Las Ventas Bullring Entrance Ticket and Audio Tour
Head inside Madrid’s iconic bullring with your entrance ticket and start
exploring. Pick up your audio guide at the entrance or simply walk
around at leisure. The audio-guided tour lasts 45 minutes and the commentary
explains the bullring’s history as well as the tradition of bullfighting
itself – a controversial sport yet one that remains deeply ingrained in
Spanish culture.
Originally, bulls were fought by Spanish
nobleman on horseback, but following a ban on this by King Felipe V in
the 1700s, men on the ground decided to fight the bulls instead. Corrida de toros
(classic bullfighting – the type that takes place inside Las Ventas)
became popular with the Spanish masses and a tradition was borne.
Stroll around key sites inside the building, stopping for photos by the main entrance, and then visiting the tendidos – the four different levels of seating that ring the arena. Walk around the alleyway behind the main ring, where the matadors escape
the raging bulls, and see stadium’s most significant gateways. The Door
of Madrid has gained popularity with sightseers as it’s the exit door
reserved for the winning matadors.
Besides seeing key sites
inside the arena, the Bullring's intriguing architecture is also worth
admiring. Designed in 1931 by Spanish architect José Espeliú, the
building boasts a beautiful brick façade created in a Neo-Moorish style.
Gaze at the intricately styled ceramic tiles that adorn the stadium
walls, and admire the glazed plaques that hold the shields of each
Spanish province.
You ticket allows you to spend as long as you like in the stadium. Any food or drinks from the on-site café are at your own expense.