Zambra gitana in a Sacromonte cave
Dancers, singers and a guitarist perform a zambra in a cave on the Camino del Sacromonte. The ticket lists entrance and one drink, with an option that adds dinner.
Before you choose a date
What the ticket is, and what it is not
The first three items describe what you are buying. The final three deserve a moment's thought before you pick a date.
A zambra gitana in a cave
A flamenco show built on the zambra, the Granada style danced at Gitano weddings, in a cave on the Camino del Sacromonte.
About an hour, with a drink
The ticket lists entrance and one drink during the show. Start times appear in the calendar for the date you pick.
Dinner as an option
Choose the option that includes dinner and the evening starts at a table before the show. The ticket page shows what it includes on each date.
Not a theatre stage
The cave puts the performers close. Reviewers love that, and a few call the seating cramped, so expect to sit near your neighbours.
Not a fixed programme
The venue describes two parts and a closing rumba, but no ticket promises a given dance on a given night.
Not a flat walk
Sacromonte is a hill with steep streets and steps. Leave time for the climb, and choose shoes you can trust in the dark.
The evening, part by part
The evening, part by part
The venue's own website describes a show in two parts and a closing rumba. These are the dances and songs it names, with what Wikipedia says about each. The ticket promises dancers, singers and a guitar, not any particular piece on a particular night.
Programmes change. Read the list as a listening key, not a running order.
Part one · The wedding
Cachucha
The venue names this solo dance for its wedding scene. Wikipedia calls it a Spanish solo dance in triple time, similar to the bolero, danced with castanets.
Tangos de Graná
Granada has its own flamenco tangos. Wikipedia describes a slower Granada form and ties Granada tangos closely to local practice, especially in Sacromonte.
Fandango del Albaicín
The venue's name for a fandango of the Albayzín, the district beside Sacromonte. Wikipedia says the fandango was Spain's most widespread song and dance in the 17th century and later split into local variants.
Bulerías
Wikipedia calls bulerías a fast flamenco rhythm on a 12-beat cycle, and says it often ends a flamenco gathering.
Part two · Granada
Martinetes
A song form that traditionally goes without guitar. Wikipedia places martinetes among the cantes a palo seco, unaccompanied songs traditionally considered of Romani origin.
Soleá and alegrías
Both belong to the soleá family on Wikipedia's map of flamenco forms, all built on a 12-beat cycle. Alegrías sits in its cantiñas group, and most of the family has traditionally been read as Romani in origin.
"Granada", the song
The venue says the second part includes this song in a flamenco style. Wikipedia says the Mexican composer Agustín Lara wrote it in 1932 about the city, and that the city council adopted an adapted version as Granada's anthem in 1997.
The finish
Rumba
The venue says the show ends with a rumba in which visitors are invited to join. Wikipedia files flamenco rumba under the cantes de ida y vuelta, a family of songs that left for the Americas and returned in a new form.
The hill it comes from
Where the dance comes from
A hill of cave homes
Sacromonte is a hillside neighbourhood of Granada, opposite the Alhambra and above the Darro river. Wikipedia describes its homes as whitewashed caves and calls it the traditional neighbourhood of Granada's Romani, who settled in the city after the conquest of 1492.
Two peoples, one dance
Andalucía's tourist board holds that the zambra was probably born inside the Sacromonte caves, where Gitano and Morisco families, each hounded after the fall of the Nasrid kingdom, blended their customs. Wikipedia likewise calls it a continuation of earlier Morisco dance styles.
Banned, then noticed
The board adds that the Inquisition outlawed zambras in the 1500s, yet the community went on dancing them out of sight. Romantic travellers of the 19th century then carried word of them abroad. The caves museum on the hill says the Granada zambra was reborn in the middle of the 20th century, alongside the boom in international tourism.
Cave and stage
In Wikipedia's account, tablaos became the standard flamenco venue in the 1960s. For Granada it names two kinds of night: zambras in the Sacromonte caves, and more classic shows in the Albaicín that usually come with a restaurant. The room is the difference: whitewashed rock instead of a stage.
Sacromonte in pictures
A cave show, the hill and the caves beneath it
The first two photographs were taken in April 2009 and are labelled on Wikimedia Commons as Cueva de la Rocío, so the cast and programme have changed since. The rest are general photographs of the hill, with two cave rooms rebuilt at the Sacromonte Caves Museum. None shows today's show.
