Johan Cruijff ArenA Stadium Tour Tickets

The Johan Cruijff ArenA: the stadium of Ajax

The stadium opened in 1996 as the Amsterdam ArenA and was renamed in 2018 in honour of Johan Cruijff, the Ajax and Dutch legend. It holds more than fifty thousand spectators, has a retractable roof and hosts Ajax matches, concerts and major events, so a stadium tour shows the working heart of a modern football club.

If you are searching for Johan Cruijff ArenA tickets or how to get to the Johan Cruijff ArenA, the stadium is in the south-east of Amsterdam beside Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station, which is served by metro and train from the centre in roughly twenty minutes. The exact meeting point for the tour is given on your voucher.

Behind the scenes: dugout, pitch and Ajax dressing room

The highlight of a Johan Cruijff ArenA tour is the access. You walk through areas that fans normally never see, step out to the dugout and the edge of the pitch, and finish in the official Ajax dressing room, where the team prepares for its matches. It is easy to imagine the tension of a match day from there.

Depending on the day, you may also pass the players' tunnel, the press areas and the stands. Audio-visual displays along the route add stories about the club and the stadium. The guided tour adds a guide who points out the best details, while the self-guided tour lets you set the pace, with hosts posted along the way to answer questions.

Ajax and Johan Cruijff: the football story

Ajax were founded in 1900 and are one of the most successful clubs in Europe, with European Cup wins in 1971, 1972 and 1973 and a Champions League win in 1995. Johan Cruijff played for the club in the 1960s and early 1970s and became the face of the Total Football style that changed the game.

Learning that history inside the stadium makes it much easier to understand why the club matters so much to Amsterdam. If you love the tour, look for a football match in the same stadium during your stay, and check the fixture list before you book, because tour times can change around match days and events.

Planning your Johan Cruijff ArenA visit

The tour lasts around seventy-five minutes. The best time to visit the Johan Cruijff ArenA is usually a weekday morning or early afternoon, when there are fewer groups. Johan Cruijff ArenA opening hours and tour times change on and around match days and events, and there are no tours on 25 December and 1 January.

Bags larger than A4 size are not allowed inside, and only limited storage is available, so travel light. Comfortable shoes are recommended because there are many stairs. Wheelchair users should tell us when booking so that a suitable route can be arranged. Before you leave, look in at the official Ajax fan shop, where your ticket gives a discount.