Football is a serious business in Spain with La Liga being one of the biggest football leagues in the world. If you’re going to Spain in 2019, here are the best soccer stadiums you absolutely must visit, from a tour of Real Madrid’s home ground to FC Barcelona’s arena and everything in between.
1. Estadio Santiago Bernabéu – Real Madrid
The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium, known colloquially as simply “the Bernabéu”, is the home of Real Madrid in Spain’s capital and is one of the largest Spanish football stadiums. Famous all around the world, the Bernabéu has been the site both of Champions League finals and of the World Cup Final in 1982. The Santiago Bernabeu is one of the national soccer grounds for Spain, along with the Manuel Martínez Valero Stadium.
Tours of Madrid’s stadium are very popular among visitors to the city, and is a must see for many travellers. Built in 1947 and the home of one of Spain’s top football teams since then, it is named after the legendary club president Santiago Bernabéu.
Ticket prices and tour
- Adult Ticket – 25 euro
- Children’s Ticket (up to 14 years of age) – 18 euro
- Adult Ticket + Audioguide – 30 euro
- Children’s Ticket (up to 14 years of age) + Audioguide – 23 euro
You can find more information about the museum and stadium tour here.
2. Camp Nou – Fútbol Club Barcelona
Arch-rivals and sworn enemies of Madrid, Barcelona boasts its own world-class arena, the Nou Camp. It is the biggest football stadium in Spain in terms of seating capacity, with room for 99,354 spectators, making it an especially exciting place to watch the tiki-taka style of play which was perfected at the club under Pep Guardiola and continued to this day under manager Ernesto Valverde.
A tour of the Nou Camp, one of the typical sightseeing activities for tourists in Barcelona, includes loads of cool extras like a virtual reality experience of sitting in the stands for the club’s most exciting fixtures, plus a trip to the museum, kit room and dug out.
Camp Nou Experience ticket prices
- General – 35 euro
- Older than 70 – 30 euro
- Youth (from 6 to 13) – 30 euro
- Children under 6 – 10 euro
To get more info about visits to FC Barcelona’s stand, see the club website.
3. Estadio Metropolitano – Atlético Madrid
Also located in Spain’s capital city, Madrid, is the home ground for the third Spanish football team, Atlético. While the Calderón stadium served as their arena from 1966 to 2017, as of the 2017-2018 season, they’ve used the newly-built Wanda Metropolitano as their home ground.
Opened in 1994 as part of Spain’s bid to host the World Athletics Championship, the Metropolitano has since been renovated and upgraded, and the UEFA Champions League Final 2019 will be played there. You can visit the stadium any day of the week, and there are guided tours on weekdays, but not on weekends.
Wanda Metropolitano stadium tour ticket prices
- General public – 16 euro (Club members 50% off)
- Children 12 and younger – 8 euro (Youth club members free)
To consult more prices and visit options, click here.
4. Estadio de Mestalla – Valencia CF
While not as well-known as its Spanish neighbours, Valencia’s ground is just as impressive as any other Spanish soccer stadium and famed for its steep terraces. Standing at the heart of Spain’s third largest city, on the sunny Mediterranean coast, the Mestalla is truly a symbol of Valencia and the pride of all Valencians.
The guided tour shares passionate insights into Valencia's illustrious past, giving you access to areas normally reserved for players and officials. You can see the press room and the players’ dressing room, and many other exciting aspects of this incredible stadium.
Mestalla Forever Tour ticket prices
- Adult – 10.80 euro
- Reduced – 8.30 euro
- Group – 8.30 euro
To learn more, visit the club website.
5. Estadio Benito Villamarín – Real Betis
The stadium of Seville’s main football team, Real Betis, is the biggest football ground in Andalusia with a capacity of 60,721 people. Watching a football match in the Benito Villamarín Stadium is an incredible day out, as the atmosphere in the stands is unlike any other soccer ground in Spain.
A visit to Seville’s main arena on non-match days includes a guided tour of the presidential box, the press room, the trophy room and the wall of fame, not to mention the obligatory visit to the dressing room and a walk down the tunnel to the pitch.
Betis Tour Experience and ticket prices
- Season ticket holders – 6 euro
- 'Soy Bético' members – 6 euro
- Non-members – 10 euro
- Children under 5 – free entry
- Disabled associations – free (these groups have a special schedule on Tuesdays at 6 p.m. To access, the association must present the appropriate documentation.)
For more tour info and entrance prices, go to the team’s website.