Los Tarantos tickets: which to book

Which ticket to book

Start with the standard show ticket. It covers a live flamenco show of about 40 minutes at Los Tarantos, on Plaça Reial in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter, and it comes as a mobile ticket: show it on your phone and there is nothing to print. The venue sells three versions of its own tickets, and the option you pick on the booking page tells you which one you are buying. Read that line before you pay, because the three look alike at a glance and differ only in what comes with the show.

• Show only: the 40-minute performance
• Show and drink: one drink with the show, from most of the bar menu
• Show and tapas: a tapas menu at the neighbouring restaurant, Expat, on the same square

What the show is

Flamenco is built from three arts, and a Los Tarantos show uses all of them: cante (song), toque (guitar) and baile (dance), the trio UNESCO names when it lists flamenco as intangible heritage. The venue describes an ensemble of guitarists, singers and percussionists setting the rhythm while the dancers take the stage. It says its shows rest on improvisation and mix established names with younger artists from Catalonia and elsewhere in Spain, so which artists you see depends on your date, and you cannot choose them when you book.

Read next: Flamenco for first-timers

Picking a date and a session

The booking calendar lists the sessions for each date. The venue runs several a day, from the late afternoon into the evening, and it can change the schedule through the year, so trust the calendar and your confirmation over any time printed on a blog or an older page. A late-afternoon session leaves your evening free for dinner afterwards; a later one fits after an early meal. Choose the slot first, then plan the rest of the evening around it, rather than squeezing a session in around a dinner reservation.

Seats, standing and arriving early

Seats are first come, first served, and there is a real chance you will watch from a standing area. The room has both, and the venue recommends arriving before the time on your ticket to secure a good spot. You do not choose a seat when you book, so arriving early is the one thing you control. If sitting matters to you, treat the arrival time as part of the booking: allow for the walk from the metro, the time to find the door in the arcade and a few minutes of margin.

Adding a drink or tapas

If a drink matters, look at the venue's Show and drink option. Most of the bar menu is covered, a few drinks carry a supplement, and the choice includes sangria, wine, beer, cava and soft drinks. The tapas option is a set menu at Expat, on the same square, and the venue says you can eat before or after the show. Both are separate options from the standard show ticket, so compare what each booking says it includes. The venue also sells a flamenco workshop and a cable-car combination, if you want more than the show.

Booking here or at the venue

The venue sells tickets on its own ticketing site and at the door, and it recommends buying ahead to be sure of entry. Its own rules for those tickets are no changes of date or time and no refunds. This booking can be cancelled without charge until 24 hours before the start, and you need not pay up front. Compare the terms before you choose, because the same show can carry different conditions depending on where you buy, and a booking you can cancel is worth more when your plans are not fixed.

Groups and special occasions

For a group, book everyone in one go and arrive together and early. Seats are first come, first served, which makes sitting together harder than it is for two people. The venue says booking is not mandatory for groups but is recommended, so that capacity is enough and everyone can enjoy the show. The venue also rents its room for private events, though that is arranged with the venue directly and not through this page. For a birthday or an anniversary, the show is short enough to be one part of a longer evening.

Children, discounts and access

The venue sets no minimum age. For tickets bought from the venue it lists reduced entry for young children and for Spanish residents at the box office with ID. Those discounts are individual and do not carry over to other sellers, so check the age and price rules on the booking page before you add a child. The venue also says the room has access and space for reduced mobility and baby carriages. If you need specific help on the day, contact the venue in advance, not at the door.

Photos, clothes and bags

You can take photos and share them, but flash, professional equipment and tripods are not allowed, and the venue asks you not to disturb other guests. There is no formal dress code. Sports-team shirts or emblems, flip-flops and beachwear are not allowed, so leave the match shirt and the beach sandals at the hotel. There is no cloakroom and no parking, so travel light and take the metro. A small bag that fits at your feet is easier in a room with standing areas.

If 40 minutes is not enough

Barcelona has flamenco in other formats: a 17th-century cellar club with a 50-minute show close up, and a theatre gala of about 75 minutes in a landmark hall. Each trades something, whether room size, length or cancellation terms. The guide to other flamenco nights compares them, and the cards further down this page link to two of them. If you want a longer evening, pairing the 40-minute show with a meal on the square is the simplest answer, because the whole plan then stays within a short walk.

Read next: Seeing flamenco in Barcelona

Who this isn't for

Skip the standard ticket if you want a long evening of flamenco: 40 minutes is short, and some visitors say they wanted a longer show with more dancing. Skip it if you need a guaranteed seat, because part of the room is standing and seats are first come, first served. And if you want dinner and a show in one booking, look at the tapas version or at a longer show elsewhere.