My Experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona — Schengen Travel
My Experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona is probably one of the best memories of my trip to Spain. Camp Nou is the home stadium of one of the most popular football (or soccer) teams in the world, FC Barcelona. With almost 100,000 seating capacity, Camp Nou is the biggest open-air stadium in the entire country and the entire European continent.
However, despite its enormous capacity and its monstrous space, Camp Nou is in need of a major overhaul and you will know the reason why a little later on.
I have been to Camp Nou four times, twice in 2014 and twice in 2015, and in both years that I have been there, I had watched two of the most important games in the history of FC Barcelona. Even if you are not a fan of FC Barcelona or football for that matter, I still urge you to watch a live game at least once in your life to experience the different kind of rush and excitement that I felt those very same moments when I was there inside the stadium together with the other 99,000 or so spectators. Only then will you understand why this sport is the number one most popular sport in the world.
My Experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona — My First Ever Live Game Experience:
Let me tell you a bit about my background — I was a varsity football player during my high school and college days. After college, I was recruited to play for my home country’s national team. Although it was just a short stint, the experience of playing at a top-notch level somehow fuelled my passion for the sport. Now, I am a part-time grassroots football coach and every year my colleagues and I bring a youth team to Spain for a football immersion program. One of the highlights of the program is to watch a live La Liga match either in Barcelona or Madrid. Lucky enough, for the past two years, we have chosen to watch live games in Barcelona.
Our team stayed at a very nice boutique hotel named Pol & Grace. The nice thing about this hotel is its close proximity to a subway station. As soon as we checked in, one of the hotel’s staff handed us our La Liga tickets. I excitedly looked at my ticket and let out a gasp because I saw the price of my ticket was about €90! Imagine, 99,000 other spectators paid that amount! No wonder these football players earn a lot of money! Anyway, our group headed out and took the subway to the stadium. The best way to get to Camp Nou is to get on Line 8 towards Zona Universitaria and get off Palau Reial Station. Walk south along Carrer de Marti i Franqués and you will see the stadium on your left.
The subway commute plus walk took about 40 minutes from the hotel to the entrance gate of Camp Nou. The first thing we looked for was the porta or the gate which will lead us to our seats. I remember entering Porta 50 which led us to the topmost section of the stadium. Mind you, there were no escalators — one reason why Camp Nou needs a major renovation. We probably took 10 to 15 flights of stairs to get to our section. Once we got to the top, we were already out of breath. It was such a workout. What was funny though was as we complained of breathlessness, there was an elderly right behind us leisurely walking to her seat, munching on sunflower seeds.
The game we watched in 2014 was a crucial match between FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. That was the final match of La Liga and it determined who will become champions for that season. Unlike basketball, football leagues do not have the best of 3 championship games. The teams solely depend on points earned with every win and draw and the team with the most number of points ends up being the champions for that particular season. I remember FC Barcelona needed 3 points, or a win, to secure the cup while Atletico Madrid just needed a point, or a draw, to win the cup. The game was so exciting because FC Barcelona led the entire match but in the dying minutes, Atletico Madrid drew the match. It was such a sad day for the Catalans but the crowd was so polite and just walked quietly home after the match.
My Experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona — The Tour of the Stadium:
Still fresh from the exciting match, our group went back to Camp Nou to do the guided tour. Fans from all over the world visit Camp Nou to see almost all the areas within the huge compound of FC Barcelona. If you book a group tour, a guide will personally take you to these areas and will give a brief introduction to these areas.
I remember going to the Press Conference Room, the Visiting Team’s Locker Room, the Dugout, the Football Field, the Stands, and the Commentator’s Room. The group was also taken to the museum where all trophies and memorabilia are kept. Finally, the group was led to the Nike store which sold all FC Barcelona items. The tour of the stadium completed my experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona. It is easier to purchase tickets for the tour rather than the live match. If you want to tour the stadium, just click on this link.
My Experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona — Experience it for Yourself!
Feel the rush and the excitement of a live football match by visiting Camp Nou in Barcelona. Before you purchase your tickets, make sure you have already secured a Schengen visa to be allowed entry in Spain. Some tourists find it such a hassle to complete and compile all documents required to get an approved travel visa, but knowing what you need might just be what travelers need to have that extra boost. If you are one of those hesitant Schengen visa applicants, then you need not worry because here is a complete list of requirements:
Should you have further questions about the visa application process or obtaining some of the requirements, just contact us and one of our friendly agents will respond to your queries.
Hopefully, my experience at Camp Nou in Barcelona has inspired you to make memories in Barcelona, Spain as well.
Originally published at https://schengenvisaflightreservation.com on March 5, 2017.
