Camp Nou - My dream came true

l love Football and I love FCB.

I used to go to Barcelona and back and finally, I decided to go to see Nou Camp. In fact, most tourists who come to Barcelona, that is full of beautiful scenery and rich history, visit this famous football stadium.

You can see that even my profile photo is actually the photo I took in Camp Nou Stadium. As I said, I love football and I love FCB.

How to say Camp Nou or Nou Camp?

The home of FC Barcelona is one of the world's most famous and iconic sport venues. There is an interesting fact that I want to ask about, what is the standard pronunciation of Camp Nou or Nou Camp?

Camp Nou is standard, but Nou Camp wouldn't be wrong.

As a magnificent and world-class stadium, its name still causes confusion and debate to not only among foreigners, but also local people. So which one is it Camp Nou or Nou Camp?

Actually, both of these names are correct. Or at least they were until 2001, when Barça's president Joan Gaspart asked club members to vote and as a result, 68. 25% of the members selected Camp Nou as the official name for the stadium.

Ticket Entrance

You can buy tickets anywhere in the world through online booking websites, or any travel agent in Ho Chi Minh City. In Barcelona you can buy them even in the hotels, motels, hostels.

The online purchase price is usually a bit more expensive (€1-2), while the purchase price at the city agents is the same as the one at the counter which is equivalent to €23 per ticket (at the end of 2016).

Opening times vary depending on the season, usually in the winter (October to March) it opens from 10 am to 6:30 pm (on Sundays only till 2:30 pm), and in the summer (late March to early October) from 9:30 am to 7:30 pm. In addition, the stadium is also closed on the days of matches. You can go to Barca's webpage for more information.

There are also some special tours at higher prices that you can buy at travel agencies. In addition, to the basic visiting, they offer guided tours, food and free drinks.

What will your experience be like?

The first thing for sure is that you will be offered the privilege of staying at the Camp Nou, where every Barcelona fan like me is wants to be. If you cannot help but dream about being a part of this, coming here, watching and living the pride of the Club, then your experience will be unforgettable.

Visit the club's traditional room, watch the historical pictures and admire the prizes that the club has won.

Enjoy the feeling of standing in the centre of the stadium.

Visit the FC Barcelona Museum.

Experience the latest 3D audio-visual technologies, as you get into the exciting atmosphere of Camp Nou and its every game, enjoy every moment of celebration of the club's victory.

And so many other things!

Schedule

I took the train from the city centre in order to get to Camp Nou on Monday afternoon. From the metro station it's a short walk to the stadium. I asked about the way and followed some tourists. Before entering, I also took some photos.

I bought tickets at the ticket counter in front of the museum in Camp Nou. In this area there are quite a few small souvenir shops, but the biggest one is inside at the main entrance. You can go to this shop without a ticket or at the end of your Camp Nou tour as that's where it will finish.

I wandered around inside the shop for a moment to look at the thousands of Barcelona souvenirs, clothes related to the club and its players. Then I went to the entrance to start the tour, that's where the tickets will be checked. Entrance to the Camp Nou Tour:

Traditional room

At the beginning of the tour you will visit the club's traditional room, which houses all the great championship cups of FC Barcelona. It is very stylish place, displaying the most prestigious cups.

From this room you will go straight to the second floor of the Camp Nou Stadium. It was really thrilling as I was about to see the huge field.

The stands are painted in two main colours: yellow and blue, the words Mes que un Club look really outstanding. However, I was a bit disappointed because it was not as big as I imagined, feeling just a bit wider than My Dinh stadium is not very much. Or do I stand too close in order to notice how big it really is?

As I was visiting it late in the afternoon, the sun illuminated one side whereas the other one was covered in shade. The stands are divided into two main levels. If want to get down to the field, to step on the green grass, you will have to go back and go the other way.

But before I got to the ground, I went also to see some areas down there, like the press sector.

And finally I made my way to the field. I experiences a feeling of nervousness just like the players prepared to start the game when I heard the echoes of the cheers of the fans who came from the loudspeakers. I must say, it really feels like living the moments of a real match.

Camp Nou Stadium

Here's the picture taken from the Camp Nou stadium. My dream coming true:

After strolling down the field for a while, I headed back to the exit at the reception area between the B and C entrances, where I saw an elevator that took me to the top floor of the stadium. This sector is reserved for commentators. You can get into the cabin to see how a football commentator's work looks like during a real match.

Multimedia Room

Next stop is the Multimedia room, which features the latest technologies, from 3D glasses to live games and club stories displayed on a flat horizontal screens. I felt great as I stood in front of the big screen, singing along with hundreds of fans of the club the traditional song: El Cant Del Barca. Then the screen replayed the most glorious and unforgettable moments of the matches of the Champions League. When you're here, please do not hesitate to sing!

At the end of the tour I returned to the souvenir area. The Camp Nou Tour is held in a closed circle, i. e. its staring point is also the finishing one. Although there are a lot of authorised souvenir shops in the city, this store is probably the largest, with plenty of souvenirs to choose from. I have to say that they know how to make you spend some money. After experiencing all of these most important moments of the history and glory of the club, you will want to express your admiration by getting at least some of the items they offer. Please do not hesitate to shop and do not regret it as it might be hard to come back!

I stepped out feeling like I have done one of the greatest things of my life: I have set foot on Camp Nou.

Photo gallery