I'm flying through Madrid on my way to Menorca and will only be there for the 15th. I was planning on meeting up with some people and going to the archaeological museum. I know that May 15th is the big day for the fiestas and was wondering if the museum was going to be closed or have reduced hours. Does anybody know? Also, what about other stores and the like?

Thanks for your help!

Bad news, I'm afraid. The museum is closed for San Isidro - I phoned to check. All the shops will be closed too. Enjoy wandering about Madrid all the same.

Thanks for the information. I'll be swinging back through Madrid for a couple of additional days later in the summer, so I'll have to go by the museum then.

The 15th will be my first day and just wandering around might be more of my pace than trying to go to the museum.

What sort of activities, other than the bullfights, are associated with the holiday?

The traditional thing to do is going to the Pradera (Prairy) de San Isidro, besides Manzanares River, just opposite Vicente Calderon Stadium (metro Marques de Vadillo), where a fair is held. To be true, not too interesting, crowds of people and bars and food stands. There it is the Ermita de San Isidro and the Miraculous Fountain, where you'll see lots of people queueing to fill a bottle of its water. If you have nothing better to do, take a walk there just to see the ambience. A few people (mostly kids and elder people) wear the traditional madrileño dressing.

Apart of that, there are some concerts and other 'modern sort' activities. The program can be found at Madrid Municipality Website , clicking on the San Isidro banner of the home page.

There is always a big sound stage set up in Plaza Mayor, along with booths. You might want to swing by there to see what's up. Of course the bullfights at Ventas are a big thing too.