Picture the rocket going up at 11am on a street lined with double barriers, about 16 km north of Puerta del Sol. That is San Sebastián de los Reyes, the suburb everyone calls Sanse, which holds seven morning bull runs in the last week of August. In 2026 they ran from Tuesday 25 to Monday 31 August, with one more at 10pm on the first night. The course is just over 800 metres, from the pens on Calle Leopoldo Gimeno to the ring of La Tercera bullring, and watching it costs nothing. Reyes Católicos, on Metro Line 10, is about 200 metres from the ring, so no car is needed from Sol.
Is there a running of the bulls near Madrid? Yes. San Sebastián de los Reyes, about 16 km north of Puerta del Sol on Metro Line 10, holds seven morning bull runs at 11am in the last week of August; in 2026 they ran from 25 to 31 August, with an extra night run at 10pm. Runners must be 16 or older; spectators watch free.
- Best seat: La Tercera bullring stands, free with no ticket; arrive in good time
- Getting there: Metro Line 10 to Reyes Católicos, change at Tres Olivos, 200 metres away
- Ticket: Sanse is fare zone B1, so a zone A ticket will not do
- Watch out: no phone, bag, camera or bottles if you run
When is the San Sebastián de los Reyes bull run?
The bull runs belong to the fiestas of the Santísimo Cristo de los Remedios, the town’s big August festival, declared of National Tourist Interest. In 2026 the fiestas ran from Monday 24 to Monday 31 August, with a run every morning from the 25th, a night run on the 25th and free concerts at night.
The 2027 programme comes out around July, so for now plan on the pattern rather than the dates: seven mornings of bull runs in the last week of August and free concerts at night. The rest of what the town offers is in things to do in San Sebastián de los Reyes.
If Pamplona’s San Fermín, in July, does not fit your trip, Sanse is the bull run within reach of a Madrid base: Metro there in the morning, back in the city for the afternoon.
Where does the Sanse bull run route go?
The course starts at the pens on Calle Leopoldo Gimeno, follows Real Vieja and Postas, turns into Calle Real, then Estafeta and Avenida Plaza de Toros, and ends inside La Tercera bullring, just over 800 metres in all.
From Calle Real 92 to the bullring gate, the street is closed to runners until the bulls are out. Breakfast before the run can be churros at one of the churro and pastry shops of San Sebastián de los Reyes.
Can tourists run, and what are the rules?
Anyone 16 or older who is fit enough for a fast run with bulls and steers can take part, visitors included. What you cannot do or carry:
- Sober only: no running under the effects of alcohol or drugs.
- Shoes: no sandals, flip-flops or heels.
- Empty hands: no bottles, glasses, phone, backpack, bag or camera.
- Hands off: no calling, hitting or distracting the bulls.
Spectators stay outside the double barriers. If you plan to run, leave your phone and bag with someone watching from behind the fence.
What does a bull-run morning look like?
The run itself lasts only minutes, but the morning around it is longer: allow 3 hours to see everything from the band to the children’s run. The municipal band walks the course at 10am, the image of the Cristo is placed at the corner of Real and Postas at 10.30am, and from then until 11.15am no fireworks or bangers are allowed on the route.
At 11.15am the bullring hosts a capea, where amateurs face young cattle, and at 1pm the children’s run comes down Calle Postas. Lunch in Spain starts around 2pm, so after that, the town’s best restaurants and tapas bars in San Sebastián de los Reyes are a short walk away; families will find more in San Sebastián de los Reyes with kids.
Where should you stand to watch?
