Canonical: https://tripfieldbook.com/en/spain/seville/el-arenal-flamenco-dinner/ Language: en Content-Signal: search=yes, ai-input=yes, ai-train=yes Description: Check when dinner starts at El Arenal in Seville, and compare the drink, tapas and dinner tickets. We also look at hotels in El Arenal and Santa Cruz, a late return and booking conditions. Author: Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team Updated: 2026-10-29 # El Arenal flamenco: should you book dinner or the show with a drink? Check when dinner starts at El Arenal in Seville, and compare the drink, tapas and dinner tickets. We also look at hotels in El Arenal and Santa Cruz, a late return and booking conditions. Spain · Seville · Flamenco Written and edited by [Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team]() Reviewed by Trip Fieldbook Editorial Team Updated 2026.10.29 Sources checked 2026.10.22 This article contains affiliate links. If you want dinner and flamenco at El Arenal in Seville, check the meal time before the show time. The official booking center lists the first meal-and-drink slot as 18:00 to 19:00, with the show from 19:00 to 20:00. The second slot is 20:30 to 21:30 for the meal and drink, followed by the show from 21:30 to 22:30. Even with a dinner ticket, arriving at showtime could mean missing the meal slot shown. ![Seville's El Arenal rooftops and streets seen from the Giralda]() El Arenal seen from the Giralda, 16 April 2015. Choose the show-and-drink ticket if you would rather eat somewhere else beforehand; look at the tapas or dinner ticket if you want to eat at the venue. Deciding how you want to eat first makes it easier to choose a show and work out where to end the afternoon. This guide is a trip-planning suggestion based on official information checked on 22 October 2026. It does not confirm seats or a hotel room for a particular date. ## Dinner starts before the show For the first show with a meal, plan to finish sightseeing in time for the stated meal slot, not 19:00. Leave separate time for getting there, sorting out clothes or bags at your hotel, and entering the venue. The official website says dinner is served one hour before the show, so putting only the show time in your itinerary can leave you late for the meal. The second show may suit you if you prefer to eat later, but its listed end time is 22:30. If you have an early start the next morning or someone in your group gets tired late at night, compare the first show as well. Which one works better depends on your group and the rest of your trip. These times are the slots shown by the general booking center. Do not assume they also apply to a special year-end show or every selected date. Check the meal, admission and show times on the actual ticket and confirmation email. We could not verify whether a late arrival would be served dinner later or admitted during the performance, so do not plan on either. ## Drink, tapas or dinner: which ticket fits? The show-and-drink ticket may suit you if you want dinner at a separate restaurant and would rather focus on the performance at the venue. A drink included with the ticket does not mean that a meal is included. If visiting another tapas bar is part of your plans, check that restaurant's opening and booking conditions, then leave enough time before the show. The tapas ticket includes a selection of small dishes and dessert. The official menu lists items such as croquettes, salmon and avocado tartare, a cod dish and a pork dish, along with bread and one drink. Do not assume that a tapas menu is only a light snack, or that it will be enough for everyone in your group. Check the menu offered on your chosen date. Compare the dinner ticket if you would rather avoid travelling to another restaurant and have your evening meal at the venue. The official dining page lists a regular dinner menu, a vegetarian menu and a children's menu separately. Some dishes on the vegetarian menu use eggs or dairy, so vegetarian does not automatically mean vegan. If anyone has an allergy or needs to avoid an ingredient, ask the venue about possible alternatives before paying. Do not work out the final amount from a basic price shown on the website. Some products are marked as excluding tax, so check what is included and the total on the final screen after selecting your date, party size and ticket. If dish names or drinks differ between pages, use the description for the ticket you plan to book. If the details are unclear, do not assume that the more expensive option suits you better. ## Plan the afternoon through the return The venue is at Calle Rodo 7, 41001 Sevilla. El Arenal is by the Maestranza bullring and theatre, so the last leg from an afternoon among Santa Cruz's lanes goes in a different direction. Since both are in the old town, it can be tempting to link everything right up to showtime. Decide first whether you will stop at your hotel or go straight to the venue. Check the route to the exact entrance on a map on the day. On a day with a meal ticket, it is easier to plan if you do not add another large dinner reservation just before the show. With a drink ticket, set aside time and a place to eat separately. Rather than adding a distant attraction just because there seems to be time before admission, keep that time free to absorb a delay on the way or at dinner. If you are checking in on the day of the show, do not treat the performance and hotel check-in as one guaranteed appointment. A train or flight can be delayed, baggage collection takes time, and the journey to the hotel may run late. Before booking, check the hotel's check-in time and whether it can store your bags. If you might arrive late, read the venue's change and refund conditions too. Before the show ends, save your hotel's exact address and entry instructions. A short distance on a map does not guarantee that walking will feel safe at night or take a particular amount of time. If anyone in your group has difficulty walking, ask the venue and hotel about vehicle drop-off points and access. Do not put a taxi or public transport into your plan as an anytime option without checking