Plaza de Toros de las Ventas

Madrid’s Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas is one of the city’s most renowned and largest public squares, dominated by the iconic Las Ventas bullfighting arena. Whatever your views on the notoriously controversial sport of bullfighting, there’s no doubting its prominent place in Spanish history and the Las Ventas bullring (the largest in the world) remains one of the city’s biggest attractions.

Built by Joseph Espeliú in 1929, the 4-story stadium seats up to 25,000 spectators and draws in huge crowds of both locals and tourists. For many Madrid natives the infamous bullfights still hold a special significance, a tradition that dates back to ancient times and the ultimate test of bravado for the gutsy Matadors. The annual Corrida de Toros (bullfighting) season runs from May to October, but the biggest date on the calendar is the San Isidro Bullfighting Festival held each June. Daily bullfights are held for 2 weeks during the festival, featuring the world’s top bullfighters and including both traditional and mounted fights. Even if you don’t fancy watching a bullfight, paying a visit to the glorious neo-mudéjar style stadium is a popular pastime and the neighboring Museo Taurino offers a fascinating array of bullfighting costumes and memorabilia.