Can't Buy Alcázar Tickets Online? Common Problems & Fixes

The Alcázar's official ticket shop works, but it trips people up in a few predictable ways. Here is what usually goes wrong, and what to try.

"My card was declined"

This is the complaint that comes up most on travel forums. Visitors have described one card failing repeatedly while their bank saw no transaction at all, then a second card going through straight away.

What to try:

• Use another card. People report Mastercard working where a Visa failed, and the other way round. It depends on your bank more than on the brand.
• Check online verification. Cards enrolled in 3-D Secure (the step where your bank app or a text message confirms the payment) go through more reliably.
• Warn your bank. A foreign payment to a Spanish site can be blocked as suspicious. Approving it in your banking app often fixes it.

"The dates I want are not showing"

• Nothing at all for your date? It may simply be sold out for that day. Check the days before and after.
• Only the Upper Royal Quarters are missing? They run small groups and go first. See Upper Royal Quarters.
• The free Monday visit shows agotado? That means sold out, and it happens early. See free entry.

"The site is in Spanish"

Look for the language menu. If a page stays in Spanish, the words that matter are fecha (date), hora (time), entrada general (general ticket), reducida (reduced), comprar (buy) and agotado (sold out).

"I paid, but no email arrived"

Check spam first. If it is not there, contact the Alcázar from the official website with your payment reference before your visit day, not at the gate.

Nothing works

Two ways in that do not depend on the official shop:

• A guided tour with entry included. The Royal Alcázar tour with priority access (from €37.40, free cancellation) is paid through Viator, which accepts the usual international cards.
• The ticket office on the day. It works, but the queue is outdoors and long in high season. Go before opening.

Whatever you do, avoid paying a reseller more than €15.50 for a plain entry ticket. How to spot the official website.