I understand that there are a huge number of people out there who do not agree with Bullfighting. It is a bloody sport (the last time I saw a fight the bull actually "coughed" up about a quarter of its blood like a fire hose) and comes across as very cruel to the average American spectator. I have to say however, you would be missing out on an exciting, truly Spanish cultural tradition if you pass up the opportunity to grab a seat at the largest bullring in Spain.
Even if you can't bring yourself to buy a ticket, do yourself the favor of
taking the Metro to the Las Ventas stop and emerge from below ground to the beautiful sight of Madrid's bullring. Called Las Ventas, the bullring was completed in 1929 and eventually inaugurated in 1931. Having seen several other bullrings throughout Spain I must say this one is breathtaking. Even a stop by during the fights and a walk around will help you understand the excitement and energy that goes on during this cultural event.
For those of you who are willing to take a peek you will be happy to know that tickets are dirt cheap. Generally you will want to buy your tickets a couple days in advance at Las Ventas itself. Make sure you go to the ticket windows in the bullring; the stands out front will mark up the prices by about 8 Euros. Don't worry too much about your Spanish speaking abilities even in Madrid which is less "English friendly" 
than say Barcelona, the people at the window are very helpful. I have been told countless times that tickets sell out quickly but have never had a problem getting them the day before...just go and purchase them the Friday or Saturday you get into Madrid for a Sunday fight and you should be fine. If worst comes to worst, by law the ticket office must hold a percentage of tickets for the day of the fight so get there early and everything should work out. The office opens at 10am and closes at 2pm then reopens from 5 to 8 pm. Prices will vary depending on seat location. Sol and Sombre mean sun and shade respectively and you will of course pay more to be sitting in the shade. Realistically however the fights start at around 7o'clock and that means the sun will not be a problem for half the time. The last time I bought a sol ticket it happened that I was sat under an overhang which worked perfectly at blocking all the sun the whole time.
You should 
expect to pay around 10-15 Euros for the cheapest seat and these will be fine. Trust me you won't miss any of the action even with the inexpensive seats. One word of caution however; the seats are essentially concrete so when you walk into Las Ventas and someone holds a cushion up to you to rent; PAY THE EURO AND TAKE THE CUSHION. Your butt will thank you. Likewise, the beer and whiskey prices (yes some guy will come around selling whiskey shots like peanuts at a baseball game) are probably the best you will ever find in Madrid. This however never stops locals from bringing a couple bottles of wine, bread and cheese to snack on during the fight. To save money you might do the same.
The bullfighting season runs from March through October and a fight can usually be seen every Sunday night. May and June however are the best months to see the fights as this is when the festival of San Isidro takes place in Madrid. It is at this time that the best bullfighters and bulls will be in Madrid for an event every day for 20 days (during this time you can buy your tickets any day for fights within the next 5 days). I would plan your Madrid visit so that you are there on a Sunday and you will be sure to catch a good fight. Not all the fight nights are what you would typically expect as a traditional
bullfight. The ticket office can help you pick the right night but some evenings the fights are done completely from horses (rejones), for example, and that seems to take some of the excitement out of it. You will want to see the bullfighter standing in the ring facing down the bull and the crowd cheering Toro as the grumpy old Spanish guy next to you complains about the Matadors technique. I've asked several Madrid locals and they all agree, the traditional Sunday night fights are the most exciting and its likely Las Ventas will be packed, providing a surreal experience you can only get in Madrid.
You can expect the whole experience to last around 2 hours where 3 Matadores (they will have gold trim on their suits) will each get 2 bulls to fight at different sessions throughout the night. The fight will begin with a Matador enticing the bull into the ring with a large cape. From here the Picadores will come out on horseback and entice the bull to charge the horse. When successful, they use long spear type weapons to weaken the neck muscles of the bull every time it rams the padded 
horse. Following two or three sessions of this, the banderilleros will enter the ring. I always find this the most exciting part. These guys will stand in the middle of the ring holding 2 brightly colored sticks with barbs at the end (banderillas) and try and get the bull to charge them. When the bull does charge they attempt to plunge these banderillas into the bull's back. The crowd will cheer or jeer depending on how successful they are at dodging the bull at just the last moment and still getting these sticks to stay in the bull. Once the Banderilleros exit the 
arena the Matador will return to center stage and face the bull alone. This is typically w hat Americans think of when picturing a bullfight. The Matador will use a cape and a sword to entice the bull into charging him and attempt to get the animal to pass him as close as possible. After several passes the bullfighter will take a sword and attempt to drive it into between the bull's shoulder blades as it charges. Ideally this drops the bull quickly and the fight is over. Of course this doesn't always happen and the crowd will show its approval or disapproval.
The passion for this tradition that is expressed from the crowd is genuinely unexpected but as you sit here it draws you in. Before you know it you are chanting along with the crowd as, almost in unison, 25,000 spectators chant Toro, Toro, Toro each time a bull passes within inches of the Matador. Understandably many Americans find this sport reprehensible but this is not America. You are visiting Spain and you have spent time and money to experience this culture first hand. Attending a bullfight, at least once in your life, is probably the quickest, most efficient and even cheapest way to totally immerse yourself into the culture you left home to see. If in the end this is just not your thing; keep your eyes open for other events hosted at Las Ventas. Shakira for example, performed here in 2006 but then again which is crueler really?
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