Unusual European Stadiums Every Football Fan Should Visit
Allianz Arena
Munich, Germany
Anyone who has seen Bayern Munich’s €240 million stadium fully prepared for action for a night match will know just how impressive the luminous shell can be. Ground sharing is commonplace in many European countries, but the Allianz arena is the only one that physically changes appearances to accommodate the current occupying team. When Bayern Munich are playing, the outer panels radiate a bright red light, while their local rivals 1860 Munich light the stadium blue. The unique ‘bubble’ outer shell is comprised of 2,760 panels, 1,056 of which are illuminated in either red, blue or white – white being used when the national team play at the stadium, or when it hosts neutral competitions, such as the 2012 Champions League final. The Allianz Arena actually boasts the largest LED display in Europe, with 100,000 individual lights making up the impressive display.
Alianz Arena in Munich, Germany by Steenbergs
Estadio Municipal de Braga
Braga, Portugal
€83 million may seem like quite a lot for a stadium with only two stands, but once you glimpse at the innovative design of the Estadio Municipal de Braga, you will instantly understand the cost. The Estadio AXA (as it is now known) was built on the site of a quarry, overlooking the Portuguese city of Braga. The stadium was actually carved into the quarry, required massive quantities of rock to be shifted during construction. The really unique feature of the stadium is that all of it’s 30,286 capacity is achieved using only two stands, as the ends behind the goals feature the solid rock face of the quarry, while the other overlooks the city. The innovative design has earned multiple architecture awards and it has been a popular tourist destination since it’s construction for the EURO 2004 finals.
Estadio Municipal de Aveiro
Aveiro, Portugal
Another stadium built for Portugal 2004, the Estadio Municipal de Aveiro can only be described as something out of a child’s imagination. The multi-coloured stadium is comprised of blocks of different shapes and sizes, looking not too dissimilar to a Lego construction built using all manner of assorted toys from a child’s toy box. Even the roof lends itself to the ‘toy box’ quality, with red and white spires holding the bright blue roof aloft over the multicolour seating arrangements. The jovial, kidlike quality the eccentric stadium creates makes for an extremely unusual and certainly entertaining atmosphere.
Vesturi á Eiðinum Stadium
Faroe Islands, Denmark
Whereas the other stadiums on this list are easily reachable for the football tourist, this one will require slight more planning thanks to its extremely remote location and the limited transport available to the Faroe Islands. Home to FC Suðuroy, the Vesturi á Eiðinum has a capacity for 3,000 people, with seating room for only 330 of the crowd. Situated so close to the edge of the land means that the ball often ends up in the North Atlantic Ocean, with a boat dedicated to fishing the ball out and returning it to the game. A far cry from the multi-ball system so many clubs now utilise!
Vesturi á Eiðinum Stadium, Faroe Islands, Denmark (will you find that on the picture? 
) / Photo by Eileen Sandá
Thanks to Harry Lee for this post. Harry writes on behalf of Travelbag.co.uk – a UK-based travel company that offers holidays to Australia, America, Thailand and hundreds more top destinations.
Category: Travel Tips
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