Many male macho tourists head to the Sunday bullfights when visiting Madrid. Their feminist girlfriends may not approve, but it’s no denying that a fight at the gigantic Las Ventas bullfighting arena is something you are likely to remember for the rest of your life. The blood, the fight, the spectacle!
Photo: A bloody spectacle.
From a budget point of view you really get bang for your buck when heading to a bullfight in Spain. Most fights last for nearly 3 hours and more, and the cheapest tickets are available from around 20 euros.
While there’s no doubt that it’s a far cry from watching a Knicks game or cheering on Manchester United, that is precisely why you should head to a bullfight when you’re in Spain. Once you get past that whole cruelty-to-animals thing, you really have to look at bullfighting as the art that it is.
Aside from the fact that the bullring, known as La Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, is amazing from an architectural point of view, an impressive red brick and ceramic tile múdejar-style structure exploding out of the ground in a residential neighborhood, it’s true that bullfighting is a rich culture in itself that is deeply embedded in Spain’s history.
When & where?
Las Ventas is located at they eponymous metro stop (Ventas, L2). You literally can’t miss it. Keep in mind that bullfights take place from March to October, every Sunday at 7 pm. During the annual San Isidrio festival there’s bullfights every day.
Enjoy the fight!