Palau Dalmases: plan your visit

Getting there by metro

The nearest metro station is Jaume I on line L4, the yellow line, under Via Laietana. You can reach it from Plaça de l'Àngel and Carrer d'Argenteria on the far side of the avenue. The station became accessible to wheelchair users in December 2018. From there you walk into La Ribera, the old merchant district, to Carrer de Montcada, a narrow street of stone mansions. Several bus lines also serve the area, and the metro is the simplest way in. Check the metro operator's live route planner on the day, since works and diversions change.

Finding the door

The meeting point is Carrer de Montcada 20, postcode 08003. The palace has a second address, Carrer dels Banys Vells 13, on its other side, so use number 20 when you search for directions. Its street front is built of Montjuïc stone, with seven bays of windows and a heavily moulded main doorway. Inside, a wide central courtyard leads to the staircase. The doorway is easy to walk past on a narrow street of similar stone fronts, so give yourself a few minutes to spare and look for the number rather than the grandeur.

Timing your visit

Your confirmation states the starting time for the date you chose, so there is nothing to guess. Slots are offered for the day you pick, and busy dates can sell out. Plan to arrive with time in hand: the street is narrow, the door is easy to miss and the art gallery is worth a few minutes. If you are building an evening around the show, set the other bookings, such as dinner, around the time on your confirmation rather than the other way round, and leave a margin for the walk. If the day is hot or wet, the walk from the metro is short, but it is worth checking the forecast before you leave the hotel and carrying whatever you need for the street.

How long it takes

The performance lasts 50 to 55 minutes. Add the walk from the metro, finding your seat, a drink if your zone includes one and a stroll through the gallery, and an hour and a half door to door is a sensible allowance. That makes it an easy booking before a late dinner or after an afternoon of sightseeing. Because the show is short, it asks for less stamina than a full theatre night, which suits travellers arriving off a long flight, or touring with older relatives who tire easily. If you are also visiting the gallery before the show, arrive a little earlier than you think you need to, so the walk does not feel rushed.

What you will see and hear

The cast is one singer, one guitarist and two dancers. UNESCO describes flamenco as song (cante), dance (baile) and guitar playing (toque), with handclaps, castanets and foot-stamping as percussion. The song is sung seated, with short, plain lyrics that run from grief and fear to joy. The guitar does more than accompany, and the dance runs from sadness to joy, with the dancers in colourful costumes. Listen for the rhythm beneath it all, the compás, and for the shouts of olé that performers call to each other.

Read next: How to follow a flamenco show

Language and following the show

You do not need Spanish. Flamenco is song, dance and guitar, and the emotion carries without a translation. The songs are sung in Spanish in an Andalusian style, so you may not catch every word, and that is normal even for Spanish speakers. The booking page for the date lets you read the details in your own language. If you want to know what you are watching, the guide on flamenco explains the five parts to listen for, and it takes about five minutes to read before you go. A show without dialogue is also easier for a group with mixed languages than one that depends on a spoken script.

Read next: How to follow a flamenco show

Children, access and comfort

The booking page marks the show as wheelchair accessible. Jaume I metro station has had step-free access since December 2018. If you have particular needs, message the provider through the booking page before you travel and ask about the route into the palace. For children, check the ticket types and age rules shown on the booking page for your date. Wear what you would wear for an evening in the old town, and shoes that suit a walk through narrow streets, since the approach to the palace is on foot. Tell the provider early if anyone in your party needs a particular position, since you book a zone rather than a named seat.

Eating and drinking

Your ticket covers the show and the gallery, with one drink in VIP and Zone A. Guests mention a bar where you can buy more. If you want dinner, plan it around the time on your confirmation. The lower part of La Ribera, known as El Born, is known for bars and cafés, so you will find somewhere to eat on foot. Book a table in advance if you are travelling in a group, and leave a gap after the show so that you are not rushing the last course or the walk back. The drink that comes with VIP and Zone A is one per ticket, so share the news with the group before you queue at the bar.

Before or after: Montcada and Santa Maria del Mar

Carrer de Montcada is the street where the Museu Picasso occupies five adjoining medieval palaces; the museum opened in 1963. In the same district stands Santa Maria del Mar, a Catalan Gothic church built between 1329 and 1383, backed by the common people of the Ribera guilds rather than the nobility. Its interior is unusually plain and light, and the spacing of its columns is the widest of any Gothic church in Europe. Both are easy to add to the evening on foot, and the neighbourhood guide covers them.

Read next: Carrer de Montcada and La Ribera

A suggested evening

A plan that works for most visitors: reach Jaume I on line L4 with time in hand, and walk along Carrer de Montcada, looking at the carved doorways. Arrive at number 20 early enough to take your seat without hurrying and to see the art gallery. After the 50 to 55 minute show, walk to Santa Maria del Mar and then into El Born for dinner. The metro back to your hotel is the same line from the same station, and you can adjust the order around the time on your confirmation.

Who this isn't for

If you want a long evening of flamenco, this show is short, at 50 to 55 minutes. If you want to dance or move around, this is a seated performance. If you want a full dinner, plan it separately, because the ticket covers the show, the gallery and a drink in two zones. And if you cannot manage a narrow street and an old building, contact the provider about access before you book, since an old palace has features that a modern theatre does not. Check the cancellation window on your date before you commit.