Santiago Bernabeu

There are different types of stadium tours available at the Santiago Bernabeu. The classic tour, which costs €14, involves access to the Real Madrid along with a panoramic view of the stadium interiors. The flexible tour date is slightly expensive at €17 but with the added advantage of an open date. The Plus tour is priced at €20 and it carries the advantage of an interactive audio guide, which is offered in 10 languages. The Premium tour option is priced the highest at €23, but it comes with an official guide of the stadium as its key advantage. You also get the advantage of visiting the playing field, presidential box, and more. The above prices are only applicable for individuals, while groups and schools are eligible for some attractive discounts. If you happen to purchase tickets at the office without visiting the online ticket office, every package would come with a €3 price increase.

There are special packages for school groups and the Plus tour option is an education product in this case. It is priced at €15 per person. The classic package for school groups is priced at €9, while a full-guided visit will cost €17. The latter comes with an official guide along with all other perks.

The ticket prices in Spanish football are largely dependent on the category of games and Real Madrid follow a similar strategy when it comes to pricing the tickets for every match. The overall cost for watching a match at the Santiago Bernabeu changes every week. One can purchase a season ticket membership at Real Madrid if they have a regular membership. There is a substantial difference in the price of tickets available for the general public and for membership holders. The pricing of the tickets is also hugely dependent on the seating area.

The West and East stands will have tickets ranging from €40 to €130. Meanwhile, the North and South stands will be slightly cheaper with tickets costing €30 to € 90.

The process of getting tickets for major matches like the El Clasico is extremely difficult even for members. There are 2 major options for getting a ticket – reaching to the club’s ticket office or purchase tickets from the official site. You have to be wary about picking up tickets from third-party sites who are not official partners of the club.

Since the Santiago Bernabeu is in central Madrid, the process of driving up to the stadium can be quite tricky for people from other parts of the country or Europe. It is recommended to use a satellite navigation so that the stadium is a lot easier to find – even when having to navigate through a lot of traffic. Santiago Bernabeu is around 4 km from the centre of the city. For someone who is driving with the help of satellite navigation, the address would be Av. Con-cha Espina 1, 28036, Madrid.

Once near the stadium, you may find that the process of parking in the city can be very complicated. This is especially true when trying to park on the streets. The best bet would be to go for the several private and public car parks that are located near the ground. Due to the strict rules and regulations in the city, on street parking requires a lot of local knowledge. If not, it is very easy to flout the rules and end up being fined in huge numbers. There is even a likelihood of the car being towed away.

By Train or Metro

One of the best ways to get to the Santiago Bernabeu would be to use the metro after reaching the city. Since Madrid is the capital of Spain, it is well connected to other major cities and towns through a number of means. Once inside the city, the metro line 10 will be leading directly to the stadium and there is even very little walk required as part of the journey. Once you manage to get to the Atocha train station, it is possible to board bus 27 or 14 to reach the stadium. The bus 14 will be going in the Avenida Pio XII and it crosses the stadium that Paseo La Habana. Meanwhile, the bus 27 will be taking you directly to the Plaza Lima, which is just in front of the Santiago Bernabeu. If you are in the Callao metro station, bus 147 will be taking you directly to the stadium.

Irrespective of the location in Madrid, it is possible to get to the stadium in around 20 minutes on metro lines C1, C2, C3, C4, C7, and C10. There are also many regional and intercity trains that connect Madrid with other parts of the country. It is very easy to make a one-day trip for witnessing Real Madrid play at the Santiago Bernabeu.

The away fans visiting the Santiago Bernabeu will be put inside a small section of the north-east stand. The fans would be seated in the fourth tier and the seats can be accessed through Tower D. Due to the lack of an accommodating culture for away supporters, there is not too much of seat allocation for visiting supporters. This can be one of the significant differences compared to other European countries, where away supporters are likely to be significantly higher in numbers. The number of visiting fans will be especially less for matches against the smaller teams.

On Champions League nights, however, the away fans do get a slightly higher quantity of seats compared to the regular La Liga matches. The stadium can be quite intimidating for visiting supporters given its size and its magnificent stature. The noise levels within the stadium are also quite high – unlike at the Camp Nou. Apart from being confined to a corner of the massive stadium, the away fans do have a welcoming ambience at the Santiago Bernabeu.

