Football trip Barcelona

On a football trip to England you go for the match. In Barcelona you go for both, and that changes the whole shape of the trip.

Kick-off here is rarely at half past two. La Liga likes it late: nine in the evening on a Saturday is normal. That means your day is free, your evening is full, and you need the night that follows. A two-day weekend therefore works less well than in London or Liverpool.

What you get in return is that the city fills itself instead of you having to kill time. From the Gothic Quarter to the Sagrada Família, from Barceloneta to the Boqueria: it is all within walking distance or one metro ride.

And it is warmer. In November you are sitting outside here while in England you are walking to the ground in the rain. For a lot of people, that is the whole difference.

The stadiums

The Spotify Camp Nou is the largest stadium in Europe and is being rebuilt in stages into a modern version of itself. Because of that work, the available capacity varies from period to period. We check with every booking what is actually open on your date, so you are not caught out.

Espanyol play at Cornellà-El Prat, a compact ground a little outside the city. Smaller, cheaper and with a crowd who like to call themselves the real Barcelona. For anyone wanting to avoid the tourist crush at the Camp Nou, this makes a surprisingly good day.

FC Barcelona's museum and the stadium tour can be visited separately and are worth it, even without a match.

When is the best time to go?

La Liga runs from mid-August to the end of May. Dates and kick-off times are set round by round and often only confirmed two to three weeks beforehand. That is later than in England, so keep your trip flexible until then.

The best months are September, October, April and May: pleasant weather and a full programme. In summer it is hot and the league is shut down.

A Clásico or a European night is a different category in terms of demand and price. If you want a match like that, starting early is the only thing that works.

Practical

Flights go to Barcelona El Prat, connected to the centre by train or metro in half an hour. A taxi costs around thirty euros.

The most pleasant places to stay are in the Eixample or around the Gothic Quarter. From there you walk to nearly everything and are close to the metro lines to the ground.

One warning you will hear from us and not from a holiday brochure: there is a lot of pickpocketing in the centre and on the metro, especially around match days. Carry nothing in your back pocket and do not leave your phone loose on the table.

And bring photo identification. At Spanish clubs it is often needed at the entrance check, certainly with hospitality.

Frequently asked questions about a football trip to Barcelona