2 Special Places in Sevilla

Bar La Puerta del Sol

This is a bar run by two brothers - Jose & Edu on Calle Sol in the center.

Besides their bar, they also rent out the apartments above the bar - AND they have rehearsal studios too that you can rent by the hour. Also what makes this place special is that you can rent a room for a week, a month or a year. And if you live there you get first dibs on studio rental times - they fill up quickly. The brothers also hold a lot of flamenco shows at their bar - lot's of local talent. I want to start an open-mic night here in the future.

I lived here for the whole month of June and I really liked it. A few details: they only rent to woman & male visitors aren't permitted to sleep over, their mom lives on the top floor (she and I shared a floor - she's in her 70's), each floor shares a kitchen, bathroom & washing machine, and there is WiFi; it's safe, it's convenient and it's affordable. Next time I go to Sevilla for any significant amount of time I'm going to rent a place here for a few weeks until I find a permanent place to live. The brothers are friendly, trustworthy & very easy to work with; they made me feel welcome and they took good care of me. Here is their advertisement.

The Corral de Artesanos en Castellar

This is an artists' compound. I'm not sure what it once was but now it is a huge building with lots & lots of spaces & garages that have been turned into artists' studios.

There are painters, carpenters, dancers, musicians, massage therapists, and computer programmers occupying the spaces.

Some people rent the studios permanently and hold their classes out of them. I took with Concha Vargas, Juan de los Reyes & my cante class with Laura Román here - each in a different studio. Also many of the studios are available to rent by the hour, and some of them are huge, so they're perfect for large groups to rehearse in or to practice with your bata de cola or manton.

This place is so special. It's central to a lot of what's happening in Sevilla, and they hold shows there at least once a week. It's even fun to just wander through and see all the action. And recently they put in a bar and so now you can even enjoy a beer or copa while you visit. Two out of the three of the entrances don't have a sign up announcing it so it is easy to miss. And, once you realize what it is, it can seem sort of intimidating to enter but you must!

Lastly both of these places are great resources for flamenco people. Whenever someone needs to advertise their classes or workshop they always post their flyers with their info at both of these places.