Anyone been? Want to take my son to a game on 20/08 weekend. Waiting for fixtures to come out (20/07) and wondering if both at home what your preference would be? Want to combine with stadium tour so any tips/advice appriciated
I went to Barcelona a good few years ago, did the staduim tour one day (which was excellent, the players were training on the pitch, which added to the experience) and went to a game the following day.
Game times only get confirmed a week or two before, so watch out for this with flights. Up until then it always shows a generic match time (usually Sunday 4pm), which is very misleading when it ends up being completely different!
Both stadiums are magnificent, and there's something exciting (particularly considering the drivel we have to watch at Charlton these days) about seeing Messi, Ronaldo, Neymar and so on in the flesh.
Found both of them to be very touristy on a match day, which takes the edge off a little bit, but still a great experience, and I'm sure your son will love it either way.
There's not much to choose between them, I'd probably go for whichever game has got the higher profile opposition, as long as that doesn't have too much of an impact on ticket prices. Would rather watch Madrid/Barcelona vs Real Betis/Athletic Bilbao/Villarreal/someone of that ilk than against Leganes/Getafe, etc.
I suspect that in the end, the matchday and kick off time might have a greater impact on your decision than anything else.
Not done either of the stadium tours so can't comment on that.
Interested to know who/where to go to for tickets. Their web sites I guess?
Both club's websites are well set up for selling tickets to tourists. You can pick your exact seat, and I think it's got a graphic to show you the view from each seat.
Certainly no need to bother with Ticketmaster or any of that nonsense.
I had a hangover while dealing with an upper tier of the Bernabeu. Despite the sick feeling, I loved the match (it was a 4-3 thriller), loved seeing the teams and the fans, and experiencing the noise. Would definitely go back.
Atletico's new stadium looks amazing. Starting next season there. Atmosphere at Bernabeu is rubbish but to be fair the stadium is superb.
Terrible location though, it looks like it's in the middle of nowhere
It's right out in the North East edge of the city, really far away from the traditional south of Madrid fanbase. Great for that district (San Blas), which will be completely rejuvanated though, and it is right close to the airport for visiting European teams.
It's been a big debate/argument for Atletico fans: progress vs tradition. They have got a similar deal to West Ham though, with the local council buying the land of the Calderon and them moving to a taxpayer funded, intended for the Olympics that never came in this case stadium.
Interested to know who/where to go to for tickets. Their web sites I guess?
Club websites are best in my opinion - have heard some horror stories about unofficial ticket websites but some on here may have had better experiences.
Bernabau was great when I went - Galacticos versus Marseilles (who had Drogba). Atmosphere terrific but mainly due to the 6,000 crazy Frenchmen! I agree it would be better to pick which team to watch from the oppo., as the atmosphere will be better with some away fans in too.
Whenever I've been to watch Real Madrid I have always got tickets by the small away section. The few hundred fans there tend to make more noise than the rest of the stadium so you get the best of both worlds!
me and a mate had a weekend in Barcelona went to see Espanol at the old Olympic Stadium and for some reason got tickets off some bloke near the ground rather than ticket booth. The man on the gate asked if we had correct tickets and we said yes. A policeman came over and asked if we were going into that entrance and we showed him the ticket and he let us through. A steward tried to stop us going through, and we waved our ticket and barged past thinking they were being a bit arsey because we were English.
Found ourselves in a small pen that had what appeared to be their Nationalistic fans, who were making a lot of noise, waving Spanish flags, singing Viva Espana and generally taunting the rest of their own supporters who were nearby. We were not sure what to do, so styled it out for 10 minutes (or stood there very quietly...) and turned around to see the steward and his mates laughing at us, then they came down and escorted us to a more friendly section of the ground.
this was the weekend bottom of the table West Brom beat us 5-1at The Valley, earnshaw hattrick.
Saw Barca v Espanyol on 07 on a Stag with Messi playing. Think Barca won 3-2.
Saw Real vs Betis in March last year on my stag with Ronaldo playing. Madrid won 7-1.
Both impressive, iconic stadiums. Think Barca edged it on atmosphere (still dire) and much prefer the City too although they're both fantastic.
Personally found both match experiences pretty boring though, I think due to the touristy feel, non-existent atmosphere and no affiliation to any of the teams.
I know mate. Cant believe how bloody backward they are in delivering fixtures, then the head of their FA gets arrested for bribery.
