The ultimate guide to watching a Real Madrid game in Santiago Bernabeu

If there is one thing that brings the world together (or apart) that is soccer. I will never forget one summer when I went backpacking to Southeast Asia. After some weeks of travel, we ended up in a small village in the middle of Cambodia. You could only access this remote location with a detachable bamboo train. Well, once I finally got there after a very tedious and hazardous trip the first thing I saw was two kids. One was wearing the Real Madrid t-shirt and the other one a Barcelona t-shirt…

I realized how globalized the world has become and how soccer teams have become an absolute massive global phenomenon.

A little background on Real Madrid

Among the international teams, I think there is no debate that Real Madrid is one of the best clubs in history, if not the best. Indeed, it was named best club of the 20^th century and has won more major trophies than any other team in the world.

The European Champions League is the most prestigious world competition. All European champions go to one tournament where they play against each other with only one team holding the “Big Ear” trophy. Real Madrid has raised this trophy more times than any other team, more than the second and the third together. They won the trophy four times in the last five years.

Let me get a little emotional here…

Yes, I am a Real Madrid supporter up to the last inch of my flesh. Some of my earliest memories as a child are in the Real Madrid stadium and also some of the happiest and saddest moments of my life have been victories or defeats of my loved team. I’m sure there are other stadiums where people scream more or sing more. But when there is an important match, under high pressure there is this magic atmosphere, this war tension and this collective madness that leads the team to victory over and over against all odds (see evidence Real Madrid King of Comebacks).

If you happen to travel to Madrid and there is a Real Madrid game do not hesitate it, buy tickets and go to the Santiago Bernabeu stadium to see the best team in the world play.

Want to get a little excited? Watch this Best soccer team in the world

I have been lucky enough to see Real Madrid play in the Santiago Bernabeu hundreds of times from my childhood up until the moment I moved to the U.S. It is something truly special to do in Spain and I wanted to share some of the knowledge I acquired in all these years.

Hope you find it useful and of course, Hala Madrid!

If you want to know what other things you can do in Madrid, check out our post: Madrid- Welcome to the city that will conquer your heart!

For additional ideas on what to do when you visit Spain check our post: Top destinations in Spain and Portugal

Interesting Facts about Real Madrid

• Real Madrid is one of the only three teams in Spain that has never dropped to the second division.
• Real Madrid was the first team to number their players. This happened in 1947.
• FIFA declared Real Madrid the ‘Most Successful and Best Football Club of the 20th Century’.
• It is one of the richest clubs in the world with annual revenues of $750+ million and a fan base of more than 225 million people.
• Santiago Bernabeu was one of the earliest and definitely the most remarkable and famous president of Real Madrid. When he died in 1978, FIFA announced three days of grieving. The Real Madrid stadium is named in his honor.

• Real Madrid has won the European Champions League 13 times. 4 times out of the last 5. They have also won the Spanish League more times than any other team in Spain.

Santiago Bernabeu Stadium

The Santiago Bernabeu was named after the greatest and most remarkable Real Madrid president. It was built in 1947.

Currently, it has a total capacity of over 81 thousand people. There are planned renovations of the stadium starting in summer of 2019.

The stadium is conveniently located in Paseo de la Castellana, one of Madrid’s most iconic avenues. It is in the center-north section of the city and it has its own metro station.

Check all details at Santiago Bernabeu website

When to go to Santiago Bernabeu to watch a Real Madrid game

Real Madrid plays a number of tournaments throughout the year. The only exception would be the summer months where there are typically no games i.e. from mid-June to mid-August.

The main tournaments that Real Madrid plays are the following:

• The Spanish league (La Liga) has 38 teams and every team plays against the rest once in their own stadium and once away. Therefore, there will be 19 games in the Santiago Bernabeu every year. The Liga matches take place at different times on Saturdays and Sundays and occasionally during the weekdays (i.e. Tuesday and Wednesday).
• The European Champions League brings together all the major European teams. You need to qualify to play this tournament but I don’t remember the last time Real Madrid didn’t participate… This competition takes place from September to December with a pause until February and finishes in May. Matches are Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at 8.45 PM local time.
• The King’s Cup (Copa del Rey) is an annual football cup competition for Spanish football teams that has been running since 1903. The Cup matches take place on Tuesday’s and Wednesday’s at variable times.

Bottom line is that if you visit Madrid you have some good chances of visiting while there is a match,

Make sure you check out the match schedule at Real Madrid website soccer schedules.

Some pre-game plans?

If you happen to be in Madrid in a day of a big match i.e. Real Madrid vs Atletico, vs Barcelona or qualifying round of the Champions League, do not hesitate to get to the area way in advance. All fans gather in the south edge of the stadium to wait for Real Madrid bus to come. This happens about 90 minutes before the game starts. The experience is absolutely crazy. See it yourself Fans receiving Real Madrid bus.

While you can’t bring alcohol into the stadium, there are a ton of bars in the surroundings where you can have some tapas and beers. Remember not to drink too much!

Some post-game?

If you happen to be super lucky and Real Madrid wins a tournament while you are there, do not miss the celebration! All fans gather around the Plaza de Cibeles, which is one of the most iconic, centric and beautiful squares in the city. The party will last the whole night and it will continue the next day.

Where can I buy tickets for a Real Madrid game?

Tickets can be found on the Real Madrid website (Link). Ticket prices vary considerably based on a number of factors:

1. Prices are higher for Champions League matches and lower for King’s Cup early matches. Prices for the Liga matches vary but they generally tend to be cheaper than Champions League matches.
2. The price range is considerable depending on the location of the seat you purchase.

One thing to note is that the Santiago Bernabeu is a very “vertical” stadium. What I mean with this is that it is way taller than wider, as compared to other soccer stadiums. I see this as a big advantage for two reasons. First, you are never too far from the action. Second, when there is a tight match and the Santiago Bernabeu “awakens” the atmosphere is absolutely crazy.

