How to choose your show
A little context before you pay. This is what we check for every show, and why.
In Seville alone the catalogue lists eight flamenco shows on the same night. Most last an hour and the prices sit close together. From a ticket page they look identical. They are not: one is a small room around a bare stage, another is a large hall that serves dinner during the performance.
You cannot see that difference on a ticket page. So we put the same questions to every show and line the answers up.
The fields on every sheet
Venue and type of room
A tablao, a theatre, a cave, a restaurant with a stage. The type of room tells you most of what the night will feel like.
Duration
The length of the performance. When dinner is part of the ticket we give the length of the whole evening and say so.
Room capacity
How many seats. Small rooms put you close to the performers; large ones are easier to book late. We only print a number the venue publishes.
Dinner and drinks
Whether they are included, optional or not offered. An included drink changes the real price. A compulsory dinner changes it more.
Start times
The usual sessions. An 18:00 show leaves the evening free for dinner elsewhere; a 23:00 one is a different kind of night.
Minimum age
Some cabarets and late shows do not admit young children. If the venue sets no limit we say "all ages".
Dress code
Most flamenco and fado rooms have none. The big Paris cabarets ask for smart dress and will turn away shorts and trainers.
Seating
First come first served, assigned by the venue, or sold by category. With first-come seating, arriving 30 minutes early is the cheapest upgrade there is.
Cancellation
Free until how many hours before, or non-refundable. Some shows cannot be cancelled at all and we flag those clearly.
Price
The lowest adult price on the date we checked, always written as "from". Prices on some tickets move with demand.
The four verdicts
Each city page picks one show for each kind of traveller. The pick has to be explained by a fact on the sheet. If no show fits a profile, we leave it empty and say so.
First time in the city
You want a safe choice with a lot of guest reviews behind it.
Seen one before
You have done the big tourist show and want a smaller, more serious room.
A night for two
You care about the table, the hour and what comes with the ticket.
With children
You need an early start, a short show and no minimum age.
Where the numbers come from
Duration, what is included, minimum age, cancellation terms, price and guest ratings come from the Civitatis catalogue, which publishes them in a structured form.
Capacity, dress code, amplification and start times come from the venue's own website. When a venue does not publish a number, the sheet says "not published" and we do not estimate it.
Each sheet lists its sources and the date of the last check.
What we do not do
We have not attended every show, and we do not pretend to. We do not rate singers, dancers or choreography.
When we call a room "smaller" or "more serious", we mean something you can check: seat count, whether there are microphones, whether you must buy dinner to get in.
We do not sell tickets. Booking happens on our partner's site, under their terms.