Hi.
I've bought tickets to the May 24 FC Barcelona match. I'm trying to figure out my travel options for after the game - we're planning on being in Munich the following night.
Match time isn't decided until 10 days before the match, but it seems that all previous matches are around 20:00-22:00 local time. Is this correct? That's what the FC Barca site is saying, but that just seems ridiculously late to me? Can someone confirm if this is correct?
It's not unusual. Sporting events in Europe start later in the evening compared to the US. In fact most Spaniards don't eat dinner until around 9pm. For example, UEFA Champions League matches don't kick off until 20:45, and that's midweek.
The fact that this match is on a Sunday doesn't matter...the local TV networks want prime time ad revenue.
Ron, it is correct, the game we went to started at 20:00. After the game it should take around 1 hour by metro to get back to playa catalunya. Have a great time!
I don't know if you are taking the train or not, but if you are, Sants Estacio is two or three metro stops down the green line from Camp Nou, and from there if you are leaving from Francia (I think, the name escapes me at the moment), you can catch one of the RENFE urban rail trains to that and bypass the slower moving metro.
Also, the train to the airport starts at the latter station and stops at Sants on the way to the airport.
I lived in Barca last fall, but I don't remember the timetables...message me if I can help more.
So, depending on start time, we may be in a rush to catch our train.
Are you free to leave the stadium at any point, or is there a procedure for exit?
You are free to leave at any time from European soccer stadiums, except in some cases when visiting fans are kept after the match for an hour for their own safety (to wait for the home fans to disperse).
Your seats are probably in the home section (in fact, I'm sure of it - they will be by default), so you can get up and leave at any time.
Depending how late you can afford to arrive in Munich the following day, why don't you just take a plane on the 25th? The game on the 24th is likely to be the first game as league champions, and I imagine that you'd rather enjoy the celebratory ambiance rather than worrying about rushing to catch a train.
Match time last night was 20h, but 21h is not infrequent either. I seem to recall only mid-week matches starting as late as 22h, but that just might be my faulty memory.