All three ways to watch the Sanse bull run are free: the street, the bullring or TV. On the street, spectators stand outside the stretches with double barriers; the single-barrier stretches are for runners only.
| Where to stand | What you see | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Postas and Real corner | The bulls on the most watched stretch | The Cristo image is placed here before the rocket; arrive an hour early |
| Calle Real towards Estafeta | The herd on the final stretch | The last stretch has no runners until the bulls are out |
| La Tercera bullring stands | The finish in the ring and the capea after it | Free, no ticket; seats go before the rocket |
| TV | The whole course | Antena 3 live except the night run; Canal Norte TV live and on catch-up |
For a first visit, or with children, the bullring wins: you lose the street view but get a seat, the whole finish and Reyes Católicos Metro about 200 metres away. To see the bulls really run past, take the barriers on Real and Postas and arrive before 10am.
How do you get to the bull run from central Madrid?
The easiest way is Metro Line 10 to Reyes Católicos, about 200 metres from La Tercera bullring. Line 10 is split in two, so you change trains at Tres Olivos; the Metro opens at 6am and closes at 1.30am.
- Commuter train: Cercanías C-4 stops at Alcobendas-San Sebastián de los Reyes, about 14 minutes on foot from the corner of Real and Postas.
- Fare zone: San Sebastián de los Reyes is zone B1. A zone A single or a zone A Tourist Travel Pass does not cover it; Madrid’s transport zones explain which ticket does.
- From Barajas airport: Metro Line 8 runs to Nuevos Ministerios, where you change to Line 10 north; see the Madrid airport Metro supplement.
- Night run: in 2026 it started at 10pm; the Metro closes at 1.30am.
Bus and car routes are in how to get to San Sebastián de los Reyes.
What else happens at night, and when?
Spanish fiesta nights start late. That summer the big free concerts at the Anfiteatro Municipal Adolfo Conde were Celtas Cortos at 12.30am on Thursday 27 (so technically Friday), Malú at 11pm on Saturday 29 and Siloé at 11pm on Sunday 30; Cali y El Dandee played on Friday 28.
Sanse also has a winter version: the Encierros Blancos, in January, for the patron saint San Sebastián Mártir. They started in 2024, and in 2026 they ran on 17 and 18 January at 11am, free to watch as in August.
What you might not like
- The wait: the barriers are full by 10am, an hour before the rocket.
- The crowds: the stands fill before 11am, and late arrivals watch on tiptoe; keep valuables close in the crowd.
- The heat: an 11am start in late August; bring water and a hat.
- The bulls: running means running in front of fighting cattle. If you have never done it, watch one from the stands first.
Frequently asked questions about the San Sebastián de los Reyes bull run
Is there a running of the bulls in Madrid?
Not in the city of Madrid itself. The nearest big one is in San Sebastián de los Reyes, known as Sanse, about 16 km north of Puerta del Sol and reached on Metro Line 10. It has seven morning runs in the last week of August; in 2026 they ran from 25 to 31 August, plus one night run.
What time is the San Sebastián de los Reyes bull run?
11am. The rocket goes up and the bulls leave the pens on Calle Leopoldo Gimeno. In 2026 there was also a night run at 10pm on Tuesday 25 August. Fireworks and bangers are banned on the route from 10.30am to 11.15am.
Can tourists run with the bulls in San Sebastián de los Reyes?
Yes, if they are 16 or older and fit for a fast run. Nobody may run under the effects of alcohol or drugs, in sandals, flip-flops or heels, or carrying bottles, glasses, a phone, backpack, bag or camera. Calling, hitting or distracting the bulls is banned.
Is it free to watch the bull run in Sanse?
Yes. Watching from the street, outside the double barriers, costs nothing, and so does a seat in La Tercera bullring, where the run ends. The stands fill up before the 11am rocket, and Reyes Católicos Metro station is about 200 metres away.
How do I get to the Sanse bull run from central Madrid?
Take Metro Line 10 north, change trains at Tres Olivos and get off at Reyes Católicos, about 200 metres from La Tercera bullring. San Sebastián de los Reyes is in fare zone B1, so a zone A ticket does not cover the trip.
For a Madrid visitor in late August, Sanse is the bull run that fits a morning: 11am, free stands, Metro 200 metres away.