Even though there are plenty of pubs and restaurants near the stadium, it always helps to have a lot of dining options and this is where the Santiago Bernabeu comes out strong. The hospitality packages provided at the ground are also reflective of the world-renowned location when it comes to sporting events. Some of the best places where first-class food and service can be expected are The Asador Restaurant, Sala de Trofeos, and Sala Copas de Europa. You are likely to be intimidated by the overwhelming presence of trophies as you dine. These restaurants are dotted across the stadium in different sections like the South stand and West stand.

As the capital of Spain, Madrid has a number of places that are suitable for a drink just before the match. These choices can be found across the city and they serve as a great facility for a drink just before the match. It can also be a great destination for fans to enjoy the match if they do not happen to have a ticket. Some of the top pubs are:

James Joyce Irish Pub

This pub comes with a strong Irish theme that can appear to be in the perfect blend. If you happen to visit this place, the excellent fusion and blend of Spanish and Irish cuisine can be felt in good numbers. There are a lot of TVs in action so that you can get the popular sports action without any trouble.

Luckia Sport Cafe Madrid

This is a great place for away fans to hang out just before the game or grab something to eat while watching some match. Unlike in other pubs, away fans will especially feel more at home. This can also be a great destination for neutral supporters. The food is reasonable and there are a large number of drink options. This is a pre-match spot considering that it is very close to the Santiago Bernabeu.

The Irish Rover

For fans seeking a laid-back atmosphere in Madrid with a brilliant nightlife, this is a good place to go. Since it is close to the Santiago Bernabeu, it scores high in terms of proximity and location. The service along with the atmosphere is extremely good, while the authentic Irish theme makes it a strong recommendation – even if you are a Madrid supporter or neutral fan.

Santiago Bernabeu is one of the largest football stadiums in Europe. Built in 1947, it has a seating capacity of 81,044 spectators. The incredible history along with the size makes it one of the formidable avenues for visiting teams. One should expect a European style construction that is very common in mainland Europe. As a result, Santiago Bernabeu uses the bowl style rather than the distinct stands adopted by football stadiums in England.

One key difference in the Santiago Bernabeu is the presence of a roof on all four sections – a trait that is quite rare considering the high number of sunny days in this part of the world. Still, it is very difficult to call the Santiago Bernabeu as oval in shape, as it has very defined four sides – Fondo Norte, Fondo Sur, Lateral Este, and Lateral Oeste.

Fondo Norte – This is a section of the stadium that is incredibly massive in size – just like other sections. A major expansion took place in the early 1990s that resulted in the addition of around 20,000 seats. In order to accommodate such a large number of seats, the height of the stadium almost doubled from just 22 m to an incredible 45 m. This section of the stadium has been fitted with special arrangements to make sure that the pitch gets adequate light and heat, which were simply denied after the increase in size.

Fondo Sur – Despite being smaller in size compared to the other sections, this stand is considered as the main stand for the Santiago Bernabeu. It comprises of all the key features like the dugout, changing rooms, and several executive seating areas.

Lateral Este – This section is in the east of the stadium and it underwent a renovation in the early 2000s. This renovation helped the East stand to stand on par with the main stand in terms of size, but Madrid ended up spending almost €130 million for this expansion. Incidentally, this is the entire figure spent by the club for the original construction.

Lateral Oeste – This section is a mirror image of Fondo Sur in terms of dimensions and seating arrangements.

Record Attendance

129,690 vs AC Milan (European Cup – 19th April 1956)

Average Attendance

2019-2020: 51,140 (La Liga)

2018-2019: 60,645 (La Liga)

2017-2018: 66,510 (La Liga)

There are a decent amount of facilities for the disabled, but it is not excellent. For example, a disabled fan will be able to pick up tickets for the stadium tour, but they cannot do the full tour. They would be restricted to areas like the trophy cabinet and technical areas. There are wheelchairs available for borrowing, while a guided tour is also available. A special plan is available for the evacuation of disabled people in the event of emergencies.

Real Madrid Fixture List (redirects you to the BBC site)

Atletico Madrid

Managing Madrid

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