Las Ventas

• [Z] Museo Arqueológico Nacional 2.3 Km
• [Y] Plaza de Colon 2.4 Km
• [X] Puerta de Alcalá 2.5 Km
• [W] Parque del Buen Retiro 2.9 Km
• [V] Prado Museum 3.1 Km
• [U] Museo Thyssen Bornemisza 3.2 Km
• [T] Estadio Santiago Bernabéu 3.2 Km
• [S] Atocha Railway Station 3.5 Km

Las Ventas, also known as La Monumental, is Madrid’s bull ring and it is considered, by bullfighting aficionados, the most important bull ring in the world, even though, with a capacity for almost 25.000 people, it is only the third in the world by size. The bullfighting season starts in March and ends in October; the most important period for Madrid’s bullfighting aficionados is in the month of May when is held the Feria de San Isidro. During the feria every day at least 6 bulls fight for their life each evening, fights beginning at 6.00 pm, and the “corrida” with the best bulls and the best bullfighters is held on the 15th of May. The existing bullring was unveiled on the 17 of June of 1931. It replaced the old one, placed in Calle de Alcalà, because the city of Madrid was in need of a bigger bull ring. An architect named José Espeliu, who was a friend of Joselito, one of the biggest bullfighters ever, designed the bullring in a mudeyar (Moorish) style. Strange enough in the “Monumental” you will find, besides a Bull’s Museum, the best emergency room in Madrid used only for injured bullfighters. As every place in Madrid, the "Monumental" can be easily reached by subway: station "Las Ventas" on lines number 2 and number 5.

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