My Top 5 football stadiums in Germany

If you have read the Random Facts, you know, that I’m a huge football fan and also travel/traveled “with” the team to multiple national matches. My goal was/is to watch a football match in every stadium of the first division in Germany. Did I reach that goal? Find out at the end of the post 😉

This list will focus on my top 5 stadiums in Germany. I love to do stadium tours to get an exclusive look at the changing rooms, VIP areas, Mixed Zones and other part you usually don’t get to see on a match day as a fan. If you want to visit one of the stadiums, I will post the link on how to book a tour. Please bear in mind, that I’m not responsible for the content of the sites.

1. Allianz Arena – Munich

I know, this one was obvious, but even if it’s “my” home stadium, it will always be the one stadium for me. Not only have I attended numerous matches since the opening in 2005, but I also worked there during my school time and undergraduate studies for almost 6 years. It’s my happy place and I have felt almost every emotion possible during the matches and my day to day work. Even though I have been there countless times, I’m still super excited every time I enter the Arena.

If you are in Munich and love football, the Allianz Arena is a must-see. Not only can you take a guided tour, but you can also visit the FC Bayern Munich museum. Since I was a tour guide myself, I could tell you a million stories, but you might want to discover this sacred ground yourself.

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You can book tours daily and they also offer English tours: https://allianz-arena.com/en/tours-and-fcb-erlebniswelt They do also offer tours on match days, but you won’t be able to see the changing rooms.

2. Veltins Arena – Gelsenkirchen

The first time I was in the Veltins Arena, I immediately fell in love with it, even though it is not considered a football stadium in general. Since it is a multifunctional arena, they are able to move the turf outside and use the arena for concerts or other events. I was able to watch this happen and it was very funny to see the grass moving. It is also possible to close the roof, which on one side is nice, since it’s warmer (especially during winter times) but also takes away the “real” feeling of a football match.

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What I like most about the club and the arena is that they stay true to their values and roots. A few years back they had the players tunnel (which is used by the teams and referees to get to the field) redone and it looks like a coal mine tunnel. I can totally recommend either taking a tour and visiting the museum, or attending a match at the Veltins Arena, since the Schalke supporters are one of the most emotional ones in the whole league. https://schalke04.de/en/the-veltins-arena/information/veltins-arena-tour/

3. Signal Iduna Park – Dortmund

The Signal Iduna Park is the biggest stadium in Germany (over 81.000 seats/stands) and home to Borussia Dortmund. Compared to the two stadiums mentioned above it is rather old and was built in the 1970s. Besides being the home to Borussia Dortmund, the stadium was used for the FIFA World Cups in 1974 and 2006.

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The most impressive fact about the Signal Iduna Park are the stands: during the home matches of Dortmund the whole south-side of the stadium is one big standing area and has space for almost 25.000 fans. It is called the “Gelbe Wand” (yellow wall) due to the team colors and impressive crowd standing there. The Dortmund supporters are considered one of the most emotional ones in the Bundesliga. You can either attend a match, to actually see the “Gelbe Wand” in action, or take a tour and visit the museum.

https://www.bvb.de/Der-BVB/Borusseum/Borusseum/Stadiontour

4. Olympiastadion – Berlin

The Olympic Stadium in Berlin was originally built for the Olympic Games in 1936. Nowadays it is used for track and field as well as the home matches of Hertha BSC. It is the third biggest stadium in Germany, after the Signal Iduna Park and the Allianz Arena with a capacity of 74.475. I personally never attended a Bundesliga match there, but I did attend numerous DFB Pokal finals (German Cup) which are held in the Olympic Stadium every year.

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Since it was originally designed to host all kinds of sports, it still has the tracks, which results in the seat being slightly further away from the football field than in the stadium mentioned above. The most impressive view is entering the stadium from the main entrance (east gate) and walking underneath the huge Olympic Rings to get to your seat. If you are in Berlin and have a little bit of time I would totally recommend going there and either attend a sports event, or take one of the guided tours (they offer 3 different tours). It is a huge part of the German sports history!

https://olympiastadion.berlin/en/guided-tours/

5. Weserstadion – Bremen

This last one might be a shocker for people who are from Germany and know some of the other stadiums. I know, it is neither the biggest nor the most popular one, but it holds a special place in my heart. I attended my first away game in the old Weserstadion in 2007 and have been there every year since then – it has become a tradition. The Weserstadion was originally built in 1947 and is home to Werder Bremen. With a capacity of over 42.000 it has the average size of a stadium in the first division. During the last modernization in 2008 and 2009 they installed photovoltaics on the roof.

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The coolest thing about the stadium is its location: it is built right next to the river Weser. You can not only walk from the city center or take the train but also get there by boat, which is awesome! You can either attend a match or take a tour; it might not be as impressive as the other stadiums mentioned above, but it is super nice and well worth a visit when you are in the area.

https://www.werder.de/en/stadium/experience-werder/wuseum-stadium-tours/

If you have read the whole post you definitely deserve an answer to the question “did I reach my goal of attending a match in every stadium in the Bundesliga?” I almost have. There are only 3 stadium missing: HDI-Arena in Hannover, Schwarzwald-Stadion in Freiburg and the ESPRIT Arena in Düsseldorf. My goal for the upcoming season: go to all three of these stadiums and finally cross that off my list 😉

If you have any questions or feedback please comment down below or contact me, I’m always looking forward to hearing other people’s experiences or answer questions.