Barcelona FC
In few places in the world will you find a city whose existence is so closely
related to its football team as you will in Barcelona. Everywhere you go you'll
see the team colours proudly displayed and FC Barcelona shirts, scarves and
memorabilia is on sale at every newsstand around the city.
Even the popular Bus Turistic hop-on hop-off tourist bus service has a
dedicated stop at FC Barcelona's Nou Camp Stadium from where you can wander down
to the club's official museum and souvenir shop as well as taking a guided tour
of the stadium's facilities.
Every other weekend when FC Barcelona play at home in their 98,000 seater
stadium there are thousands of visitors in Barcelona from all over the world who
have arrived specifically to see a game in this magnificent stadium. For some
matches you can buy tickets in Barcelona for games but on many occasions there
aren't tickets available to the general public on the few days preceeding the
match so it's a good idea to buy tickets
online before travelling to avoid disappointment.
History of Barcelona FC
Take a look at our interesting article describing the fascinating
history of Barcelona FC from
their humble beginnings in 1899 to the present day.
Barcelona FC Kick-Off Times
League matches are played on Saturdays and Sundays though the day and time is
only confirmed a little over a week before the game so if you do buy tickets
make sure that you're in Barcelona between Saturday afternoon and Monday morning
as games can be at various hours between late Saturday afternoon and Sunday
night. Check the Spanish Football
Association website to get confirmation of kick off days and times by
selecting "Calendario" then the date of the weekend of your visit. European
Champions League matches always kick off locally on a Tuesday or Wednesday night
at 8.45pm.
Getting Tickets for FC Barcelona
Here are the main ways of getting hold of match tickets:
1. Buy your
tickets in advance from Spanish Fiestas and have them delivered to your
hotel reception. These tickets are provided by a fully bonded travel agency that
is an official agent of FC Barcelona. Buying from this source is totally
guaranteed and gives you total peace of mind to the point that we even provide
an emergency local phone number (902-903-912) in case you have any problems on
arrival.
2. Phone the club (+34.93 496 36 00) in advance to find out exactly when the
tickets will go on sale and queue at the ticket office (taquillas) on Travessera
de les Corts before the taquillas open.
3. Wait at the entrance gates on the afternoon of the game and ask if anyone has
extra tickets. This does sometimes work as members sell off their friend’s
ticket who couldn’t make the game.
4. Try your luck with the ticket touts who usually stand in front of the ticket
office on the day the tickets go on sale and on matchday. Not recommended as the
language barrier often means you get ripped off excessively with high prices and
seats located in a different place than you were promised.
5. A few of the city’s upmarket hotels have been known to have access to tickets
(at a price). Try the reception at the Hotel Colón (Avenida de la Catedral, 7).
6. Some last minute tickets go on sale at the Easy Jet internet café on the
Ramblas.
Getting to the Nou Camp Stadium
Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium lies about 3km north west of the Ramblas. If you
book your tickets with
Spanish Fiestas
return transport is provided to the match from the bottom of the Ramblas.
The Metro service is by far the best public transport option on match day
although bus and taxi services are also available.
(1) By Metro
If you're staying near the Ramblas you can get on the green Metro line 3 at
Plaça de Catalunya or at Liceu (right outside the Opera House and on the same
side of the Ramblas) heading in the direction of Zona Universitaria. Get off at
Maria Cristina Leaving the underground by the exit marked "Sortida: Av.
Diagonal". As you come out of this exit you will see two huge black towers owned
by La Caixa on the other side of the road. Keep them to your left and walk about
200m along Avinguda Diagonal where you'll see a road sign for FC Barcelona and
Joan XXIII.On the other side of the road you'll see the Hotel Princesa Sofia.
Cross the main road (the Avinguda Diagonal) here and take a left after the hotel
heading down Joan XIII. You will see the stadium about 200m ahead of you. Some
fans prefer to get off at Les Corts which is slightly closer, just follow the
crowd.
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An alternative route by Metro is to take the blue line 5 heading for Cornella
Centre then get off at Collblanc and follow signs for the stadium.
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After the match with thousands of people looking for transport the metro is by
far the best way to get back to the Ramblas area if that's where you're staying.
You can get a beer at a bar on the way to the station to let the crowds die down
a little as the Metro operates until 2am.
(2) By Bus
The following bus lines serve the Nou Camp Stadium: 7, 15, 43, 67, 68, 74, 75,
L12, L50, L60 and L62, however, with all the traffic on match days it's a much
better idea to use the very fast and efficient Metro system.
(3) By Taxi
A taxi to the stadium from around the Ramblas area shouldn't cost more than €12,
however, the traffic can be so bad that the meter creeps up even further. After
the game there are no taxis available for a long time after the final whistle
and all the streets near the Nou Camp are packed with traffic making the Metro
the best public transport option.
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