The propargyl Claisen rearrangement is a known protocol to gain access to functionalized allenes through the [3,3]-sigmatropic transformation of propargyl vinyl ethers. The correct use of appropriate propargyl vinyl ethers as starting materials coupled with suitable reaction conditions can aid in the development of new domino methodologies in which the allenes are valuable intermediates in route to a wide range of important classes of organic compounds. © The Royal Society of Chemistry 2013. ; This research was supported by the Spanish Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad and the European Regional Development Fund (CTQ2011-28417-C02-02). G.M.A. and L.C. thank the Spanish MEC for FPU and FPI grants, respectively. ; Peer Reviewed