Sala Temple tickets: how to book

What this ticket covers

The ticket is for a flamenco show at Sala Temple, a tablao on Cuesta de San Vicente in Madrid. It covers the show and one drink, with alcoholic and non-alcoholic choices. The show is listed as one hour long. There is no transfer: you go to the venue yourself, and luggage or large bags are not allowed. The venue is listed as wheelchair-accessible. The booking calendar shows the start time for your date and your confirmation repeats it, so check both before you plan the rest of your evening.

What a tablao is

A tablao is a venue where flamenco shows are performed, and the word also names the flamenco dance floor. Since the 1960s the tablao has taken the place of the older café cantante, or singing café, as the usual stage for flamenco, and it is typically a small, intimate room. Opinion is split on tablaos. Some flamenco fans call them temples of the art. Others call them tourist venues without real flamenco. UNESCO notes that flamenco is also performed at religious festivals and private celebrations, which is a different setting from a staged hour.

Read next: Why Madrid Is One of Flamenco's Great Stages

What you see and hear

UNESCO describes flamenco as an art that fuses song (cante), dance (baile) and guitar playing (toque). Cante is sung with no backing singers. The guitar has long outgrown its original role as accompaniment, and castanets, hand-clapping and foot-stamping are also used. The booking page describes this show as improvised, so the exact pieces on your night are not set out in advance. Sala Temple's own site lists singers, dancers, guitarists and percussion among its artists. If you want names for the styles you hear, our palos guide explains them.

Booking here or booking direct

You can also buy straight from Sala Temple. Its own site sells a general zone and a Zone A, which is the first three rows, each with or without a dish of your choice, and it has a reduced category for children. Booking here suits you if you want the total in your own currency, to reserve now and pay later, and to cancel free up to 24 hours before. Booking direct suits you if you want a set zone or the dish option. The venue's own terms allow changes or cancellation up to 48 hours before, by contacting it. Read both sets of terms before you pay.

Which zone, and where you sit

Sala Temple's site says it assigns tables in order of ticket purchase, which is its reason to book early. Its direct tickets divide the room into a general zone and Zone A, the first three rows. The booking page here does not name a zone, and it does not say whether tables follow the same order. If sitting at the front matters to you, contact the venue before you book, or buy the Zone A ticket direct. If you simply want a place in a small room, either route works. Nothing on the venue's site or the booking page promises a particular table.

Food and drink

The ticket includes one drink and no food. If you want to eat, Sala Temple serves food and extra drinks at the table from its menu, paid for separately. Its own site also sells tickets that include one dish of your choice. Because the show is listed as one hour, you can also eat at a restaurant before or after. Decide before you arrive, because the venue suggests getting there 30 minutes early to settle in and enjoy your drink or dinner.

• This ticket: the show and one drink
• Extras: ordered at the table and paid for separately
• Dinner option: sold on the venue's own tickets

How far ahead to book

Tables are assigned in order of purchase, so earlier bookings have the better chance of a good table. The booking page flags the show as likely to sell out, and the venue's own site describes its capacity as reduced. Reserve now, pay later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before when you book through GetYourGuide, means booking early costs you little flexibility. Nobody publishes which dates fill first, so treat advice about the best night with care.

Other ways to see flamenco

Madrid has more than one tablao. The Spanish Wikipedia lists long-established Madrid venues such as Villa Rosa and Corral de la Morería, so check each venue's current shows before you plan around them. Sala Temple itself also runs workshops and masterclasses, which suit people who want to try flamenco rather than watch it. UNESCO names Andalusia as the heartland of flamenco, so a trip south offers a different setting. Our Madrid versus Seville guide compares the two.

Read next: Madrid vs. Seville flamenco: what's actually different

Before you pay: a short checklist

A few minutes of checking prevents most problems on the night. You go straight to the venue, so the address matters more than usual. The street runs from Plaza de España to the Paseo de la Florida, so use the full address from your confirmation, including the unit, when you search a map. Then read the start time and the cancellation deadline on your confirmation once more, because both depend on the date you picked, and keep the confirmation where you can show it at the door.

• The address ends "Local Derecha"
• Check the start time for your date in the booking calendar
• Leave luggage and large bags at your hotel
• Decide on food before you arrive
• Cancel at least 24 hours ahead if plans change

Who this isn't for

If you want dinner included in the ticket, this one isn't it: it covers the show and one drink. If you want a hotel pickup, you need your own transport, because you go straight to the venue. If you need a guaranteed front-row table, the booking page doesn't promise one. If you want a large-theatre production with a big cast, a small tablao is a different format. And if you are travelling with luggage or large bags, they are not allowed inside.