Flamenco show at Cueva La Faraona
One hour of flamenco in a small family-run cave on Camino del Sacromonte, with room for no more than 25 spectators.
The hour, from door to dark
One hour, from the door to the dark
Your confirmation carries the start time; the show itself runs for an hour.
- Before
Find the door on Camino del Sacromonte
The address is Camino del Sacromonte 53; put it into a map app and follow it to the door. Some travellers mention shows starting later than the time shown, so leave slack around the evening rather than booking a tight dinner straight after.
- During
Dance first, with guitar and song
The venue's site puts the dance at the centre, supported by guitar and singing, with other artists joining in. Spectators sit close, so footwork, hand-clapping and breath all reach you directly.
- After
Back into the Albaicín
Sacromonte sits beside the Albaicín, so that district's lanes, the Darro valley and the lookouts over the Alhambra are the natural way to close the night. Plan food separately; the ticket is for the show.
The Sacromonte, in short
The hill where Granada's flamenco grew
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Across the valley from the Alhambra
Sacromonte lies on the hillside and in the Valparaíso valley, opposite the Alhambra, beside the Albaicín. Wikipedia calls it the traditional home quarter of Granada's Romani, who made their homes there once the city fell to Christian forces in 1492.
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How a cave becomes a room
A vertical cut makes the facade, an arch goes in as the door, and rooms are dug back as far as the ground allows, Wikipedia explains. No two caves match. Spanish Wikipedia adds that the interiors were whitewashed with lime.
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A cradle of flamenco
Spanish Wikipedia names the Sacromonte the cradle of Granada's flamenco and says zambras began in tablaos inside the cave homes before turning into a major draw for visitors. A Barceló travel guide likewise calls it one of Andalusia's main cradles of flamenco.
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The smallest room on the road
The venue's own site calls La Faraona the smallest cave in the barrio by capacity, and the booking page sets the limit at 25 spectators. The size is the point: the stage is the floor you are looking at.
Hear it first
Six sounds to listen for
Flamenco shares the work between voice, guitar and dance, and each piece follows a palo, a style with its own beat and mood. These six suit a Sacromonte night, though none is promised for any given show.
- Zambra
The cave district's own dance
Zambra, says Wikipedia, belongs to the Romani of Granada and Almería and is danced barefoot with finger cymbals. Its name is Andalusi Arabic, and the dance is thought to carry on older Morisco styles.
- Tangos
Lively, in four beats
Flamenco tangos are a lively palo in a four-beat cycle and have nothing to do with Argentine tango, Wikipedia notes. It adds that Granada's version is closely tied to local practice, above all in the Sacromonte.
- Granaína
Sung without a fixed beat
Granaína belongs to the fandango family and sits in the middle group of cantes, Wikipedia's article on palos says. Like malagueñas, it is sung in free rhythm, so there is no steady count underneath the voice.
- Soleá
A twelve-beat cycle
Soleá gives its name to a family of palos that share a twelve-beat cycle, and Wikipedia ranks it among the cante grande, sometimes called deep song, together with siguiriyas. Listen for a slower pulse and a graver mood than in the livelier pieces.
- Bulerías
The loose, fast finish
Wikipedia says bulerías can mix twelve-beat, six-beat and three-beat sections, and it files the palo under the lighter cante chico. Expect a looser, more festive feel than in a soleá.
- Palmas
The clapping that keeps time
Palmas are hand-clapping. When there is no guitarist, Wikipedia says, they carry the compás, the beat itself. UNESCO lists hand-clapping, castanets and foot-stamping among flamenco's other instruments.
Casts and programmes shift from show to show, so read these as hints for listening, never as a running order.
Before you pay
What the ticket buys
Six things worth settling before you pick a night.
- The show
- One hour of flamenco in a small cave at Camino del Sacromonte 53, limited to 25 spectators.
- The cave
- The venue calls itself a family cave and says its story began with La Faraona, a dancer and singer who led her own zambra.
- Food, drink and transport
- Count on the show itself. Treat a drink, a meal or a ride up the hill as extras to arrange yourself, and check the booking page for anything a particular date adds.
