Camp Nou Stadium – This name alone is sure to bring spark in any football fanatic’s eye. Camp Nou stadium was designed by Francesc Miró-Sans and since its inception in 1957, it has simply grown in popularity. Football is not just any sport in Barcelona, it is passion and an obsession. Football fan or not, we are sure everyone will love visiting this mecca of Football fans. It’s the second most visited tourist site after Sagrada and we can’t deny that Barca is indeed one of the greatest teams in the world.
How our plan was incepted !!
We both are clearly not football crazy except our son who idolises Messi . We landed in Barcelona in the evening and while waiting for our luggage at the airport, the information on the digital screen caught our attention. There was a match between FC Barcelona and Valladolid the very next day. Though we had the plan of having Camp Nou tour in our itinerary but we had not yet purchased the tickets. And this information made it evident that touring the stadium won’t be possible the next day because of the match.
The gleam in our son’s eye was too hard to ignore. We knew the chances were bleak but still thought of looking for tickets for the match.
On the phone, the tickets were being shown available but seats weren’t together and far from each other. We thought of reaching the hotel first and then looked at the laptop properly. We were extremely lucky it started showing three seats together in a row. Wasting no further time, tickets were booked and anticipation began. We were purely going there just to feel the buzz as we had heard so many stories regarding the whole atmosphere of the stadium. And of course seeing Messi playing right in front of our eyes was going to be surreal. Our son was already equipped with his FC Barcelona accessories and bits and bobs which he shopped for during day time.
How to reach Camp Nou
As our hotel recommended, we took a taxi and chose the easiest option to reach there. We were well ahead of time and the crowds outside the stadium were unbelievable. We could only imagine how busy it would be during Championships days.
It is easily accessible by public transport as well. If you are travelling by bus then you have the options of lines 7, 15, 43, 67, 68, 74, 75, L12, L50, L60, L62 and N12. N12 is the night bus that operates to and fro from the city centre. It gets incredibly busy after the match finishes , so it’s a bit difficult to catch the bus and queues are long.
If you are travelling by metro then get on Line 3 or Line 5 and get off at Maria Cristina or Les Corts (Line 3) and Collblanc or Badal (Line 5).
When in the stadium!!
Entering the stadium along with thousands of fans on foot is such an overwhelming experience. Feel free to bring any kind of fan accessory with you. It was great to see people being so creative. There are no lockers at the entrance so dont bring any valuables and throw any forbidden items away. Check the official website for terms and conditions.
Once inside we were helped by a very kind staff member to locate our seats. As we were early, we took our time to click pictures and just let the ambience soak in. Food and refreshments are available too and the prices are reasonable too. It seats over 99,000 people, making it one of the largest stadiums in the world. The crowds had started to build up and soon the whole atmosphere of the stadium was charging up. Once a sneak peek inside the dressing room was shown on the digital displays, the noises from the crowdswelled to a crescendo. Our seats were in the lateral category i.e. corner seats which were quite close to the field and really good for taking photographs.
90 minutes of excitement!!
Once both the teams were on the field, it was not hard to spot Messi. We won’t indulge in the technicalities of the match but once it started, you realise why football is considered a religion here in this Catalan city. The real action was happening in the seats behind the goal posts where all the fans were seated. Chanting, cheering, roaring, maxican waves..everything was happening there. It was so much fun.
It was quite exhilarating to watch Messi in action. The chanting of Barca Barca is still fresh in our memories. We are sure this experience is bound to make anyone fan if you’re not already. It was great to chat up with friendly locals and learn more about the match and team in general. The dismayed sounds at the missed goals were even louder than thunder. It was clearly visible how much the locals adore and cherish the game. After a while, a goal by Messi left the crowd hysterical. We had never seen or felt so much energy in a place and it was unbelievable. No wonder after a while we all were chanting Barca without even realising it.
At last all’s well that ends well. Barca won the match and the atmosphere turned jubilant. Once out, it was quite busy. No taxis were available so we thought of taking the N12 bus. We were fortunate we didn’t have to wait for long and boarded one bus just after a couple of minutes. The bus service was really fast and impressive. The bus dropped us at Plaza de Catalunya and our hotel was just ten minutes walk away.
Finally !!
It was one experience we won’t forget ever. Though we missed having the tour of the stadium but we felt catching a game was much more worthwhile. It was an impromptu plan but we enjoyed each and every second of it. Watching the happiness on our son’s face was priceless. Hope the pictures will inspire you to visit this pilgrimage worthy place in Europe. Please let us know if we can be of any help. We will be glad to know about your experiences if you have already visited xx
Some important tips
- In February, it gets a little chilly in the night so do take an extra layer or down jacket with you.
- The bars and restaurants remain jam packed before the match starts. That’s because no alcohol is served inside the stadium. There is non alcoholic beer available though.
- Avoid taking your cars during match days as it gets quite busy and parking is really difficult.
- On match days try to reach the stadium well in advance. Though it is necessary to arrive 30 minutes in advance.
- Smoking isn’t allowed inside the stadium.
- We purchased the tickets just one day before the match from FC Barcelona’s official website
- Be as creative with your accessories as you can. You can’t go over the board here and enjoy the feats of Messi , Suarez and many others in an electrifying atmosphere.
