Spectator Sports in Seville
The bullfighting season at Real Maestranza runs from April through October. The most important corridas take place during the Feria de Abril when ticket prices are highest. Most start at 6:30pm, with some later shows at 9pm (famously, the bullfight is one of the few things in Andalucía that always starts on time). While you can buy tickets at the box office (taquilla), it is advisable to book online ahead of your trip. Several websites offer tickets, but the official site (plazadetorosdelamaestranza.com) lets you avoid additional charges. Prices range from around 15€ (though you’ll suffer in the sun) to 500€ or more for the best seats at the biggest fights.
The major bullfights are called corridas de toros and feature more experienced matadors. For apprentice bullfighters with younger bulls, the bullfights are advertised as novilladas. Because of the excessive heat in July and August, corridas most often occur on Thursday nights at 9pm or Sunday afternoons at 5:30pm. Posters around town advertise the various bullfights.
Even people not attending one of the corridas de toros like to see the bullring, arguably the most beautiful in Spain. It was constructed in the 1760s, across the river from the Triana district. See the link above for complete information on the ring.
As part of the tour of Real Maestranza, you will visit Museo Taurino, the bullfight museum. On display is a stunning collection of trajes de luces, those jazzy "suits of lights" as they are called. Look for bullfight memorabilia, along with pictures of famous matadors or even more famous fans such as Don Ernesto Hemingway. At the end of a tour, you're taken into a chapel where matadors come to pray to their patron, La Macarena, before facing "death in the afternoon."
