like to visit the Nasrid palace in the morning or in the afternoon. The receipt is not the actual ticket (which is a tad cumbersome) and you have to enter the same credit card used to book the ticket in a specific machine (which is always supervised, so nothing to worry about) at the Coral de Carbon, the Alhambra ticket office, ticketmaster cashpoints near the Alhambra or at specific Caixa cashpoints.

I opted for the Alhambra General day ticket and an afternoon visit of the Nasrid palace and gardens (which is best for courtyard photography). This ticket includes visits to the Alcazaba, the Generalife palace and gardens and the Partal gardens. Early in the morning I opted to walk to Barrio Sacromonte for splendid panoramic views of the Alhambra. The famous panoramic viewpoint Mirador de San Nicolas is only worthwhile in the afternoon (for photography). The whitewashed Albaicin district is worth getting lost in. There is a UNESCO WHS marker next to the Vega river and 2 UNESCO WHS inscription plaques: one near the Alhambra ticket office and another near Alhambra's Puerta del Vino.

Although the Alhambra is a magnet for tourist groups, the gardens can easily take countless groups without feeling to overcrowded. If you want to go on a splurge you can also opt for a stay at the Parador San Francisco which is inside the Alhambra!

The Alcazaba is worth visiting in the morning for the magnificent views of the Albaicin and Sacromonte districts from Torre del Homenaje, Torre del Cubo and Torre de las Armas. The former tower views are the best as they are the closest to the Nasrid Palace. The Partal balcony plasterwork is worth taking in as well as the 14th century steam baths (hammas) of the Alhambra. The incredible patio of the Renaissance Palacio de Carlos V was a pleasant surprise among the exquisite Moorish architecture and the Alhambra museum inside is worth visiting.

At around 13:20 I decided to queue for the 14:00 entrance to the Nasrid Palace and Gardens. This meant that I was the first one to enter at the alotted time slot and I headed straight to the Patio de los Arrayanes and the Patio de los Leones to view them when they were least crowded. I could go back and forth from one building to the other for hours on end once inside and take in the incredible ceramic tiles, intricate plasterwork and muqarnas. It really is like a return ticket to Morocco. Another hightlight was the view from the Mirador de Lindaraja.

In the late afternoon I headed towards the Mirador de San Nicolas which was full of tourists and locals. A sweet old lady dressed in traditional clothes was selling flamenco castanets. The sunset view from here is breathtaking to say the least. However, behind the hundreds of people who gathered at the square, I caught site of the recently painted St Nicholas Bell Tower next to scaffolding covering the rest of the church. I peeked inside and a friendly local greeted me and asked whether I would like to see sunset from the bell tower for a small donation for the church restoration project which should be ready by 2018.

I closed the gate behind me and after climbing just a few stairs, I had an even more spectacular view all to myself: the Generalife, the Alhambra with the Sierra Nevada in the background, Granada with the Albaicin and Sacromonte districts, the Vega and the Valley of Valparaiso - all in one view (photo). Granada didn't disappoint and for me it surely deserves to be among the top 200 WHS on the list.