Spain from an English perspective

Do you like football? Then Spain is the right place for you. Learn more about one of the most famous football teams.
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, Spain. 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.
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.
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.

Source: Spanish Fiestas