On 2 January the Alhambra lets anyone climb the Torre de la Vela, the watchtower on the Alcazaba, and pull the rope of its bell, and it costs nothing with an invitation. That same morning, down in Plaza del Carmen, the city parades the royal banner of the Catholic Monarchs from the town hall to their tombs and back.
Día de la Toma is the Granada holiday that marks the surrender of the city to Isabella and Ferdinand on 2 January 1492. In 2027 it falls on a Saturday, which suits a visitor: the Alhambra keeps its winter hours, the bell is open to the public and the Nasrid Palaces have a night visit at 20:00.
What is Día de la Toma in Granada? A local holiday every 2 January that recalls the Catholic Monarchs taking Granada in 1492. The Ayuntamiento de Granada carries the royal banner from Plaza del Carmen to the Capilla Real around 11:15, and the Alhambra opens the Torre de la Vela so the public can ring its bell, free with an invitation.
Is it worth being in Granada on 2 January
Día de la Toma is a good day for a visitor who wants the Alhambra plus something locals actually turn out for. The bell climb draws around eight thousand people each year, most of them from Granada, and the popular belief is that whoever rings it on 2 January will marry within the year.
It is less suited to anyone after a big show. The banner ceremony is a formal civic, military and religious act, watched standing in a packed square, and the day divides opinion in the city: every year the Granada Abierta platform holds an alternative event in Plaza de Mariana Pineda that rejects what the date celebrates. If you are in town for New Year, the day after the Plaza del Carmen party on 31 December and the closed Alhambra of 1 January, 2 January is the first full day back on the hill.
How to get a free invitation to ring the Torre de la Vela bell
The Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife hands out free invitations for the Torre de la Vela on 2 January through its ticket website and at the Corral del Carbón, on Calle Mariana Pineda, from 9:00 to 19:00. Each year the Patronato opens requests in the last days of December; in the previous edition they opened on 27 December at 9:00 and stayed open until the places ran out.
The third route is on the day itself. The Patronato releases 200 invitations at the Alhambra ticket office from 8:00, first come, first served. Go early: the office opens 30 minutes before the monument, which opens at 8:30, so allow 30 minutes in the queue and be there at 8:00 to be sure of one.
Which Alhambra ticket also gets you up the tower
On 2 January the Patronato also allows holders of two regular tickets up the Torre de la Vela, within the tower’s capacity. The Alhambra Gardens ticket costs 12.73 euros and covers the Alcazaba, the Partal and the Generalife; the General costs 22.27 euros and adds a timed entry to the Nasrid Palaces.
For a visitor who planned the Alhambra anyway, the General is the obvious choice: one ticket, the bell and the palaces on the same morning. The catch is availability over the holidays, so check which areas each Alhambra ticket covers and the Alhambra’s Christmas calendar before you fly. On a Saturday 2 January the cheaper alternative is to ring the bell with an invitation and book the night visit to the Nasrid Palaces at 12.73 euros for 20:00.
Where to watch the royal banner ceremony and when
The banner ceremony starts in Plaza del Carmen, in front of the town hall. In 2026 councillors gathered at 11:15, there was a military reception at 11:20, and the procession walked to the Capilla Real along Calle Reyes Católicos, Gran Vía de Colón and Calle Oficios for mass at 12:00. The chapel is 244 metres from the square.
Inside the Capilla Real the banner is lowered before the tombs of the Catholic Monarchs, a part reserved for the official party. The moment for the crowd comes after mass, back in Plaza del Carmen, when a councillor waves the banner three times from the balcony and calls “Granada” to the square, which shouts back. For the paid visit to the chapel itself, see the Cathedral and Royal Chapel ticket prices.
To do both plans, ring the bell first and walk down after. The Torre de la Vela is 665 metres from Plaza del Carmen as the crow flies, and the bus C30 from Plaza Isabel la Católica, 202 metres from the square, runs up to the ticket office for a single ticket of 1.60 euros, paid to the driver; the routes are in getting to the Alhambra by bus or on foot.
What visitors ask about Día de la Toma in Granada
Is the Alhambra open on 2 January?
Yes. The Alhambra opens on 2 January with its normal winter hours, 8:30 to 18:00, and the ticket office opens at 8:00. In 2027 the date is a Saturday, so there is also a night visit to the Nasrid Palaces from 20:00 to 21:30. The closed days are 25 December and 1 January.
Can tourists ring the bell of the Torre de la Vela?
Yes. The Patronato de la Alhambra y Generalife gives free invitations to anyone, online and at the Corral del Carbón from 9:00 to 19:00, plus 200 at the Alhambra ticket office from 8:00 on the day. Holders of an Alhambra General or Alhambra Gardens ticket can also climb the tower.
What does Granada, qué mean on Día de la Toma?
It is the call and answer of the banner ceremony. From the balcony of the Ayuntamiento de Granada in Plaza del Carmen a councillor waves the royal banner three times and calls out to the square, which answers back. It happens after the noon mass in the Capilla Real.
Do I need to book to ring the Alhambra bell?
Booking is the safe option. In the previous edition the Alhambra trust opened invitation requests on 27 December at 9:00, and they run until they are gone. Without one, the 200 same-day invitations at the ticket office go first come, first served from 8:00, or you can buy a Gardens ticket for 12.73 euros.
The bell is the part of 2 January a visitor can join; the banner is the part Granada keeps for itself.