Alicante flamenco: is it worth it?

The short answer, by traveller

Worth it if you want to hear live flamenco once, in a historic room, without committing a whole night. The ticket is for a traditional show with dancers, singers and guitarists, and it runs about an hour and a half. Less obviously worth it if you mainly want a meal, because the ticket is for the show, and any food or drink is something to check on the booking page. Not the best use of a day if you want to see the coast or the hills, because the show stays in the old town. The sections below set the show against three other ways to spend your time in Alicante.

What the ticket actually is

The ticket is for a flamenco show with dancers, singers and guitarists, held in the old stables of the Marbeuf Palace in Alicante's Santa Cruz quarter. The organiser calls the atmosphere intimate. The show lasts roughly ninety minutes, start times differ by date, and the address is Calle Maldonado 7. Free cancellation applies until the day before, and nothing is due at booking. That is the whole product: a show, in a room, at a set time. Everything else on this page, from the seating question to the neighbouring streets, is context to help you decide whether that suits your evening.

Read next: Flamenco at the Marbeuf Palace

What reviewers say

The booking page carries a rating of 4.8 from 948 reviews. Travellers praise passionate, high-energy performances and the intimate setting, and describe the show overall as worthwhile and memorable. Individual reviewers call the room warm and cosy and the artists skilled and moving. One reviewer says the ticket price was low for what it offers. The recurring complaint is about seating: some travellers say seat placement can block views, and they want clearer seating information. That is a fair thing to know before you book, and the next sections show how to deal with it. The praise for the performers is consistent.

What the numbers say

The booking page shows an overall rating of 4.8 from 948 reviews. Its review summary scores the guide and the value for money at 4.8 each. The page also shows a Likely to sell out label, which is a reason to pick a date early rather than a measure of quality. Ratings like these tell you travellers were satisfied with a short, simple product. They do not tell you which seat your party will get, which is why the next section matters more than the score.

Seats and sightlines

A small room is a double-edged thing. It puts the dancers' feet close to you, and it can also put a column, a table or another guest between you and the stage. The reviews point at that risk rather than at a fault in the show. The practical answer is to ask. After you book, write to the provider through your confirmation, say how many are in your party and ask where you will sit. If a clear view of the dancer matters more to you than the date, choose the date after you have an answer.

Against a food tour

The Secret Flavors food tour, run by Alicante Tasting Club, meets at the Central Market and takes in ten food stops, some more than a century old. The ticket lists 20 tastings of food and drinks and a live guide in English. Expect two to two and a half hours with a group of up to 20, and alcohol is part of it, served only to guests of legal drinking age. Vegetarian options exist and vegan ones do not. Wheelchair users and anyone with a mobility impairment are not catered for. Choose it if you would rather taste Alicante than watch it.

Against the Seven Secrets walk

The Seven Secrets of Alicante tour, also from Alicante Tasting Club, lasts about two and a half hours for groups of up to 22. It begins at the Central Market with snacks, includes a five-minute shuttle bus transfer to the top of the castle, and then comes down to the old town. It ends at a tapas bar with a tapa and one drink. The booking page recommends comfortable, closed shoes and lists it as unsuitable for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility. It is the better choice if you want the city's main sights explained, and it passes through Santa Cruz.

Read next: Santa Cruz quarter and the show

Against a day out to Guadalest and Algar

The Guadalest, Altea and Algar day trip is a different kind of plan altogether. The provider, buendía, runs an 11-hour coach trip with a live guide in French, Spanish and English. It stops at the Fuentes del Algar waterfalls, where there is free time to swim, then at Guadalest for a guided walk and free time, and at Altea for a guided walk and free time. It asks you to bring swimwear, a towel and water shoes, and it rules out wheelchair users and people with limited mobility. Choose it if you want a day out of the city.

The four plans side by side

None of these replaces the others, because they answer different questions: do you want music, food, a guided walk or a day out of the city? The table keeps each plan to its format and its best fit, using only what each booking page states, with no prices, so you can compare shape before you compare cost. Where two plans could share a day, check both calendars, because start times differ and your confirmation for each shows the time.

A quick way to decide

Start with what you would regret missing. If it is live flamenco, book the show and ask about seating. If it is food, book the food tour. If it is the castle and the old town, book the Seven Secrets walk. If it is landscape, book the day trip. If you have more than one evening, the show and a tour can share a stay, because they are separate bookings with separate cancellation windows. Each booking page allows free cancellation until a day ahead, so a wrong guess can be fixed in time.

Who this isn't for

Leave the show for another trip if a dinner show, a big stage production with sets or a guaranteed front-row seat is what you want. Skip it too if you want to be outdoors, because the room is indoors and the whole point is the small space. Anyone with a strong need for a clear view should ask the provider about seating first, and anyone who finds steep streets and steps hard should check the approach before booking. A food tour or a day trip may suit those plans better.