Do find it strange, and frustrating. They're doing all kinds of stuff to "promote the brand" and try and compete with the Premier League. They started fining clubs last season for having empty seats in sections of the stadium which are prominent on tv, i.e. the main stand facing the cameras and behind the goals. Seems to me that one of the most effective ways to improve attendances would be to make it as easy as possible to arrange to go to a game, particularly given the number of tourists they get over there.
The fixture arrangements here are a right mess, and maddening when you want to plan to go to a game. It is very typically Spanish: as much as I love this country the lack of organisation is really frustrating and this is a prime example.
As you can see by my pic, I have done the Barcelona tour, interesting, cup room amazing. When I went it was packed (not a match day), used the personal tour commentary for extra information. Got there by using the hop on hop off bus, 3 routes all worth taking.
They are very different but both magnificent. I found the atmosphere much, much better at Madrid than Barcelona. Both were as good as full but I saw Barcelona score four goals yet no 'couldren of noise'. Madrid scored just once (it finishes 1-0) and the place erupted.
I would think that a visit to either would be fantastic, especially for your son.
I exho the others that have suggested going for the tour also.
Been to both. Saw Arsenal win 1-0 (Henry) there in 2006 and also saw them draw 1-1 in Barcelona a good few seasons earlier.
I actually think that both stadiums are overhyped (because of who plays there) and overrated. Two big concrete bowls with poor facilities, although I'd rate Madrid slightly higher because it's covered and has heaters in the roof!! (Arsenal game was in Feb, it was freezing so the heaters were a welcome relief whilst being held in the ground for 90 minutes after the game!).
Comments
I will be around Alicante that weekend and planning to travel to one or the other.
Their web sites I guess?
Found both of them to be very touristy on a match day, which takes the edge off a little bit, but still a great experience, and I'm sure your son will love it either way.
There's not much to choose between them, I'd probably go for whichever game has got the higher profile opposition, as long as that doesn't have too much of an impact on ticket prices. Would rather watch Madrid/Barcelona vs Real Betis/Athletic Bilbao/Villarreal/someone of that ilk than against Leganes/Getafe, etc.
I suspect that in the end, the matchday and kick off time might have a greater impact on your decision than anything else.
Not done either of the stadium tours so can't comment on that.
Certainly no need to bother with Ticketmaster or any of that nonsense.
It's been a big debate/argument for Atletico fans: progress vs tradition. They have got a similar deal to West Ham though, with the local council buying the land of the Calderon and them moving to a taxpayer funded, intended for the Olympics that never came in this case stadium.
The man on the gate asked if we had correct tickets and we said yes.
A policeman came over and asked if we were going into that entrance and we showed him the ticket and he let us through.
A steward tried to stop us going through, and we waved our ticket and barged past thinking they were being a bit arsey because we were English.
Found ourselves in a small pen that had what appeared to be their Nationalistic fans, who were making a lot of noise, waving Spanish flags, singing Viva Espana and generally taunting the rest of their own supporters who were nearby. We were not sure what to do, so styled it out for 10 minutes (or stood there very quietly...) and turned around to see the steward and his mates laughing at us, then they came down and escorted us to a more friendly section of the ground.
this was the weekend bottom of the table West Brom beat us 5-1at The Valley, earnshaw hattrick.
Saw Real vs Betis in March last year on my stag with Ronaldo playing. Madrid won 7-1.
Both impressive, iconic stadiums. Think Barca edged it on atmosphere (still dire) and much prefer the City too although they're both fantastic.
Personally found both match experiences pretty boring though, I think due to the touristy feel, non-existent atmosphere and no affiliation to any of the teams.
Ultimately you can't really go wrong with either.
https://www.supersport.com/football/spain/news/170719/La_Liga_draw_postponed_after_arrests
Cant believe how bloody backward they are in delivering fixtures, then the head of their FA gets arrested for bribery.
I would think that a visit to either would be fantastic, especially for your son.
I exho the others that have suggested going for the tour also.
I actually think that both stadiums are overhyped (because of who plays there) and overrated. Two big concrete bowls with poor facilities, although I'd rate Madrid slightly higher because it's covered and has heaters in the roof!! (Arsenal game was in Feb, it was freezing so the heaters were a welcome relief whilst being held in the ground for 90 minutes after the game!).