San Mamés Stadium and Museum Tour Bilbao

San Mamés Stadium, the Cathedral of Football

San Mamés opened in 2013 beside the site of the old ground that fans called La Catedral, and the nickname moved with the club. The stadium seats more than 50,000 people, and its curved, illuminated shell is one of the landmarks of modern Bilbao. A San Mamés stadium tour shows you the building from the inside, far from the noise of a match day.

On the audio-guided route you walk through the players' tunnel, step into the changing room and sit on the bench where the coaching staff watch the game. The press room and pitch-side areas add the view that television never shows. Get here by the metro stop named after the stadium, or on foot from the city centre in about fifteen minutes.

The Athletic Club museum

The museum tells the story of a club founded more than a century ago and known for its Basque-player policy. Trophies, historic shirts, boots, photographs and original objects are laid out by theme, and interactive screens and an immersive video wall bring past seasons and legendary goals back to life.

Many visitors look for San Mamés museum tickets together with the stadium route, and this ticket covers both in one visit. Plan around one hour for the exhibitions if you like to read and watch the videos. There is also a play area for younger children, which helps families who want a football visit that is not only about history.

Planning your visit: opening hours and match days

Opening hours of the San Mamés museum and stadium follow the season: the museum closes at 19:00 from November to February and at 20:00 from March to October. On match days the schedule changes. When a game falls within opening hours, the museum closes two hours before kick-off and the stadium areas cannot be visited in the five hours before the match.

The ticket is valid for one day. Bring a charged smartphone and your own headphones for the audio guide, and arrive at the museum entrance between gates 19 and 20. The route is step-free and wheelchair-accessible, and visiting in the morning or at midday is usually calmer.

Around San Mamés

The stadium stands on the edge of the city centre, close to the Abando railway station and the main shopping streets of Bilbao. Football fans often combine the visit with a stroll to the Guggenheim Museum and the old town, all reachable by metro or tram in a few minutes. Cafés and shops around the station make it easy to plan a break before or after your visit.

If you are wondering whether the stadium tour is worth it, it suits supporters of any team who enjoy seeing where the game is played, and it is a good wet-weather plan, since most of the visit is indoors or under cover.