Alhambra

Adventure Holidays to Alhambra

A visit to the Alhambra is an essential part of any tour of Southern Spain. To discuss the range of tours listed below, please call our travel experts who will be happy to present some options to you.

The name Alhambra comes from an Arabic root which means "red or crimson castle", perhaps due to the hue of the towers and walls that surround the entire hill of La Sabica, which is silver by starlight but by sunlight is transformed into gold. However, there is another more poetic version, evoked by the contemporary writers who speak of the construction of the Alhambra fortress "by the light of torches", the reflections of which gave the walls their particular coloration. Created originally for military purposes, the Alhambra was an "alcazaba" (fortress), an "alcázar" (palace) and a small "medina" (city), all in one. This triple character helps to explain many distinctive features of the monument.