A first-timer's guide
Flamenco at El Paraigua: showtimes, seats and a Gothic Quarter evening
When the shows run, where to sit in a cellar this small, and how an evening at El Paraigua fits into the old town.
See El Paraigua dates on GetYourGuide ↗Planning your El Paraigua night
| Earlier show | Later show | |
|---|---|---|
| Best for | Dinner in the Gothic Quarter afterwards | A nightcap after a day out |
| Arrive | A little early for good seats | A little early for good seats |
| Runtime | About 50 minutes | About 50 minutes |
| Includes | The show, often with a drink | The show, often with a drink |
| Seats | Front = closest to the feet | Front = closest to the feet |
What a small cellar show is like
The flamenco is in a small vaulted cellar under the modernist bar: a modest stage, seats packed in close, and a compact cast — singer, dancer, guitarist — only a few metres off. That makes for an intense, close kind of evening, the footwork ringing off the stone and the singer's voice carrying through the room on its own. You feel it as much as watch it, and the small scale is the reason it hits the way it does.
Choosing your showtime
The show runs each evening, and the booking calendar shows the time for your date. Plan tapas or a Catalan dinner around that time, and arrive when your confirmation says.
Where to sit
You can't really go wrong in a room this size, but the front is the spot — close enough to feel the zapateado come up through the floor and to catch every flick of a wrist or turn of the head. If being close matters to you, arrive when your confirmation says.
Build a Gothic Quarter evening
Booked through GetYourGuide, free cancellation up to 24 hours out means you can pick a night now and still rearrange it if your Barcelona itinerary moves around.