architectureleafy

Las Ventas: the neo-Mudéjar bullring and the quiet park

The brick-and-tile drum of Las Ventas, the Salamanca-east streets, and a hidden valley park.

Photo: spettacolopuro / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Drafted by Claude — the editor hasn’t walked this one yet. We’ll update this notice once it’s been verified on the ground.

Distance

3.8 km

Time

~ 85 min

Difficulty

Moderate

Start

Las Ventas

End

El Carmen

Best at

afternoon

Right now

23°C· Clear

Open in Maps for turn-by-turn, or take it offline as GPX.

Las Ventas is the largest bullring in Spain and one of the country's great pieces of neo-Mudéjar architecture — a vast brick drum dressed in glazed ceramic, built in 1929 in a revival of the Moorish craft Spain spent centuries half-forgetting. This walk takes the building for what it is and then leaves the spectacle behind.

Start by circling the ring itself. José Espeliú's façade is a catalogue of Spanish ceramics: horseshoe arches, brick laid in herringbone, a medallion of every province glazed into the walls. Read the tiles like a map. Then drop down Calle de Alcalá into the calm eastern edge of Salamanca, the 19th-century grid, on the way to the day's real surprise.

The Parque de la Fuente del Berro is a steep little Romantic park folded into the land, with a spring-fed pond, peacocks on the lawns, and a statue of Pushkin from Moscow. The motorway roars below and you'd never know. Climb out the far side into ordinary neighbourhood streets around O'Donnell, and take the metro from El Carmen.

The route

On the map.

A soft dashed line, numbered stops. It’s a suggestion, not a turn-by-turn.

Elevation

↑ 79 m·↓ 86 m·649–695 m ASL

Stops along the way

Things to notice.

01
1
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
Come for the building, not the bullfight. José Espeliú's 1929 *neo-Mudéjar* drum — horseshoe arches, glazed ceramic medallions of every Spanish region, brick laid in patterns that owe everything to the old Moorish workshops. Walk the full circumference; the tilework changes around the ring.
01
Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas
Come for the building, not the bullfight. José Espeliú's 1929 *neo-Mudéjar* drum — horseshoe arches, glazed ceramic medallions of every Spanish region, brick laid in patterns that owe everything to the old Moorish workshops. Walk the full circumference; the tilework changes around the ring.
02
2
The ceramic medallions and ticket arches
Up close, the façade is a catalogue of Spanish ceramics — each provincial coat of arms set in glazed tile by the workshops of Talavera and Manises. The main *puerta grande* is the one matadors dream of being carried out through. Stand under it and read the tiles like a map of the country.
02
The ceramic medallions and ticket arches
Up close, the façade is a catalogue of Spanish ceramics — each provincial coat of arms set in glazed tile by the workshops of Talavera and Manises. The main *puerta grande* is the one matadors dream of being carried out through. Stand under it and read the tiles like a map of the country.
03
3
Calle de Alcalá toward Goya
Drop south-west down Alcalá into the eastern edge of *Salamanca*, the grid of grand 19th-century blocks Madrid built for its new middle class. The shops thin and the buildings settle into residential calm. A street to walk, not stop on — the destination is the green valley ahead.
03
Calle de Alcalá toward Goya
Drop south-west down Alcalá into the eastern edge of *Salamanca*, the grid of grand 19th-century blocks Madrid built for its new middle class. The shops thin and the buildings settle into residential calm. A street to walk, not stop on — the destination is the green valley ahead.
04
4
Parque de la Fuente del Berro
A small, steep, English-Romantic park tucked into a fold of land — winding paths, a duck pond, peacocks that wander the lawns, and a statue of Pushkin given by Moscow. It feels like a secret because the motorway runs just below it. The best quiet in this corner of Madrid; bring a book.
04
Parque de la Fuente del Berro
A small, steep, English-Romantic park tucked into a fold of land — winding paths, a duck pond, peacocks that wander the lawns, and a statue of Pushkin given by Moscow. It feels like a secret because the motorway runs just below it. The best quiet in this corner of Madrid; bring a book.
05
5
The pond and the peacocks
The heart of the park: a tiered pond fed by the old spring (the *fuente* of the name), willows, and birds that have the run of the place. Sit on the upper terrace for the long view down through the trees. Most people who pass Las Ventas never find this; you can.
05
The pond and the peacocks
The heart of the park: a tiered pond fed by the old spring (the *fuente* of the name), willows, and birds that have the run of the place. Sit on the upper terrace for the long view down through the trees. Most people who pass Las Ventas never find this; you can.
06
6
Calle de O'Donnell and El Carmen
Climb out of the valley's far side into the workaday streets around *O'Donnell*, where the grandeur gives way to ordinary neighbourhood Madrid — bakeries, bars, school runs. The honest end to a walk that started with a monument. El Carmen metro is here when you're done.
06
Calle de O'Donnell and El Carmen
Climb out of the valley's far side into the workaday streets around *O'Donnell*, where the grandeur gives way to ordinary neighbourhood Madrid — bakeries, bars, school runs. The honest end to a walk that started with a monument. El Carmen metro is here when you're done.

Las Ventas: the neo-Mudéjar bullring and the quiet park

On the map.

Things to notice.

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas

The ceramic medallions and ticket arches

The ceramic medallions and ticket arches

Calle de Alcalá toward Goya

Calle de Alcalá toward Goya

Parque de la Fuente del Berro

Parque de la Fuente del Berro

The pond and the peacocks

The pond and the peacocks

Calle de O'Donnell and El Carmen

Calle de O'Donnell and El Carmen

Two more, on similar days.

Chamberí: the elegant grid

Barrio de Salamanca: the elegant grid