FC Barcelona Stadium Tour – Is it Worth Your Time?

Home to the world-famous FC Barcelona, El Camp Nou – or ‘Nou Camp Stadium‘ – is one of the top attractions in Barcelona. Whether it’s watching a game or taking the Camp Nou tour, visiting this huge and historic stadium is an experience any football fan won’t soon forget.

If you can get tickets to see a game, great! These aren’t easy (or cheap) to come by, and hearing the roar of a 100,000-strong crowd as ‘Barça’ take to the pitch is quite something.

But the Camp Nou Experience – a tour of the club’s stadium – is the next best thing (and a great idea to wind down a stag party in Barcelona!). From the players’ changing rooms to the tunnel and dugout, the tour offers you the chance to feel the history and spirit of FC Barcelona, follow in the footsteps of the club’s most famous players, and understand why FC Barcelona is “more than just a club”.

Last month, I had the chance to visit el Camp Nou and take the tour myself. I just showed up on the day, but in hindsight I wish I’d booked ahead in order to avoid the queue and guarantee my time of entry. That’s why I recommend booking your tickets for Camp Nou Experience via Tiquets, which is an online portal for booking tourist attractions across the globe. Your tickets will be sent straight to your phone, so there is no need to print or wait in line on the day!

But first, what’s the tour like?

First of all, we had to get there from our hotel, which, thanks to Barcelona’s highly efficient Metro system, was no problem at all. The nearest metro station to Camp Nou is Collblanc, which is on the blue metro line. The stadium is a short 10-minute walk from the metro.

Next, we waited in line to buy our tickets. Unfortunately, this meant we weren’t able to go into the stadium immediately after buying the tickets, as we had to wait for the next available time slot about 45 minutes later. If you book your tickets in advance via Tiquets then you won’t have to do this.

Camp Nou Museum

We decided to do the full tour with entry to the museum. We also chose to upgrade to the audio guide for an extra €5 (there’s also the option to add the VR experience to your tour, which comes later on). In retrospect this probably wasn’t worth it. All the objects displayed in the museum are accompanied by detailed texts both in English and Spanish, which provided enough information. If anything the audio guide slowed the tour down, as you have to play each section in accordance with each stop as you make your way through the museum. They’re also quite clunky and awkward to carry around.

The objects themselves ranged from old Catalan newspaper clippings and photographs of the very first FC Barcelona team, to Champions League trophies and Golden Boots. I found the material relating to the period of the Spanish Civil War to be particularly interesting, as the region of Catalonia was very much the centre of opposition to Franco’s regime. During this time, the club endured a series of cataclysmic events, including its founder’s death, the Second Spanish Republic, the Spanish Civil War and the assassination of its president, Josep Suñol. It was a period characterised by the club’s commitment to freedom, democracy and identity, but also uncertainty, which saw a reduction in membership and the cancellation of some players’ contracts.

For some random facts about FC Barcelona, check out this post from a couple of years ago.

Overall, the museum is focused on visual displays, meaning everyone is kept entertained. The digital displays are especially impressive, with multiple videos available to watch on an interactive table that doubles as a flat screen. Just touch whichever one you want to watch and it will enlarge itself on the table.

Camp Nou Stadium Tour

After the museum, you’ll want to get on with the stadium tour. This begins with the chance to walk into the stand behind the dugout, and take a few pictures, like this one:

Then you’ll be directed back inside, and down to the visiting team’s changing room, which is surprisingly basic, save for a hot tub and a few images of Barça legends. Strangely, the audio guide seems to describe the home team changing room, which sounds a lot better. It’s a shame the home team changing room is not included in the tour – this would be one of my biggest criticisms.

You’ll also pass through the ‘mixed zone’ where players give post-match interviews, and the FC Barcelona Press Room, where press conferences take place before and after the game.

Then comes the most thrilling moment of the tour – walking down the players’ tunnel and out onto the pitch. Traditionally, Barça line up on the left side of the tunnel, and their opponents on the right. On the way down, you’ll notice a small chapel on the right-hand side, presumably where some players may pray before a game. I could be wrong, but Spain is a very religious country after all!

Sadly, you can’t walk out onto the pitch itself – you can only go as far as the touchline – but just standing here and taking in the views of the thousands of empty seats around you is enough to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. You can patrol the touchline as if you’re the head coach motivating his players during a game, or take a seat in the dugout and imagine yourself as a substitute waiting for his big moment. And to be fair, this is probably when the audio guide is worth having, since you can use it like a handheld VR-like TV, and watch the players run past you onto the pitch. You’ll have to be patient if you want a photo in the dugout, as everyone will be waiting in line for one.

It’s at this point the actual VR tour takes place, as we could see some people sitting in the stands with their VR headsets strapped on.

Next, it’s up to the press box, where you can sit and imagine yourself as a commentator watching Barça play against an arch rival such as Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain.

Before the tour finishes, you’ll have chance to browse the club shop and buy souvenirs if you want (but not after going up lots of stairs). When I visited, there were two types of club shirt available: the regular kit and the ‘vapor’ kit. The regular kit, both home and away, costs £64.95, whereas the vapor kit, which is presumably made of more advanced/waterproof/breathable etc, costs a whopping £99.95.

I should also mention you’ll have the option to take home one of those fake background photos which makes it look as if you’re standing next to the Barça players (I think it was Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Andres Iniesta), but we gave that one a miss.

So, was the tour worth it?

I was glad I took the tour and had chance to experience this incredible stadium. But for me, the museum was the highlight, learning all about the club’s history and particularly its role during the Spanish Civil War through the 1930s. But for most, walking out onto the pitch and lining up in the players’ tunnel is probably the highlight. It’s a one-off experience, so definitely worth doing for €25 – but given another chance I wouldn’t bother with the audio guide.

A huge renovation project is due to begin in 2019, with a focus on improving technology and the overall quality of the stadium, rather than the capacity. I’m willing to bet the Camp Nou Experience will be even better then.

Anything else you need to know?

If you’re in Barcelona for a short break, and you intend to visit lots of different tourist attractions, consider using the Barcelona Card. This handy companion gets you skip-the-line entry to a selection of museums for up to 72 hours, free public transport around the city (including Metro, bus, tram, train and the airport train), and dozens of discounts at other attractions and shops.