The club's idea
The Basque-only policy and its bond with regional identity is the museum's most interesting thread.
Валерий Дед — CC BY 3.0 · Loxyger — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Txapisotegi — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Txapisotegi — CC BY-SA 3.0
More than most stadium tours, because the Basque-only policy makes the museum as much about regional identity as about sport. But if football holds no interest and you have one day in Bilbao, the Guggenheim comes first without comparison.
The San Mamés metro station sits right at the ground, minutes from the centre. The area around it is ordinary residential and commercial, so do not plan to combine it on foot with the historic centre.
Sign in to write your review of this place.
No reviews yet — be the first.
The stadium of Athletic Club Bilbao and its museum, visited on a paid tour on non-match days. The current ground opened in the last decade to replace the old stadium nicknamed the Cathedral, and the name carried over to the new one. What makes this different from other stadium tours is the club's policy: Athletic Bilbao signs only players from the Basque Country or trained in its clubs, a rule unique among Europe's major clubs and one the club has kept for more than a century. The museum explains that idea and its bond with the region's identity, and it is the most interesting part even for someone who does not follow football. The tour takes in the stands, the dressing rooms, the tunnel and pitch level, and the museum shows the trophies and the club's history from its founding. Hours follow the fixture list, and the tour is shortened or cancelled on match days. Book ahead and check the schedule before going.
The Basque-only policy and its bond with regional identity is the museum's most interesting thread.
The old ground's nickname passed to the new one, part of the club's and its crowd's culture.
The tour reaches the tunnel, the pitch edge and the dressing rooms, depending on the day's schedule.
Rafael Moreno Pitxitxi Kalea, Bilbao