The Alhambra against the backdrop of the Sierra Nevada
PHOTOGRAPHS: ALAN CAPSON/AWL IMAGES, MATTEO COLOMBO/AWL IMAGES, STEFANO BROZZI/SIME/4CORNERS, SUSAN E DEGGINGER/ALAMY, HISHAM IBRAHIM/GETTY
Palace-forts & gardens
GRANADA’S ALHAMBRA 1
The Alhambra enchants tourist pilgrims with its marquetry ceilings, geometric tiling and countless patios, trickling fountains and pools. Book ahead to minimise queueing; entry to the Palacios Nazaríes is by preallocated time slots only (alhambratickets.es; 8.30am– 8pm, to 6pm mid-Oct to midMar; advance tickets £12).
The formal gardens are among the crown jewels of the Alcázar
SEVILLE’S ALCÁZAR 2
Built as a fort in 913, the Alcázar has been expanded and partly rebuilt many times in its 11 centuries. The crown jewels are the gardens and the 14th-century Mudéjar Palacio de Don Pedro. The Muslim emir of Granada’s best artisans worked on it, and the palace became a unique synthesis of Iberian and Islamic art (alcazarsevilla.org; Patio de Banderas; 9.30am–7pm Apr–Sep, to 5pm Oct–Mar; £7).