The Alhambra has scheduled two specialist-led routes marking the 500th anniversary of Carlos V and Isabel de Portugal’s 1526 stay. One follows their palace life; the other explores the Alcazaba’s defences.
Isabel de Portugal moved her residence to the newly built monastery of San Jerónimo after the Alhambra’s accommodation failed to meet the court’s needs. The Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife has scheduled two specialist-led visits for the 1526-2026 anniversary programme. They explore the imperial couple’s stay and the monument’s later military changes.
The first route, Visita Carolina a la Casa Real de la Alhambra, takes visitors through the sala del Mexuar, then on to the patio del Harén and Peinador de la Reina. It examines the couple’s daily life and the challenge of adapting the old palaces for a court accustomed to greater comfort and ceremony.
This visit runs on 24 and 31 October. It returns on 4 November, then on 21 and 28 November. December dates are 12 and 19, followed by 9 January 2027.
The second route, Visita Carolina y Poliorcética de la Alcazaba de la Alhambra, focuses on the fortress’s military role. Stops include the puerta vieja de la Alcazaba. The route also reaches the baluarte de la Mezquita de cabe Darro and the Caballerizas, examining how fortifications changed to meet modern-era defence needs.
Its dates are 25 October; 15 and 22 November; 13 and 20 December; and 10 January 2027. Both routes are led by Juan Antonio Vilar Sánchez, who holds a doctorate in Modern and Contemporary History from the universities of Nimega (Países Bajos) and Granada. He specialises in Carlos V and has published research on the period.
The 1526 stay made Granada a temporary seat of the imperial court. The Alhambra already carried the legacy of the Reyes Católicos, who had used its palaces as a residence and established the foundations of the new Christian kingdom of Granada. The new court’s needs prompted changes to the palace spaces. Isabel’s move to San Jerónimo, meanwhile, showed the limits of the available accommodation.
The visits also cover the Alhambra’s later use by Spanish monarchs from the houses of Austria and Bourbon. They examine changes to its palaces and gardens, as well as its defences, before it became a national monument in the 19th century. The shift of royal power and court life across Spain also features in a Madrid exhibition tracing the city’s rise to court capital.
Tickets cost €12.73 and are available through the Patronato’s official ticket website.