Tickets must be bought with considerable time in advance! Tickets get sold out fast and even for the less important matches, only the worse spots will be available with less than a week in advance.

Even with enough time in advance, for some matches, it is extremely hard to get tickets. The biggest match in the year is the Real Madrid against Barcelona. There is an enormous rivalry between these two teams. Tickets get sold out nearly immediately and there is an unofficial resale market where prices get crazy high.

If you didn’t plan in advance…

If you are looking for a resale ticket the most reliable platform is StubHub (www.stubhub.es). It is an online platform where users buy and sell tickets to events. It is very reliable as the seller doesn’t get any payment until the tickets have been delivered and there is considerable trading volume.

What location in the stadium should I pick?

The stadium comprises four distinct zones:

• West Side (Lateral Oeste), which goes along the Paseo de la Castellana.
• East Side (Lateral Este)
• North End (Fondo Norte)
• South End (Fondo Sur)

Each of the aforementioned zones has 6 different levels:

• Gradas de Fondo, which are the seats at the same level as the soccer field.
• Tribuna, which is one level above the field.
• The amphitheaters. There are three amphitheaters on the sides and four on the ends. The fourth amphitheater is the highest of the stadium.

Finally, the whole stadium is divided into sectors, which have three digits. The first number equates to the level. Therefore, a seat in sector 332 will be located in the third amphitheater.

Generally, the best seats are those located in the Tribuna on both sides. As an example, the Real Madrid president and board of directors seat on the center east side Tribuna.

Some things to consider:

• Being too close to the players is not necessarily the best as you will miss a lot of the big picture of the match. This is not NBA!
• The supporters tend to be more “supportive” on the ends, especially on the South End (Fondo Sur). The atmosphere will be more vivid.
• Also, if you have to pick between both ends, I’d go for the South End. That’s the goal where Real Madrid has scored more goals and they will always choose to play against that goal on the second half if they win the game start field side raffle.

I think the seat selection depends entirely on the budget you have. To me, the closer rows to the field of the first amphitheater in either the East or the West side of the stadium have the best value for the price you pay.

What if there is no Real Madrid game while I’m there

Well, that’s unfortunate! But do not despair. Here are a couple of good options to get a little flavor of the Santiago Bernabeu experience:

• Have dinner or lunch In Real Cafe. This restaurant is part of the stadium and if you book in advance, you should ask for a table with views to the inside of the stadium. The food is ok but the experience of having dinner and a cocktail with views to the stadium make it worth it (Link).
• Visit the Real Madrid store in the corner of the stadium and buy some merchandise (Link).
• Do the Santiago Bernabeu tour for only 18 Euros. You will see the stadium, dressing rooms, some of the most important trophies and learn about Real Madrid history (Link).

How to get to Santiago Bernabeu

Santiago Bernabeu is one of the best-located soccer stadiums I have seen in Europe. It is located in the middle of Madrid, next to one of its main avenues, Paseo de la Castellana.

The Stadium has its own metro station in Line 10 (dark blue) called Santiago Bernabeu (hard to miss).

There are also 7 different public buses that can take you there: 14, 27, 40, 43, 120, 147 and 150.

Even if you are coming from outside Madrid, there are several different trains that get to a train station that is at 10 minutes walking from the stadium. The train station is Nuevos Ministerios.

Obviously, going by car, taxi or Cabify (Spanish Uber) is also a good option.

Other things to consider

• No, it is not dangerous. The times of violence in Spanish soccer stadiums is long gone. There may be some incidents between the radical supporters of both teams, but these always happen far from the stadiums as there is significant security and police presence. You can go to watch a match with your family and have a great time with zero danger. Quite frankly, I wouldn’t suggest going to the Real Madrid stadium with a Barcelona t-shirt because people would think you are disrespectful but even if you did, you would be safe.
• You can’t bring alcohol into the stadium. You can’t take it in nor can you buy it inside.
• There are a ton of doors to access the stadium. When you buy tickets, the ticket will show the gate you need to access through, together with the sector, row, and seat.
• Kids need to have a separate ticket to access the stadium.

My best memory as a Real Madrid supporter

It was May 2014. After a bunch of bad years with several disappointments and a lot of frustration, we finally made it back to the Champions League Final. Not only that, the match was against one of our biggest rivals, Atletico de Madrid and the final was in Lisbon, which is at a 5-hour drive from Madrid.

My dear friend Carlos Martinez Bernabeu (of course he had to share a last name with the greatest president) managed to get two tickets and he decided to take me as his best Real Madrid supporter friend. I can never explain to him how thankful I am for this. The thing is that after a lot of difficulties in finding an accommodation (half of Spain has “invaded” Lisbon that weekend), the drive, all the money we had to spend, etc. we made it here.

The day was magic! We spent the whole day in the fan zone, drinking beer, singing with other supporters, cheering the small Real Madrid supporter kids and telling them how lucky they were and so on.

From the dust to heaven in one minute…

The match didn’t go as expected. We received an early goal and it seemed impossible to recover. I remember myself sat in the stadium by minute 90 feeling totally beaten. All that investment, all that excitement and I wasn’t going to see my loved team score one goal. What the hell… we were being beaten by our city neighbor team!

When I was about to break in tears, in the last corner kick of the match by minute 93, our captain scored a header goal and equaled the match. It is hard to describe the feeling I had at that moment. I cried of happiness and relief and jumped around hugging completely random and unknown people. I actually ended up 4 rows under where my actual seat was. Thing is we ended up scoring 3 more goals in the extended time and won the Champions League.

This beautiful video summarizes what happened Link. I still get goosebumps…

Hala Madrid!