With the Launching of the Dobla de oro teh Alhambra looks towards The Albaicín and Granada

The Alhambra and the Albaicín, double the visit, double the experience. This is what you get with the Dobla de Oro or Golden Doubloon, a trip around Granada’s World heritage which is officially being presented tomorrow at the Dar al-Horra Palace, thanks to a collaboration agreement between the Alhambra, Granada City Council, the Albaicín Foundation and the Spanish Scientific Research Council. Representatives of these institutions applauded this initiative, which they hope “will benefit us all”.

The Dobla de Oro or Golden Doubloon is a new form of admission ticket which takes you on a cultural tourism route that links the Albaicín, the oldest neigbourhood in the city of Granada, with the Alhambra and Generalife Group of Monuments, both declared World Heritage sites by the UNESCO. In this way, if you purchase the Golden Doubloon, you will enjoy a visit on a set day to the Alhambra and/or Generalife and the day before or after to the rest of the monuments associated with this project, namely the Corral del Carbón, the Bañuelo Arabic bath, the Morisco House in the Calle Horno de Oro, the Dar al-Horra Palace, the Casa del Chapiz and the Casa de Zafra.

According to the Director of the Alhambra, María del Mar Villafranca, the Dobla de Oro will “promote relations and dialogue between the Alhambra, the Albaicín and the historic city centre of Granada, by way of itineraries through what is a magnificent social and cultural landscape. For the first time, the two World Heritage sites are organizing a joint route. I am sure that these kinds of activities create wealth in the surrounding area and help improve the quality of life of the local community”.

For her part, the Delegate of the Regional Government of Andalusia in Granada, Sandra García, said that she was convinced that this new cultural tourism package will generate “business and employment opportunities for the people of Granada” in a context in which “the culture and heritage of Andalusia is an enormous resource for economic development. The Alhambra acts as a catalyst stimulating the economy of the city and its cultural institutions”. 

A strong commitment to new technologies 

New technologies also play a vital role in this project. Once purchasers of the Golden Doubloon Card have activated it, they can receive complementary information about the route in real time through any mobile device, and if they wish they can share their experiences of the places they visit on social networks. They will also enjoy exclusive offers from the associated establishments and discounts at other Monuments such as the Rodríguez-Acosta Foundation, the Church of San Pedro and San Pablo, the Church of Nuestro Salvador, the Church of Santa Ana and Sacromonte Abbey – and in the tourist train, which offers a 25% discount on upward and downward journeys.

The Dobla de Oro offers three kinds of admission: the Dobla General, which covers the complete visit to the Alhambra combined with the Bañuelo Arabic Bath, the Horno de Oro Morisco House, the Dar al-Horra Palace, the Casa del Chapiz, the Casa de Zafra and the Corral del Carbón, the last of which has free access; the Dobla Nocturna (Night visit to the Nasrid Palaces plus the Bañuelo Arabic Bath, the Horno de Oro Morisco House, the Dar al-Horra Palace, the Casa del Chapiz, the Casa de Zafra and the Corral del Carbón, free access; and the Dobla Jardines (Generalife, Partal and Alcazaba combined with the Bañuelo Arabic Bath, the Horno de Oro Morisco House, the Dar al-Horra Palace, the Casa del Chapiz, the Casa de Zafra and the Corral del Carbón, free access.

The prices of the tickets range from 28.50 euros for the Dobla General, 22.50 euros for the Dobla Nocturna, and 21.50 euros for the Dobla Jardines option. For the first month, from 1st April to 1st May, big discounts will be available. The Dobla General will cost 15 euros, the Dobla Nocturna 9 euros and the Dobla Jardines 8 euros. If you only want to visit the monuments in the Albaicín, the price from 1st May will be 4.50 euros and will include the Dar al-Horra Palace, the Horno de Oro Morisco House and the Bañuelo Arabic Bath. The price for separate admission to each Monument is 2.25 euros.

The Dobla de Oro admission tickets can be acquired from Tuesday morning, 31st March online at www.alhambra-patronato.es or www.dobladeoro.es, at the Ticket Offices for the Alhambra and Generalife, and at the Corral del Carbón (calle Mariana Pineda s/n de Granada), the Bañuelo Arabic Bath (Carrera del Darro, 31), the Dar al-Horra Palace (Callejón de las Monjas s/n), the Casa Chirimías (Carrera del Darro, 16) and the Alhambra Bookshop at Calle Reyes Católicos, 40, Granada. 

Open Day

In order to publicize the Dobla de Oro amongst the people of Granada, free guided visits have been organized on the occasion of Monuments Day on 18th April. In addition, every Sunday from 14.00 horas, free entrance to the Monuments in the Albaicín (and to the Alhambra itself) will be available to residents of the city and Province of Granada, for which tickets must be booked in advance at the offices in the  Corral del Carbón, in Calle Mariana Pineda s/n, Granada.

Investment in the Albaicín

In 2012 the Regional Government of Andalucía, acting through the Delegation of Culture in Granada, transferred the management and conservation of the Bañuelo Arabic Bath, the Horno de Oro Morisco House and the Dar al-Horra Palace to the Council of the Alhambra and Generalife, which thereby recovered the legacy acquired by Leopoldo Torres Balbás (Madrid 1888- Granada 1960), the architect-conservator of the Monument, to save them from ruin.

Since then, the Alhambra has invested a total of 1,080,191.58 euros, of which 568,242.76 euros have been spent on various restoration works at the Dar al-Horra Palace; 245.563,79 euros in the Corral del Carbón; 133,830.70 euros at the Horno de Oro Morisco House and 132,554.33 euros at the Bañuelo Arabic bath.

The Council of the Alhambra and Generalife has made a feasibility study of the Dobla de Oro project, which it is hoped will create 15 jobs. It is estimated that the Alhambra will have to pay annual fixed costs of 261,124.70 euros, of which 209,124.70 euros will come from the management of the public visit. 

For more information, please visit

www.dobladeoro.es  

www.dobladeoro.es