Historic · Vega de Granada

Dar al-Horra Palace

Dar al-Horra is a late Nasrid palace in Granada's upper Albaicín, linked to Aixa, mother of Boabdil, built over an 11th-century Zirid palace around a porticoed courtyard and pool.

About Dar al-Horra Palace

Dar al-Horra, the 'house of the honest woman', stands at the end of Callejón de las Monjas in the upper Albaicín. It was raised in the late Nasrid period on the site of the 11th-century Zirid palace that was the first residence of Muhammad I, and is linked to Aixa, mother of the last sultan, Boabdil. After 1492 Queen Isabel gave it to the convent of Santa Isabel la Real, which still surrounds it. It is a Bien de Interés Cultural run by the Alhambra trust.

The palace follows the Nasrid plan: a courtyard with a central pool, arched porticoes at either end and rooms with carved stucco and wooden ceilings. From the upper floor a small lookout tower frames views over the Albaicín to the Alhambra.

Dar al-Horra is on the Andalusí monuments ticket (€8.48), shared with El Bañuelo, the Casa Morisca on Calle Horno de Oro and the Corral del Carbón; entry is free on Sundays and no timed booking is needed. From 15 September to 30 April it opens daily 10:00–17:00; from 1 May to 14 September 09:00–14:30 and 17:00–20:30. There is no car access: walk up from Plaza Nueva (about 15 minutes, steep) or take an Albaicín minibus. Allow 30 minutes. Stairs and cobbles make it hard for wheelchairs.

Combine it with El Bañuelo on one morning and finish at the Mirador de San Nicolás. Outside Sundays it is rarely busy.

Dar al-Horra Palace in pictures

Arched portico and tiled roofs seen from the upper gallery of the Dar al-Horra Palace, Granada

What you’ll find

Free entryFree visit (10:00–17:00)Free
Monument visitSelf-guided visit (€8, 10:00–17:00)Ticket

Nearby places to visit

Dar al-Horra is a good start for a walk down through the Albaicín. El Bañuelo (450 m), on the same Andalusí monuments ticket, is at the bottom of the hill on the Carrera del Darro, close to the Archaeological Museum of Granada (550 m). In the lower town to the south, Granada Cathedral (550 m) and the Royal Chapel of Granada (650 m), where Isabel and Ferdinand lie, stand side by side, and the Corral del Carbón (750 m) is a 14th-century Nasrid inn entered through a carved horseshoe arch. The Mirador de San Nicolás, a few streets away, is Granada's best-known viewpoint.