Side by side
Four ways to spend a Granada evening
| Plan | What it is | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|
| Cave show with a drink | This page's ticket: about an hour of zambra in a Sacromonte cave, with entrance and one drink. | Anyone who wants the show and a free evening to eat elsewhere |
| Cave show with dinner | The dinner option on the same ticket: a meal at the venue before the show. | Travellers who want one stop and a longer night |
| Albaicín and Sacromonte sunset walk | The second card: a guided walk of two to two and a half hours, guided in English or Spanish, on steep streets. | Visitors who want the hills and the Alhambra views first |
| The Alhambra by day | The third and fourth cards: two day tickets, one with the Nasrid Palaces and one without. Both are non-refundable. | Anyone who wants the palace as well as the music |
Around the cave show
Choose what to book
The first card is the cave show described above. After it come a guided sunset walk through the Albaicín and Sacromonte and two Alhambra day tickets, one that includes the Nasrid Palaces and one that does not.
Albaicín and Sacromonte sunset walk
A guided walk of two to two and a half hours through the Albaicín and Sacromonte at sunset, with the Alhambra seen from the San Nicolás viewpoint. The route has many steep hills and stairs.
Alhambra gardens and Generalife ticket
A one-day entry to the Alcazaba, the Generalife, the Palace of Charles V, the Bath of the Mosque and the gardens. The Nasrid Palaces are not included, and the ticket is non-refundable.
Alhambra and Nasrid Palaces ticket
A day-admission ticket to the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Nasrid Palaces, with about three hours listed. The ticket is non-refundable.
Also in Granada
Before the day
Planning the night
Choose your version
Pick show only or the dinner option when you choose a date. The calendar lists the start times for that day.
Allow time for the hill
According to the Sacromonte Caves Museum, private cars face restrictions in the historic centre, and public transport is the recommended way up. Settle your way up and down before the day.
Wear shoes for steps
Streets and stairs on the hill are steep. Closed shoes with a grip suit the climb, and they matter more on the way down.
Expect to sit close
Reviewers like the closeness of the cave, and some find the seating cramped. Ask the provider through your confirmation if your party has seating needs.
Bring identification
Photo identification is required: bring a passport or ID card.
Changing plans
Plans shift: cancellation costs nothing until a day before the start, and a booking can be held without paying up front.
Go deeper
Six guides to the zambra and the hill
-
The short answer What is a zambra gitana?
What a zambra gitana is, where the dance comes from, how a Sacromonte cave show differs from a tablao, and what the Granada ticket gives you. Read the guide → -
Choosing your ticket Show only or with dinner?
Show only or show with dinner at the Sacromonte cave: what each version gives you, how the evening runs, who each suits and how to pick without guessing. Read the guide → - The place
Sacromonte: the hill of caves
How Sacromonte's cave homes were dug, who has lived in them, why the hill carries the name it does, and where the zambra fits into its story. Read the guide → - The practicalities
Getting up to Sacromonte
How to reach the Sacromonte cave from the centre of Granada: public transport, taxis, walking, shoes, the steep streets and what to ask the provider. Read the guide → - In the room
Zambra etiquette and jaleo
What to do with your hands and voice in a cave flamenco show: jaleo explained, when the room joins in, and how a zambra invites visitors to take part. Read the guide → - Making a day of it
A Granada day around it
How to build a Granada day around the Sacromonte cave show: a sunset walk through the Albaicín, the Alhambra, what each ticket allows and what to book first. Read the guide →
FAQ
Eight questions before you book
What is a zambra gitana?
It is a Granada style of flamenco dance and song, danced by the Romani families of Granada and Almería and linked to weddings. Today it is mostly staged for visitors in the Sacromonte caves.
How is a cave show different from a tablao?
A tablao is a flamenco venue, often with a stage and with drinks or a meal on offer. A Sacromonte zambra is staged in a cave room, where the performers sit and dance close to the audience.
How long does it last, and what is on the ticket?
About one hour, with entrance and one drink during the show. An option on the same ticket page adds dinner.
Is dinner included?
Only if you choose the dinner option. The base ticket lists entrance and one drink, and the booking page shows what each option includes on your date.
Will I see every dance listed on this page?
No. The venue describes a show in two parts and a closing rumba, but programmes change, and no ticket promises a given dance on a given night.
Can I join in?
The venue's website says the show ends with a rumba in which visitors are invited to join. It is an invitation, so you can stay in your seat if you prefer.
Is the cave wheelchair accessible?
The show is marked wheelchair accessible. The hill is steep, with many steps, so ask the provider through your confirmation about the best approach.
What if I need to cancel?
Cancel at least a day ahead and the full amount returns to you. A booking can also be held without paying up front.
A zambra gitana in a Sacromonte cave, with the Alhambra across the valley.
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