Sacromonte Cave Flamenco Show Granada

Sacromonte, Granada's cave quarter

Sacromonte is the hill facing the Alhambra across the Darro valley, where houses were dug straight into the soft rock from the 16th century onwards. For generations the neighbourhood was the heartland of Granada's gitano community, and cave dwellings with whitewashed fronts and chimneys poking out of the slope still line its lanes.

A visit to Sacromonte by day reveals cactus-lined paths, the Sacromonte Caves Museum and viewpoints with the Alhambra glowing opposite. At night the quarter comes alive with flamenco. Many travellers say that a Sacromonte flamenco show is the one experience in Granada that must not be missed.

The zambra and flamenco in the caves

The Sacromonte caves gave birth to the zambra, a festive style of flamenco linked to old Moorish and gitano wedding celebrations, danced barefoot or in soft shoes with arm movements full of eastern grace. The word itself is believed to come from Arabic, a reminder of Granada's Andalusian past.

In a flamenco cave in Granada there is no stage in the usual sense. Artists perform along the length of the room while guests sit on chairs against the walls, so you feel the heel strikes, the guitar and the raw voice from very close. The intimacy is what makes cave flamenco so different from a theatre show.

Cuevas Los Tarantos

This ticket is for Cuevas Los Tarantos, one of the long-running cave venues on Camino del Sacromonte. The narrow, whitewashed room is decorated with gleaming copper pots, plates and photographs of the artists who have performed here over the decades.

The one-hour performance brings together a singer, a guitarist and dancers from Granada's flamenco families, moving through several styles from the deep and solemn to the fast and joyful. The best part is often the final dance, when the performers invite the room to join the rhythm with palmas, the flamenco hand clapping.

Getting to Sacromonte and evening tips

How to get to Sacromonte: walk from Plaza Nueva along the Carrera del Darro and Paseo de los Tristes, then up the Camino del Sacromonte, in about twenty to twenty-five minutes. A small city bus also climbs from Plaza Nueva, and taxis can drop you close to the cave.

Arrive fifteen minutes before your show. The early show suits families and those who want dinner afterwards, while the later one has a more nocturnal mood. After the show, the lanes around Sacromonte and the nearby Albaicín offer beautiful night views of the illuminated Alhambra; take a taxi back if you are tired.