Cueva Los Amayas: tickets and options

Which Los Amayas ticket to book

There are two routes to a seat. The ticket you can book here is a show-only place: the performance and nothing else. The venue's own website sells three things: the show, the show with a drink, and a show-and-dinner pass. The show itself runs about an hour. So the choice comes down to what you want around the performance, and whether you would rather book flexibly online or deal with the venue directly. The table sets the options side by side.

What the show-only ticket covers

The ticket covers the zambra performance: dance, song and guitar in a cave in Sacromonte. The cave holds up to 60 people, and there is no stage and no amplification, so you hear the performers' own sound. The booking lists views of the Generalife and the Alhambra among its highlights, and the venue's own site makes the same claim. When you pick a date, the form also asks you to choose a language, and the calendar shows which times are open. Your confirmation then shows the time for your date, so there is no need to plan around a fixed start.

• Included: the show
• Not included: transport, food or drinks
• Capacity: up to 60 people
• Length: about an hour

Booking online or booking direct

Booked through GetYourGuide, the show can be cancelled free up to 24 hours before for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later, so you can hold a place while the rest of your Granada plans settle. Booking direct gives you the venue's own passes, with a drink or with dinner, under the venue's own terms. Read those terms before you pay, because the free-cancellation rule above applies to the online booking, not to a direct one. If your dates are firm and you want a drink or dinner in the same purchase, direct may suit you better. If your plans are still moving, the flexible online booking is the safer starting point.

Adding a drink

The venue sells a show-with-drink pass: a glass of wine, a beer, a soft drink or juice with the show. The show-only ticket has no drink, and it does not include food either. If a drink in your hand matters to you, the direct pass is the simpler way to get one, and the venue lists wine, beer, soft drinks and juice. If you would rather eat and drink in the Albaicín before or after, the show-only ticket keeps your evening open and your plans your own.

Show and dinner

The venue also sells a show-and-dinner pass. According to the venue, the dinner is at a restaurant in the Albaicín, not in the cave itself. The menu and the order of the evening are on the venue's dinner page, and they can change, so check there before you choose it. If you only want a meal near the show, the show-only ticket plus a table you pick yourself does the same job, with more freedom over where and when you eat. If you do take the venue's dinner pass, the venue's page also mentions a gluten-free option, which you select during booking.

When to book

The booking advises reserving online, and the venue says the same, tying the advice to high season and its limited capacity. With room for up to 60 people, a date can fill. The booking form asks for the number of people, the date and a language, and it shows no seat choice at that stage, so you reserve a place in the cave rather than a particular seat. If you have a seating need, ask the venue before you book. Its contact details are on its website. Arriving with a little time in hand also leaves room to find the cave on a hillside street before the show begins. Booking a date that suits you is the dependable approach for a room this size.

How Los Amayas compares with other caves

Sacromonte has several cave venues. Granada's tourism board calls the Cave of María la Canastera one of the most important and legendary zambras in the city. Wikipedia names Cueva de la Rocío, still run by the Maya family, which puts on a Zambra Gitana every night, and the cave of Curro Albaicín. Los Amayas calls itself the first Zambra Flamenca in Sacromonte and is run by the Amaya family. Whichever you pick, compare the same four things: group size, whether the sound is amplified, what is included and how you can cancel. The art form is the same family, so those details on each booking page matter more than the venue's name.

What you will see and hear

UNESCO, which added flamenco to its Intangible Cultural Heritage list in 2010, describes it as song (cante), dance (baile) and guitar (toque). The zambra is the Granada style: a flamenco dance typical of the Roma of Granada and Almería and long tied to weddings. In a cave with no amplification, the voice, the guitar, the clapping and the footwork reach you directly. Flamenco is built from palos, the different forms, such as soleá, alegrías and bulerías. You do not need to name them. Hearing the guitar answer the singer, then the dancer answer both, is enough to follow what is happening. The venue describes the show as artists interacting with the public, without a stage or amplification.

Read next: What to Expect at a Cave Flamenco Show

Who runs the cave

The venue presents Los Amayas as run by the Amaya family, described on its site as a historic gypsy family from Granada and the birthplace of great flamenco artists. Its history page says two family members decided to reopen the historic cave and keep flamenco in its traditional form, without elaborate staging or electronic amplification. That matches the booking, which stresses a show without a stage or PA system. It is the venue's own account, but it explains why the sound in the cave is unamplified.

Getting there

The cave is at Camino del Sacromonte 57. The venue says access is mainly on foot, by taxi or by public transport, because much of the neighbourhood restricts private cars. Transport is not part of the show-only ticket, so plan the way up and the way back before you book a late date. The practical guide covers the routes, dress and timing in more detail, along with notes on children, access and what the zambra is.

Read next: Sacromonte and the zambra: visit guide

Who this isn't for

If you want a drink or dinner included in one booking, use the venue's own pass instead. If you need step-free access, ask the venue first: the booking describes a cave carved into the hillside, and neither it nor the venue's pages describe access. And if you want a seated theatre show with a stage and amplified sound, this is the wrong show. The cave, the closeness and the unamplified sound are the point.