Santiago Bernabéu Stadium

The Estadio Santiago Bernabéu is the home of Real Madrid and one of the most famous football grounds in the world. It opened in December 1947 and is named after Santiago Bernabéu, who led the club from 1943 to 1978. The stadium stands on the Paseo de la Castellana in the north of the city and has been transformed by a major redevelopment, completed in recent years, that wrapped it in a new metal skin and added a retractable roof so the pitch can be used in any weather. It now holds around 80,000 spectators.

For visitors who are not attending a match, the Bernabéu Tour is the way in. The self-guided route includes an interactive, audiovisual museum telling the story of the club, with a trophy display that features its many European Cup and Champions League wins, panoramic views over the stadium bowl, and, on most days, the changing rooms and the team benches at pitch level. There is an option to buy souvenir photos, and the route ends at the official club shop.

The tour suits football fans of all ages, and children who follow the game tend to love it. Non-fans may find the museum less engaging than the city's art collections, but the scale of the stadium is impressive. Allow around ninety minutes to two hours. The tour enters through Gate 84 on Avenida de Concha Espina. A new food hall, the Bernabéu Market, has also opened at the stadium and is reached through Gate 54.

Opening times vary. On non-match days the tour opens every day except 25 December and 1 January, with longer hours from Monday to Saturday than on Sundays and holidays. On match days the tour closes several hours before kick-off, and on the day before and the day of a match only the museum and panoramic views are open. Tickets are for a fixed date and time, so book online and check the official site, as concerts and other events can also change the route.

Santiago Bernabéu metro station on line 10 is directly beside the stadium, and the journey from Sol takes around twenty minutes with one change. The Paseo de la Castellana business district surrounds it, and the Nuevos Ministerios shopping and transport hub is a short walk south.