Santiago Bernabéu Stadium — Attraction in Madrid

I went to see Taylor Swift perform, so my opinion and experience with the stadium as a whole is limited. However, I enjoyed the venue overall.

The stadium is located in the Chamartín district, and has a lot of restaurants/tapas bars located near the stadium. It also is centrally located and is easy to navigate to regardless of what mode of transportation you would prefer to use. I did not use the bus system, but I did see 3 or 4 bus stops nearby. I also saw plenty of taxis and rideshares nearby after the concert. I used the metro system-which I love the ease of! There is a metro stop (Line 10-Santiago Bernabéu) right next to the stadium, so it was very easy to navigate to even if you know little to no Spanish.

There were lots of entrance/exit points, and getting into the stadium was pretty straightforward. Due to a flight delay I arrived to the stadium later in day, so I did not have to wait too long to get in. They do not have a clear bag policy, however they will search all bags and use a metal detector wand (I was told this is standard practice for the stadium, not anything special for the concert.) They only allowed clear soft plastic water bottles under .5L, but they had to be empty of any liquids.

I don't know if it is always this way, but the stadium was NOT open during the concert. It was a hotter than average for a May day (around 95°F/ 35°C) and it was made worse from the lack of airflow, even though the sun's rays were dampened by the enclosure. This was awful and caused several concert goers around me to need medical attention. You can see part of the roof enclosure in my picture.

I did not explore the stadium once I walked through the doors; I went straight to the floor. I don't know if it was Taylor Swift's organizers or the stadium's, but there weren't clear instructions for the VIP floor section. Since I was late from my flight, I did not get to use my vip early entrance, and there were no visible signs indicating where to go if you purchased VIP; this did cause me to lose out on my VIP package and my VIP floor seat 🥲. Again, I don't know who was in charge of signs for that, but they definitely missed the mark on that.

The trouble with signage didn't end with things pertaining to the concert, otherwise I wouldn't gripe about it. I cannot understand spoken Spanish well due to trouble hearing, but I can read well enough to understand decently. Due to the understandable and expected language barrier I could not ask for more information and was relying on reading to navigate. However, there were no signs directing towards restrooms or concessions that I could find, so their whereabouts will forever be a mystery to me. The floor had a small concession stand where we could buy drinks and a small snack, but I am sure this was special for the concert and not a part of the normal day to day of the stadium.

Overall, I was pleased with the stadium, my only complaint other than the heat was the lack of clear, easily visible signage. I believe they are currently working on updating the stadium, so maybe this will be fixed in the near future.

The stadium has a rich history and is a source of pride in Madrid. They do offer tours of the stadium, which I would love to take if I get the opportunity to visit Madrid again. I bet watching a fútbol game would be...

The Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (Spanish: Estadio Santiago Bernabéu, esˈtaðjo sanˈtjaɣo βeɾnaˈβew) is a football stadium in Madrid, Spain. With a current seating capacity of 81,044, it has been the home stadium of Real Madrid since its completion in 1947. It is the second-largest stadium in Spain and third-largest home to a top-flight European club after Camp Nou and Westfalenstadion.

Named after footballer and former Real Madrid president Santiago Bernabéu, the stadium is one of the world's most famous football venues. It has hosted the final of the European Cup/UEFA Champions League on four occasions: in 1957, 1969, 1980, 2010.[6] The stadium also hosted the second leg of the 2018 Copa Libertadores Finals, making Santiago Bernabéu the first (and only) stadium to host the two most important premier continental cup finals (UEFA Champions League and Copa Libertadores).

The final matches for the 1964 European Nations' Cup and the 1982 FIFA World Cup were also held at the Bernabéu, making it the first stadium in Europe to host both a UEFA Euro final and a FIFA World Cup final.

A €525-million renovation project was initially set to begin in summer 2017, but began in 2019. The capacity will remain at 81,000 seats, but the height will be increased by ten metres and a roof will be added. The club is expected to sell the naming rights to the renovated stadium.

The work is expected to last three and a half years (2019–2022).

The renovation team utilises Roman techniques with raising the top, so as not to affect the operation of the stadium during the football season. "The project is complex because it will not stop the football and therefore complicates the works and design, which has a roof that encloses the whole stadium. They are going to lift the roof like the Romans did, but with modern technology. They will raise the inner ring by string-pulling with hydraulic jacks, bridge technology and ski lifts in a short period of time in the summer to respect the sporting calendar," said Tristán López Chicheri, the individual in charge of the renovation.[26] In March 2020, Real Madrid decided to expedite the renovations after the Royal Spanish Football Federation suspended La Liga due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The expedition included interior work, which made the pitch unplayable and prompted Real Madrid to play their matches at the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium instead.

Chicheri believes the renovation will bring tourists to the stadium all year round, with many attractions planned. The stadium is supposed to have more restaurants, a shopping centre and a hotel, with some rooms having a view of the pitch. The "digital stadium of the future"[28] will be equipped with a 360-degree screen and retractable roof.[29] "It is not only on matchdays that it will be used – there are venues like the Bernabéu that are in the middle of the city and it is a shame that they have no life beyond 35–40 matches a year," said Chicheri.

The areas around the Bernabéu will be rearranged: the Plaza de los Sagrados Corazones will be replaced by 6,000 square...

I give this 4 stars with a load of mixed emotions! If you're a fan, it's 5 stars purely based on the reality of being inside the stadium that you've probably watched on TV countless times (that was me). The actual tour experience is lacklustre and disappointing, to say the least. You literally walk through all the trophy cabinets then walk out into a section of seats you're allowed to be in (standing in the aisles in awe of seeing the stadium will get you shouted at by one of the unfriendly 'security personnel'). There are specific rows of seats that you are allowed to sit in only. There is no tour, guide, or explanation/information about the club and its history. No mention of the greats, literally just a blip in time on the wall about the Galaticos. You can sit down in the stands as long as you like. Once you walk through there are multiple people that will hound you to take photos (not of the actual place you're in, but rather in front of a green screen, I mean you could do this yourself if you wanted) the options are with a CURRENT team player only and then one with a trophy. It just screams pour some money here without having an experience! Then you will make your way into the store. There are racks and racks of clothes available, kits in almost every colour. There is one rack for women's clothes. They also do not have fitting rooms, I'm not sure why. There's loads of gimmicky type of memorabilia everywhere, however everything is only based on the current team absolutely nothing covering or including past legends. I felt there is a huge gap/opportunity there, or maybe just laziness. The place is fairly busy, like everywhere and people are buying heaps of items, I felt that most of them were just fans of the glam at face value and nothing further than that. I also am aware that it is still under construction (I was there in January as well and it was the same excuse) so I'm not sure whether there will be any improvements or real effort put into the stadium tour upon completion of the stadium. Essentially, if you're a real fan and potentially will not be travelling to Madrid again, pay and go see it. If you're indifferent or frequent Madrid often enough to experience the hype once everything is complete in a year a two, save your entrance fee, and just walk around the vicinity with a view of the exterior.

Visited again some 18 months later, there are more areas that are made accessible, but mostly on the form of rooms showcasing trophies and memorabilia. There is a significant increase increase in the visual aids in the different rooms. Interestingly there is a section dedicated to the Women's team, and the basketball team which is refreshing. Still zero access to the change rooms, and no where close to the pitch. But the stadium does seem to be (finally) coming...