Although I’m not a football fan, I agreed to indulge my partner with a tour of the “Bernabeu Stadium”:https://www.realmadrid.com/en/tour-bernabeu, the home of Real Madrid, the richest football club in the world. The metro station, Santiago Bernabeu, took us straight to the stadium where having paid €19 each, we set off on our self-guided tour.
First stop was to climb stairs to the fourth tier of the 85,000 seater stadium at 50m above the pitch for a panoramic view. Then it was back down steps (this is not a disabled friendly place) to the ‘Best Club in History Room’ to see the silverware on display. There were also lots of interactive displays of facts, figures and highlights which the little boys (and not so little boys) loved playing with.
At pitch level, we could smell the grass which was being cut and, as the Presidential area was closed, we were straight into the dug out, through the tunnel and into both changing rooms. The home team’s was particularly fancy with coloured, life-size photos of each player on their locker door. Roy just had to have his taken at the Gareth Bale locker.
Then it was the Press Gallery before optional, and expensive photos taken holding the European Cup with your favourite player and the inevitable shop.
Whilst this wasn’t my number one activity in Madrid, I found it quite interesting and being self-guided, meant you could take as little or as long as you want. It also earned me ‘brownie points’ so when I suggested going to a flamenco show, Roy could hardly refuse.
