ONE of Spain's most popular and world-famous attractions is practically queue-free thanks to a new system where visitors print their tickets at home.
Granada's spectacular Alhambra Palace has, historically, involved allowing a margin of several hours to queue for tickets – even since 2007, when they became available online, tourists still had to prepare for a certain amount of standing in line as they needed to pick up the paper copy from the entrance office.
But the system which has come into effect in the last few weeks, designed by Hiberus Technology, lets visitors book online and print their ticket off at home or use their mobiles to scan the QR code at the entrance.
The latter does not work so well with older phones, those which run fairly slowly or have damaged screens, meaning it is safer to print tickets either at home or in an internet café as a precaution.
Otherwise, printing can be carried out from any of the 10 terminals near the Generalife gardens or the Carlos V Palace in the Estafeta building on the complex.
Traditional ticket-buying at the gate is still available and, for the first time, entries can be bought using a credit or debit card if required, not just in cash.
Pre-booked tickets can be bought up to three months in advance, and no later than two hours before the planned visit, meaning tourists know exactly when they will be able to get into the complex and not have to hang around if it is already full to capacity.
QR codes and printed tickets automatically link to the visitor's national ID number or passport number, with details of individual tourists on each, meaning nobody can use a ticket in someone else's name, preventing illegal bulk-buying and resales at inflated prices.
The ticket office and Alhambra website are constantly in contact with each other, meaning the new system can never allow the complex's capacity to be overwhelmed by mistake.
This is crucial for general safety, to avoid a crush, as well as for security, by preventing terrorist attacks or other violence.
Whilst unlikely, the attacks in Catalunya in August have led the Alhambra Palace to tighten up its security, with visitors screened at the entrance to each section of the complex, CCTV cameras fitted, concrete flower pots and bollards preventing unauthorised vehicles entering, and even a team of trained dogs in use to sniff out explosives.
Security advice and requirements will be listed in the confirmation email sent by Hiberus Technology once tickets are bought online.
Although bulk-buying for resale is illegal, the website does include separate facilities for travel agencies, schools and other organisers of group trips, allowing them to link up their Alhambra entries with other activities in different areas.
Free-of-charge activities on the complex have multiplied in the last few months, and even allow for visitors to see some parts without buying an entry to get physically inside.
With an average of 200 tourists an hour, or between 2.5 and three million a year, the Alhambra Palace is Spain's most-visited monument and one of the most popular in Europe, meaning the changes to ticket-buying were completely necessary.
Beforehand, many tourists said the long queues and having to buy tickets in cash spoiled their visit, as the system was outdated – something that should never be the case with such a famous international landmark.
