The Football Pilgrimage: Bernabéu, the City & Metropolitano
Madrid is home to two of the world's most successful football clubs—Real Madrid and Atlético de Madrid—whose rivalry defines the city's sporting soul. This full-day route visits both stadiums and everything in between: the grand boulevard where titles are celebrated, the old-town bars where fans debate the game, and the working-class neighbourhood that gave birth to Atlético. Best done on a matchday if possible.
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Estadio Santiago Bernabéu — The Cathedral of Football
The Bernabéu is not merely a football stadium—it's one of the most iconic sports venues on Earth. Reopened in 2023 after a €1.2 billion renovation, it now has a retractable roof, a 360° video scoreboard and a glass observation deck on the eastern facade. The museum (open daily) covers 14 UEFA Champions League titles—more than any club in history. The stadium tour includes the pitch, the dressing rooms, the royal box and the trophy room. Buy tickets online to avoid long queues at the gate.
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Paseo de la Castellana — The Title Celebration Route
Walk south down Madrid's grand boulevard—the Paseo de la Castellana. This 9-kilometre avenue connects the Bernabéu to the city centre and is lined with corporate headquarters, embassies and the Financial District's glass towers. It's also the route of Real Madrid's victory parades: when the club wins a Champions League, the open-top bus carrying the players and trophy goes down this exact road, which can hold hundreds of thousands of supporters. The Torre de Madrid and Puerta de Europa towers are visible in the distance.
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Puerta del Sol — Fan Culture at the Centre
Madrid's central square is where the city's football culture concentrates when matches end. The two large screens often show games; the surrounding bars (particularly along Calle Victoria) are packed with supporters in colours. The official Real Madrid Store has a large branch here, as does the Atlético Madrid shop nearby. The bear-and-strawberry-tree statue (Oso y Madroño)—Madrid's city symbol—is the gathering point for celebrations after every major title.
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Cervecería Alemana & Football Bars of Huertas
Walk a few streets south into Barrio de las Letras to find some of Madrid's most historic football bars. Cervecería Alemana (Plaza de Santa Ana 6) opened in 1904 and was Hemingway's drinking spot—but it's been a match-watching institution for decades. The entire Santa Ana area fills on matchdays. Order a caña (small draft beer), sit at a marble-topped table, and join the debate about which goalkeeper should have started.
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Estadio Cívitas Metropolitano — The Red Half of Madrid
Take the metro east to Estadio (Line 7) for the Cívitas Metropolitano, Atlético de Madrid's 68,000-seat stadium opened in 2017. Atlético represents the working class, the south-east of the city, the underdog—everything Real Madrid is not. The museum covers three La Liga titles and a UEFA Europa League, plus the legendary era of Diego Simeone's side. If you can get tickets to a match, the atmosphere—Atlético's ultra group Frente Atlético is notoriously loud—is among the most intense in European football.
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Barrio de Las Rosas & Atlético Culture
The neighbourhood around the Metropolitano—Las Rosas and the Barrio de la Concepción—is genuinely working-class Madrid, a sharp contrast to the corporate north of the city. The local bars and fan shops are entirely Atlético red-and-white. The Atlético megastore near the stadium sells everything from replica shirts to bobble-head figures. After the game or tour, eat at one of the local bars—bocadillos de calamares (calamari sandwiches) are the canonical post-match food.