- Seats and sound
- With 25 spectators at most nobody sits far from the dancers. A small stone room can be loud, and one traveller who booked suggests bringing ear protection.
- Access
- The booking page rules the show out for wheelchair users.
- Start time and changes
- The calendar and your confirmation give the start. A day's notice gets the fare back, and booking without paying up front is possible.
Pictures
Around the cave, up and down the hill
The Alhambra from the Mirador de San Nicolás, then cave rooms at the Sacromonte Caves Museum, a hillside cave house and the Darro below the Albayzín. The stage photograph at the head of this page was taken in a different Sacromonte cave.
Book a place
Flamenco in a Sacromonte cave
One ticket is covered here: the one-hour flamenco show at Cueva La Faraona. Open the calendar to see which dates are running.
Elsewhere in Granada
Planning the night
Planning the night
- 1
Where it is
Cueva La Faraona is at Camino del Sacromonte 53, 18010 Granada. Typing that address into a map app will find the door.
- 2
Getting there
Sacromonte sits on a hillside across the Darro valley from the Alhambra, so expect part of the way to be uphill. Your confirmation gives the meeting details.
- 3
Arriving
Each date lists a start time of its own. A few travellers say shows begin late, so keep the hour after the show free.
- 4
Eating and drinking
The ticket describes the show only. Arrange dinner, drinks and the trip up and down the hill yourself.
- 5
Noise and comfort
Twenty-five spectators in a stone cave is an intimate room and a loud one. One traveller who booked recommends ear protection for sensitive ears.
- 6
If plans change
Give a day's notice and the money is returned. A date can also be pencilled in unpaid, so nothing is final before your trip is.
Read further
Six guides to the Sacromonte and its flamenco
- What you are booking
La Faraona flamenco: tickets
What the Cueva La Faraona flamenco ticket covers: one hour in a Sacromonte cave for 25 spectators, what counts as an extra and how to pick a date. Open this guide → - Before you go
Cave flamenco: what to expect
How a Sacromonte cave flamenco show works: where the cave sits, what the room is like, what reaches your ears and eyes, and how to fit the night around it. Open this guide → - The cave district's dance
Zambra: the Sacromonte tradition
Zambra for newcomers: the flamenco dance of Granada's Romani, how it grew in the Sacromonte cave tablaos, and where its name comes from. Open this guide → - How the caves work
Sacromonte's caves, explained
How the Sacromonte cave homes were made and lived in, who settled the hill, and what a cave means when you sit down for a flamenco show inside one. Open this guide → - What the styles sound like
Flamenco palos to listen for
The palos you may hear in a Granada cave show, from zambra and tangos to granaína, soleá and bulerías, and how each one sounds in plain language. Open this guide → - The name on the cave
Who was La Faraona?
La Faraona as the venue's history page tells it: a dancer and singer born in 1896 who led her own zambra and founded a family tablao in the Sacromonte. Open this guide →
FAQ
Questions before you book
How long is the flamenco show?
An hour; each date in the calendar lists its own start time.
Where is Cueva La Faraona?
At Camino del Sacromonte 53, in Granada's Sacromonte district.
How many people does the cave hold?
No more than 25 spectators. The venue's site calls it the smallest cave in the barrio by capacity.
Are drinks, a meal or transport included?
Count on the one-hour show alone. Treat drinks, food and the trip up the hill as extras you arrange yourself.
Is it loud?
It can be. Twenty-five spectators sit close in a stone room, and one traveller who booked advises ear protection.
Is it a zambra?
The ticket is for a flamenco show. Zambra is the Sacromonte caves' own tradition, and the venue links its history to it, but no night is promised to include one.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
No. The booking page rules the show out for wheelchair users.
What if I need to change the date?
Give a day's notice and the money is returned; a date can also be pencilled in unpaid.
One hour of flamenco in a small Sacromonte cave that holds 25 spectators at most.
Book flamenco in the Sacromonte cave ↗Your own currency appears once you pick a date.