Palace of Carlos V

About

The Palace of Charles V, a striking Renaissance landmark within Granada’s famed Alhambra complex, was originally commissioned in 1527 and left unfinished until 1637. The building was finally restored under Leopoldo Torres Balbás in the 1920s and its roof completed in 1967, giving the palace its impressive, Italian‑influenced façade. Today the palace serves as a cultural hub: the ground floor hosts the Alhambra Museum—home to a vast collection of Islamic and early Christian art spanning from the 10th to the 13th centuries—while the upper floor houses the Fine Arts Museum of Granada, showcasing paintings and sculptures from the 16th to 20th centuries. Visitors are drawn by the storied architecture, the museum’s highlights such as the famed Vase of the Gazelles, and the unique blend of Renaissance and Islamic artistic traditions that make the Palace of Charles V one of Granada’s must‑see attractions.