Among Barcelona’s most-visited sites is the massive stadium of Camp Nou (which means New Field in Catalan), home to the legendary Futbol Club Barcelona. Attending a game amid the roar of the crowds is an unforgettable experience. Football fans who aren't able to see a game can get a taste of all the excitement at the museum, with its multimedia exhibits, and a self-guided tour of the stadium.
The museum provides a high-tech view into the club, with massive touch-screens allowing visitors to explore arcane aspects of the legendary team. Giant touch screens allow interactive exploring, delving into the club's history, its social commitment and connection to Catalan identity as well as indepth stats of on-the-field action. Sound installations include the club's anthem (which you can hear in many languages, including Hindi) and match-day sounds from the stadium.
The best bits of the museum itself are the photo section, the goal videos and the views out over the stadium. You can admire the (in at least one case literally) golden boots of great goal scorers of the past and learn about the greats who have played for Barça over the years, including Maradona, Ronaldinho, Kubala and many others.
Gazing out across Camp Nou is an experience in itself. The stadium, built in 1957 and enlarged for the 1982 World Cup, is one of the world’s biggest, holding nearly 100,000 people. The club has a world-record membership of 173,000.
The self-guided tour of the stadium takes in the team’s dressing rooms, heads out through the tunnel, onto the pitch and winds up in the presidential box. You'll also get to visit the television studio, the press room and the commentary boxes. Set aside about 2½ hours for the whole visit.
Tickets to FC Barcelona matches are available at Camp Nou, online (through FC Barcelona's official website) as well as through various city locations. Tourist offices sell them (the branch at Plaça de Catalunya is a centrally located option) as do FC Botiga stores. Tickets can cost anything from €35 to upwards of €250, depending on the seat and match. On match day the ticket windows open weekdays from 9am until half time, on Saturdays from 10am until half time; on Sundays they open two hours before kick off through half time. Usually tickets are not available for matches with Real Madrid.
You will almost definitely find scalpers lurking near the ticket windows. They are often club members and can sometimes get you in at a significant reduction. Don’t pay until you are safely seated.
