How to Make the Most of Your Barcelona Football Trip

Watching FC Barcelona is really something that should be on your to-do list when visiting Barcelona. With the Spanish football season running from August to May each year and lots of games kicking off at 8 pm, you’re in with a good chance of catching a home game at night while you’re here.

With a capacity of over 99,000, the Nou Camp is the biggest stadium in Europe and is a sight to behold in itself. However, when all those seats are filled for a night of football, the atmosphere is so electrifying you need to experience it to believe it. For the best atmosphere, look for tickets in the Gol Norte or Gol Sur stands, located behind the goals. For the best views, try to grab a ticket in the first stand of the Tribuna. If you're not in town when there's a match taking place, you can take a tour of Camp Nou stadium and take a peek into the trophy room. To reach Camp Nou, take the Metro to Les Corts station.

RCDE Stadium, also known as Cornella-el-Prat Stadium, is home to RCD Espanyol. It’s a modern, purpose-built stadium that opened in 2009 in the south of Barcelona. All 4 stands have great views of the pitch with areas for halftime refreshments. The atmosphere for RCD Espanyol games is often better than at city rival FC Barcelona because there are more die-hard fans here and fewer tourists. For families, the Family Stand allows children under 6 years of age in for free.

To reach the stadium, take the Metro to Cornellà Centre station. It’s an easy, 15-minute walk to the stadium. There’s also a shopping mall directly next door – Centro Comercial Splau – which is handy if you’re travelling as a large group with different interests.

El Corte Inglés is the largest department store in Barcelona, offering 8 floors of goods, from homeware to fashion. If you’re looking for football jerseys, flags or other memorabilia, you’ll find plenty of options here for all La Liga clubs.

If you’re looking for Barca or Espanyol items specifically, check out the club shops connected to the respective football stadiums. Or, in FC Barcelona’s case, you can head to one of 11 branded Nike stores for your pick of limited edition football gear.

It’s not hard to find a bar to watch live football in Barcelona – literally, hundreds of venues throughout the city will have the match on TVs. But if you’re looking for somewhere with an atmosphere close to Camp Nou, Futballárium Barcelona on Carrer de Benavent is a great option. It’s a friendly pub that’s open to all nationalities and serves tasty food. The alternative is to stay in the centre of Barcelona, around Las Ramblas, before the game and head to the tourist-friendly Irish pubs like Flaherty’s or The Wild Rover. 

If you’re looking for an authentic feed before the match, head to Mà de Morter in Les Corts to enjoy Catalonian homecooked dishes that are also great value. Note that you can’t buy alcohol inside the Camp Nou, so plan accordingly.

RCD Espanyol play their home games in the south of Barcelona, close to the airport, in the Cornellà de Llobregat neighbourhood. One of the best bars for football fans heading to Cornella-el-Prat Stadium is Bar Nou Somni, on the corner of Carretera del Prat. It’s a stone’s throw from the stadium and welcomes all nationalities.

For families looking for some food and drinks before a match at Cornella-el-Prat Stadium, choose one of the open-air restaurants in the Splau shopping mall complex. Note that no alcohol is served inside the grounds at Cornella-el-Prat Stadium.

The best place to enjoy a game of football on the beach in Barcelona is at Playa de Bogatell. This manmade beach was created for the 1992 Olympic Games and was specially designed for beach sports. On weekends especially, you’ll find several games of beach soccer going on and you’re free to watch or even join in the action. It’s a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere with people of multiple nationalities all joining in to play together. There are also volleyball courts and ping-pong tables.

If you would prefer to watch the action with a cool drink, head to Vai Moana Barcelona, a beach bar that has a large terrace with views of the beach. To reach Playa de Bogatell, take the Metro to Ciutadella Vila Olímpica station and walk along the coast to the beach.