Madrid away fans

Football fans

This Madrid away fans guide is based on the experiences of away fans of the following clubs that have visited either the Santiago Bernabeu or the Vicente Calderon in European competitions in recent years:

  • Aberdeen
  • Arsenal
  • Bolton
  • Liverpool
  • Marseille
  • Weder Bremen
Divided into three easy sections depending on whether the match you're attending is against either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid.
  1. Common aspects
  2. Away fans visiting Real Madrid
  3. Away fans visiting Atletico Madrid

Common aspects

Accomodation:
Niether the Vicente Calderon or the Santiago Bernabeu are located in the center of Madrid and for away fans, unless extremely short of time in Madrid, its not worth booking a hostel or hotel next to the grounds. Travelling from the center to either ground via public transport is only a maximum of 30 minutes and cheap at 1€ each way.

Pickpockets
The scourge of Madrid away fans are the pickpockets that pray on drunken and not so inebriated football fans on the Metro and in the bars in the center of the city. Many a fan has had his match ticket and passport taken and that makes for an awful Euro away day.

Access to the stadiums:
Both the Santiago Bernabeu and the Vicente Calderon don't have enough enterances for the numbers of away fans that visit (in La Liga they do as next to no Spanish fans travel). This means that the away supporter needs to be in the queue to enter the stadium AT LEAST 30minutes before kick off.

Post match drinking:
Considering that European matches terminate at close to 2300 the zones around the stadiums are closing up. For those wanting to explore the 24hr nightlife then the city center is the only option.

Policing
In Madrid away fans are treated by the police in what can be best described as a "shabby" fashion. Whilst the Madrid police (identifiable by their flourescent jackets) are reasonable, the National police (either in all blue or riot gear) are best avoided. Even the home fans shun talking to the National police. Be aware that the English level of police officers in near zero.

Related football activities:
For away football supporters arriving in Madrid with time to spare the following football options exist to fill the time:

For other football matches being played that week the Spanish bars tend to televise the Spanish teams whilst the Irish bars televise English football teams.

Nightlife:
In Madrid away fans tend to be welcomed with open arms by bar owners be they Irish or Spanish bars. Singing loudly however in large groups isn't that well understood in the Spanish bars. The supporter coming to Madrid should be aware that the Irish bars in Madrid are some of the most expensive where prices start at €4,50 a pint. If you enjoy talking football then Spanish fans tend to be very well informed on the football happenings around the world and will gladly share a beer or two "talking football".

Away fans visiting Real Madrid

Away supporters area:
At Real Madrid away fans are allocated the 4th tier in the North East corner of the ground accessed via Torre D (or tower D). From which the view is best described as "birds eye". You'll be able to see all the action as the pitch view is unobstructed but the detail of a hard tackle or a penalty decision will escape you.

From the front of the 4th tier and extending upwards to the roof there is a mesh net to stop objects being thrown on the pitch or Real Madrid fans below. The area includes toilets and one snack bar that gets rammed! Note that the "beer" served inside the ground is alcohol free!

Getting to the stadium:
Whilst Real Madrids stadium has its own Metro stop we recommend that visiting supporters continue onwards to the stop at Metro Cuzco. From here its a short downhill walk to the Northern end of the stadium.

Pre match:
To the North of the stadium and between Metro Cuzco and the away enterance the zone is full of bars that cater to football supporters of both teams. The Southern side is a real "no go area" as the local neanderthals tend to congregate in the bars and street in this area. If you see a Burger King you're in the wrong place.

The strrets around the stadium are full of merchandising stalls and refreshment stands but they do not sell alcohol.

Tickets:
Going in the "Home end" at the Santiago Bernabeu is simple for European group stage games as they rarely sell out. See the article on Real Madrid tickets for how to purchase the tickets direct from Real Madrid. if you're forced to go the tout route then the day before and from midday on the matchday touts congregate at the southern end of the stadium next to the ticket booths.

Away fans visiting Atletico Madrid

Away supporters area:
The Atletico Madrid away supporters area is at the Southern end of the ground and covers two blocks of the upper and lower tiers. Each has a different price and access gates so there is no mixing once past the barcode scanners. These areas provide unobstructed views with only the area 205 being slightly restricted as its at pitch level.

Getting to the stadium:
We recomend that visiting supporters attending a match at the Vicente Calderon get off the Metro at "Puerta de Toledo". This isn't the closest Metro but there's only 200m difference. Leaving the Metro and looking downhill one should take the 4th exit at the roundabout which is to the right of the hotel Puerta de Toledo. A relatively steep incline takes you to a second roundabout from which you can see the stadium lights. Cross directly and at the bottom of the hill is the stadium and the away fans enterance gates. All in all its around a 500m walk.

Pre match:
If you follow the directions as above just after the second roundabout the street is full of bars and on street drinking. The Atletico fans in this area are used to and enjoy interacting with away fans. There are also a number of small "corner shops" that sell alcohol if one isn't fond of the tapas bars. Highly recommended is "Montesinos" which is a football bar that provides large helpings of Tapas and beer in equal measure!

Tickets:
Atletico fans tend to turn out in numbers for the big games and regularly fill the 54,000 seater stadium. Even so the club has a policy of "shafting" the big game only fans by increasing prices to 60€ or 70€ for the cheapest tickets and this means there are always some tickets floating around the aforementioned bars pre match. If the game hasn't sold out then booking tickets in the home stands is easily done via the internet: Atletico Madrid tickets.

Additional info:

Whilst this guide covers most of what the Madrid away fan needs to know any additional questions and information can be had from this sites Madrid football blog

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