Camp Nou - FC Barcelona

Camp Nou is the home stadium of FC Barcelona, one of the most popular soccer teams in the world. The stadium is the largest soccer stadium in Europe and the third-largest in the world, with a seating capacity of over 99,350 spectators. FC Barcelona plays their home games there, but it’s also been used for a host of major international fixtures, including European Cup/Champions League finals, the UEFA Super Cup finals, and the final of the soccer competition at the 1992 Olympics. Since 2014, the stadium has also occasionally been used to host rugby matches. Camp Nou has also been used as a concert venue, with major names such as Bruce Springsteen, Julio Iglesias, and U2 playing the stadium. In 1982 it was also the site of a mass said by Pope John Paul II, which over 121,000 people attended.

You can buy tickets online from the official FC Barcelona ticket site. You can also book tickets for FC Barcelona’s basketball, handball, futsal (indoor five-a-side soccer) and roller hockey teams’ fixtures. Tickets go on sale at different times, depending on the event. For La Liga, tickets are released four weeks before the league starts. For the Champions League, tickets go on sale in September, after the groups have been drawn, and then a few days before each knockout game. Watch out for the times and dates of La Liga games, which can still be changed until about 10 days before the game. Alternatively, official tickets can be bought from an offical FC Barcelona reseller. It’s highly recommended that visitors buy from these websites rather than from 3rd parties or from ticket touts, as there’s no guarantee that you’ll receive official tickets.

The self-guided tour takes you through the FC Barcelona museum, where you’ll see areas dedicated to Johan Cruyff, a Barcelona player in the ‘70s and a much-loved coach in the ’90s, Josep Suñol, and Lionel Messi, among others. You’ll see trophies, memorabilia, and interactive screens that will let you explore the club’s illustrious history, before heading into the stadium.

In the stadium itself, you’ll be able to visit the visiting team’s changing room, the Player’s Tunnel, a small chapel where players can say a last-minute prayer before heading onto the pitch, and the coaches’ and managers’ benches. You’ll get up-close to the pitch itself, plus you’ll see the press room, Mixed Zone, and you’ll get to visit the stands and see what it would be like to watch a game.

In addition to the audioguide, there’s also the chance to have a virtual reality experience that features a training session and a match. It costs €6 unless you book the Camp Nou Tour Plus ticket.

Kids who have any interest in soccer will love their visit to Camp Nou! Even if they aren’t fans of FC Barcelona, they’ll enjoy exploring the giant stadium and imagining themselves playing on a big stage, getting ready in the dressing rooms, and walking down the Players Tunnel. Young Barcelona fans will love to see where their heroes play, and there are also plenty of interactive exhibits in the museum that will get their attention. There’s a reasonable amount of walking to be done inside the stadium, so it might be a bit strenuous for very young children and toddlers.

If you’re taking the self-guided tour, you can linger over things you find interesting! Most visitors take about 90 minutes to see everything, but if you’re using the audioguide and you want to spend more time with some of the interactive exhibits, you can easily spend over two hours inside. Factor in a break for lunch in one of the stadium’s four restaurants and tapas bars, if your visit coincides with lunchtime, and your trip could take three hours or more. The guided tour takes 90 minutes.