bullfight?

You mean the barbaric ritualistic torture and murder of a confined animal purely for the so-called purpose of entertainment?

I'd say a video game session would be the best place to see it.

http://www.spain-info.com/Culture/bullfighting.htm

You won't see one in Barcelona; Catalonia has banned the business fo about the reasons Tim said.

Watch one on TV, look at the amount of blood, go to a cockfight, then a dogfight, then decide if you still want to go to a bullfight.

The center of bullfighting in Spain is Madrid. I have no idea how you can get tickets online.

Madrid, but you have to be in season. Think it starts around Easter but don't know how long it runs. Except for really big name Matadors you can get walk up tickets easy. The cheap tickets are in the sun and the more expensive seats are in the shade. Saw one fight in Madrid, and, for all the previous stated reasons, will not see another but it is a part of the Spanish culture.

I know it will be bloody etc, however being a historian, I am very interested in the bullfight culturally. It has been something I have wanted to see since I began studying Spanish and Latin American history over a decade ago.

Is it smarter to pre-book online or just take my chances and walk up? Sun is fine for us as we may end up not staying too long.

Even my friends who are Spanish natives won't go to bullfights.

(Note to self: don't ask about the best place to see a a traditional Aztec ritual sacrifice ceremony.)

I know some of my fellow posters do not want to answer your questions. I don't know if you can book on line or not. (Where is internet Steve when we need him?) As I remember (it has been nearly ten years) the fights are scheduled daily and the midweek fights feature the lesser Matadors. The day we went the arena was less than half full. I doubt if you will have problems getting tickets the day of the fight.

Hi Chantielle,

We ordered bullfight tickets online from this site:

http://www.bullfightticketsmadrid.com/index.php?idioma=EN

We had them delivered to our hotel, and they were waiting as promised when we arrived. We only ordered in advance because it was during the San Isidro festival in May, when the season kicks off and fights do sell out. A word about seats: The stadium in Madrid is small, so don't feel like you have to splurge for ringside spots. Even the top deck is fairly close.

And finally: The spectacle that goes on before the fights begin is fabulous. Outside the stadium, there are parades, vendors, bands, and lots of spectators milling around. Inside, there are young people partying and old men poring over the program for the fight and discussing which fighter is their favorite.

That said, I would never, ever go see another bullfight. We wanted to keep an open mind about this cultural tradition and see a fight in person before we wrote off bullfighting as cruelty to animals. But it was much worse than I expected. I couldn't watch most of the time, and we left after the first of the six matches. But it sounds like you know what you're getting into, so hopefully you can just enjoy the cultural experience of it!

Enjoy Spain!