Although recently the subject of public criticism for animal cruelty -- including laws banning the sport in the Canary Islands and in Catalonia in 1991 and 2012 respectively -- bullfighting is an important cultural tradition in Spain. Most major Spanish cities have a prominent bullfighting ring, and bullfights -- or "corridas" -- are celebrated during many festivals and holidays. A few of these bullrings are especially grandiose and sometimes even include adjoining museums with information about the sport -- all unmissable attractions for bullfighting enthusiasts while in Spain.
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas, Madrid
- One of the most iconic buildings in the Spanish capital is its bullfighting ring. The huge red brick and tile Las Ventas ring was completed in 1931 in the Neo-Mudéjar architectural style. The ring can seat nearly 24,000 spectators and hosts bullfights from March to December. The San Isidro fair -- celebrating the feast day of Madrid's patron saint on May 15th -- brings some of the country's best matadors to the ring for 20 days of bullfights from May to June. You can purchase tickets at the entrance to the ring, but be sure to get there early for the packed events during the San Isidro fair.
Real Maestranza, Seville
- Andalucia in southern Spain is one of the most important national centers of bullfighting culture. Seville's Real Maestranza ring dates back to 1761 and the elegant baroque building is known for its ornate entrances and blood-red doors. The Real Maestranza society also operates a museum on the ring grounds, including traditional bullfighting costumes, photos and portraits of some of the arena's best-known matadors and even a series of prints by the Spanish master Francisco de Goya on the subject of bullfighting.
Plaza de Toros, Ronda
- Ronda's bullring was completed in 1785, designed by the same architect that designed the famous New Bridge over the gorges leading to this hilltop city in southern Spain. The huge building holds a bullfighting museum and was once home to the legendary Pedro Romero, the 19th century matador who retired after reportedly killing more than 5,000 bulls without sustaining any kind of injury. Among the historical luminaries that visited the building, Orson Wells was an avid bullfighting enthusiast while in Ronda.
Plaza de Toros, Pamplona
- In Pamplona, a city in northern Spain famous for its yearly "running of the bulls," bullfighting is an important part of the city's culture. Every June 6th, the city's old quarter hosts a death-defying race between revelers and several enraged bulls during the festival of San Fermin. Pamplonans run from the town hall to the bullfighting ring, hoping to outrun the bulls -- who then enter the ring to participate in a long afternoon of bullfights. While the large ring is open year-round, the bullfights on the San Fermin feast day are especially exciting, with community groups organizing their own spectacles of dancing, singing and joke-telling in the stands of the ring. Fittingly, the ring is located on Paseo Hemingway, a street named after the American writer who spent several years in Spain and was fascinated by the country's national sport.