service, last departures and vehicle access. ![A narrow lane and building entrance in Santa Cruz]() A narrow lane and building entrance in Santa Cruz ## El Arenal or Santa Cruz: where to stay? Think about the area you will return to most often in Seville, rather than choosing a hotel for one performance alone. Staying in El Arenal lets you plan the evening around the venue; staying in Santa Cruz can work if you want to focus on its lanes and the area east of the cathedral. The two hotels below are location options whose addresses were checked against their official sites and Agoda and Trip.com. In either area, check the street address and the hotel's actual entrance. If you have luggage or want to limit walking, ask the hotel about vehicle access, unloading bags and getting to your room. The photos below show real hotel spaces for reference; they do not mean that a particular booking will be assigned the same room or view. Once your dates and party size are known, check each room's capacity, beds, breakfast and cancellation terms. ### Las Casas de El Arenal Las Casas de El Arenal is at Calle Castelar 14 y 16, 41001 Sevilla. Its official website describes a hotel made from two 18th-century Seville houses connected by courtyards and galleries. It is an option to look at if you want to keep your evening near El Arenal. Despite the similar name, the hotel and the flamenco venue are not the same building, and a stay does not include a performance. If you stay here, plan a separate return to the hotel on a day spent around the eastern lanes of Santa Cruz. Even if you like the courtyard and historic-house layout, do not expect every room to have the same window direction, route or steps. If walking or stairs are a concern, ask the hotel about the room and access conditions you need. The official room information says a twin or double bed in a Classic room is a request, subject to availability on arrival. Traveling together does not automatically confirm the bed arrangement. Check the exact room name and bed information on the booking channel, and whether the arrangement is a request or a guarantee. Read cancellation, breakfast and payment terms for the selected rate; they are not one condition that applies to every room. ![Rooftop terrace at Las Casas de El Arenal, with loungers and stairs]() Rooftop terrace at Las Casas de El Arenal. [View Las Casas de El Arenal rooms · Agoda]()[View Las Casas de El Arenal rooms · Trip.com]() ### Hotel Rey Alfonso X Hotel Rey Alfonso X is at C/ Ximénez de Enciso 35, 41004 Sevilla. Its official website, Agoda and Trip.com identify the same property, which you can compare as a Santa Cruz stay. It may suit you if you want to spend the afternoon in this part of the old town, rest at the hotel and then travel to El Arenal. If getting back to your hotel soon after the show is your priority, compare it with the El Arenal option. The hotel is in a different set of lanes from the venue, so do not choose its location based only on the return from one evening. Think about the next day's plans and luggage as well, and where you will need to go back most often. The hotel mentions parking, but that does not guarantee easy vehicle access to its entrance or a space. If you are driving, ask about the approach route and parking conditions. Direct-booking offers on the hotel's website are separate from the terms on an online travel agency. Do not assume that a parking discount or free-cancellation offer on the hotel's site applies to every room on Agoda or Trip.com. When selecting a room, check its actual capacity and bed type, the cancellation deadline in local time, whether breakfast is included, and how to contact the hotel if you arrive late. That lets you consider the stay and show together. ![Shared lounge at Hotel Rey Alfonso X]() Shared lounge at Hotel Rey Alfonso X. [View Hotel Rey Alfonso X rooms · Agoda]()[View Hotel Rey Alfonso X rooms · Trip.com]() ## What to check before you book The venue's official changes and refunds page says you may request a date change or full refund up to 48 hours before the show starts; with less time remaining, changes and refunds are unavailable. This information is for the official seller, so do not apply it automatically to another sales channel. Recheck the terms for your ticket when you travel and just before paying, including the local time of the request deadline. A children's menu at the venue does not confirm entry, seating or meal rules for every age. If you are bringing a child, tell the venue their age and the seat they need, then check the ticket. Ask in advance about access to the entrance and seating if you have a wheelchair, stroller or large bags. This guide does not claim that unverified access or storage services are available. Finally, check the date, show, meal type, party size, meal start and performance start separately in your booking. The official information says the booking can be checked at entry using the email address, but keep the confirmation email and booking reference too. Planning dinner and a show starts with keeping those two times distinct. ## If you are continuing through Andalusia If you visit Granada after Seville, the Alhambra requires you to follow the booked entry time for the Nasrid Palaces. Do not assume you will travel between the two cities on the same day. Decide where to stay in Granada and set your travel day before planning the order of your Alhambra visit. [Alhambra entry time and visit order]() ## Official information - [El Arenal show and ticket information]() - [Official booking center schedule]() - [Tapas, dinner, vegetarian and children's menus]() - [Official changes and refunds information]() - [Official Las Casas de El Arenal website]() - [Official Hotel Rey Alfonso X website]() ## Contents Booking partner Photo credits3 Seville's El Arenal rooftops and streets seen from the Giralda Photo: [Gzzz]() · [CC BY-SA 4.0]() A narrow lane and building entrance in Santa Cruz A lane in Santa Cruz, 20 October 2019. [CarlosVdeHabsburgo]() · [CC BY-SA 4.0]() Alhambra walls and towers on the hill above Granada at dusk [Jebulon · CC0 1.0]() · [CC0 1.0]()