Seemingly at odds with the the architecture of The Alhambra's Royal Palace is the Palacio de Carlos V; it was started in 1526 and is the work of Pedro Machuca, a former pupil of Michelangelo. On his death in 1550 the building responsibility was passed to Mahuca’s son, Luis, who continued until 1568 when the Moriscos rebelled against being taxed to fund the build. No further work was done until 1923 when Leopoldo Torres Balbás restarted the programme, which continues to this day.

The Palacio and surrounding gardens of Generalife were originally constructed between 1302 and 1309, during the reign of Muhammed III, as a summer garden for relaxing in. The Koran describes paradise as a leafy shaded garden, with plenty of running water thus providing inspiration for the gardens.

The delightful walled garden known as the Patio de los Cipreses (the Patio of the Cypresses also referred to as the Patio of the Sultana) is rumoured to have been the meeting place of Sultana Zoraya and her lover, Hamet, the doomed chief of the Abencerrajes. Nearby is the Camino de las Cascadas (Walk of the Cascades), which consists of a staircase with water flowing down leading to the Summer Palace.

Although the original garden was constructed in the fourteenth century, the present day labyrinth design commenced in 1931 and was extended further in 1951, under the direction of the architect, Francisco Prieto Moreno. It was completed in 1952 with an amphitheatre constructed to host the International Festival of Music and Dance of Granada, an extremely popular event which continues to be held every July.