Just a handful of football stadiums around Europe enjoy the reputation of San Mamés. Visiting the legendary Athletic Club’s home ground (usually referred to as Athletic Bilbao) is an experience by itself. Deeply connected to the Basque Country roots and history and known for its strict cantera policy, Athletic is the region’s pride. Every match at the San Mamés is a mystagogy, and when I visited the city, I bought a ticket for the Athletic Bilbao VIP area to watch the game against Celta Vigo.
Even if you are not a dedicated football fan, watching a game at the San Mamés is hands down one of the best things to do in Bilbao. The city’s vibrancy and the region’s distinct flair will be omnipresent at the stands of The Cathedral, and seeing the locals’ passion up close is unique. As you can easily imagine, as a football fan, it was a must-do for my trip to Bilbao. Although I usually don’t buy VIP tickets, this time, I decided to splurge: the ticket cost approximately 200 euros, but it guaranteed an immersive experience.
Therefore, in the following lines, you will see how a match day at Athletic’s San Mamés feels. Apart from several photos, you will also read about my experience at the Athletic Bilbao VIP area and why this bundle serves as an introduction to the Basque Country culture. In addition, you will also discover what makes the Athletic Club unique and read some quick facts.
Let’s start.
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The Athletic Bilbao VIP Experience
The initial idea was to go on a San Mamés Stadium tour. However, the day I booked my flights to Bilbao, I thought of checking if there was a football match during my weeklong stay. And indeed there was: Athletic Bilbao would play against Celta Vigo on the afternoon of my arrival, on the 22nd of September. It was an instant decision: I had to find a ticket for the match.
I quickly discovered that most tickets were already sold. Scattered seats appeared occasionally but were already gone when I tried to book them. Then, I saw tickets at the VIP stands of San Mamés. As I quickly discovered, unlike in other football grounds, the VIP stands weren’t located at just a dedicated gate. Instead, it spans three out of the four sides of the middle tier. Apart from the Ultras stands, every other middle-tier section offers VIP hospitality.
Apparently, the more to the middle you decide to sit, the more expensive your ticket will be. While the VIP bundle is everything you’ll see below, no matter where you sit, better-match seats will obviously be pricier.
Even in the VIP area of San Mamés, I saw just a few tickets left. I booked my seat at gate 220 without second thoughts and was impatient for the match.
Tip: You should always book your tickets via the club’s official website here.
Match day at the San Mamés Stadium: Athletic Bilbao vs Celta Vigo
The San Mamés Stadium lies at the city’s heart. Apart from being an architectural marvel, it’s also a fine example of urban integration. Football stadiums are often perceived as places where troubles and riots occur. While violence in football is something not uncommon, integrating within the city a space that encapsulates the passion of thousands of people is positive. Detaching an interest from its roots and natural environment is, in my opinion, not the most suitable approach.
Walking through the city of Bilbao and after crossing a main street, seeing for the first time the San Mamés Cathedral is an image I won’t forget. Football is integral to the city, and seeing houses facing the stadium cheered me up.
I landed in Bilbao less than three hours ago, and on my first walk through the city, I ended up in front of a beautiful new stadium. As a football fan, I couldn’t honestly ask for more.
The Athletic Bilbao VIP area opens 90 minutes before the game
I was there two hours before the game. The area around San Mames was empty, and just a few people strolled around. Buying same-day tickets is possible, but I wouldn’t put all my hopes on that as a traveler. I saw some people queuing, though.
As if everything has to be connected with football times, the VIP area of the Athletic Club invites you to come to the stadium 90 minutes before the game. And I believe you should do that. After all, the VIP ticket offers an experience. While you can have a drink at the Gueria bar much earlier, the 90-minute margin will give you enough time to enjoy the stadium’s interior, too.
I found the times accurate. I queued outside Section D almost 1 hour and 45 minutes before the match, but the gates opened exactly 90 minutes before kick-off. There was already a short queue outside the gates, but entering San Mamés was smooth.
You are advised not to bring a backpack or bulky luggage to the stadium. However, since I arrived at the airport and wanted to have my camera, I didn’t face any problems. Sure, my bag wasn’t huge, but they just had a look before letting me in.
At the San Mamés VIP area
From the moment you enter the stadium, you will understand why Athletic Bilbao is so strongly connected to the region it represents. Everything revolves around the team’s colors and identity: from the past photos on the walls, the interior’s design, and, of course, the open and somehow claustrophobic view of the pitch.
The Athletic Bilbao VIP ticket takes the experience to another level and adds another layer: the culinary delight. In the 90 minutes before the game, you will have the opportunity to taste local delicacies for free and enjoy a drink or two at the bars. The region’s pintxos (imagine them like the basque variation of tapas, but more creative and tasty) will be available at almost every table you will come across. This area is also known as the Gastronomic Cathedral.
The selection of pintxos is always different, and the menu will be published before the game. They are created by Michelin-star chefs, so you should expect high-quality food. While drinking during the match is not allowed, you can enjoy a glass during your stay at the VIPs. I had a glass of divine Rioja, the region’s iconic red wine, and walked through the different sections. During this time, it’s also an excellent opportunity to visit the official store and buy some memorabilia.
You can eat as much as you want, but save some energy for the game -that’s what you came here for, after all.
After the game’s end, the VIP ticket of Athletic Club gives you the opportunity for a second round: you can grab some more pintxos, enjoy a drink or two, and watch the game’s highlights on the screens.
As you can see, the VIP tickets guarantee almost six hours in the stadium, making it a unique experience for your Bilbao trip.
Athletic Bilbao vs Celta Vigo: the game
After enjoying pintxos and Rioja, it was time to find my seat. The corridors to the VIP gates are narrow, but the access is easy. I went to my seat roughly 30 minutes before kick-off and saw a more or less empty stadium. I wasn’t puzzled, though: I knew it would fill quickly.
The San Mamés Stadium has numerous gates, so entering and exiting is smooth and fast. Even fifteen minutes before the match’s start, the stands were relatively empty. However, shortly before kick-off, the Cathedral felt packed and almost reached its capacity during the team’s anthem.
From Gate 220, I couldn’t have a direct view of the Celta fans; they were seated on the gates above and toward the side. The stadium started chanting, and despite the gloomy weather, the atmosphere was loud and festive.
Athletic Bilbao vs Celta Vigo 3-1 (22nd of September 2024)
Celta was competitive for the most significant part of the game. Still, Athletic Club Bilbao won the match by 3-1. Athletic was superior in the game’s key moments, and they didn’t lose their morale when Celta equalized the game to 1-1.
Here, you will see some impressions of the game and how I experienced it.
A couple of minutes after the game’s start, Athletic Club scored their first goal with Guruzeta on the 4th minute.
And here are the celebrations after Guruzeta’s goal.
And here are the celebrations from the third goal.
Celta remained competitive during the best part of the game. Here’s a corner kick that didn’t result in a goal.
The last minutes.
After the match, Athletic Bilbao players celebrated with their fans.
For the record, here’s the starting lineup of Athletic for the match:
Julen Agirrezabala
Óscar de Marcos
Daniel Vivian
Aitor Paredes
Beñat Prados
Adama Boiro
Oihan Sancet
Mikel Jauregizar
Iñaki Williams
Álex Berenguer
Gorka Guruzeta (scored two goals).
Post-match at the San Mames
As I have already written, after the game, you can stay for one more hour in the VIP area of the stadium. There will be pintxos, drinks, and some dishes to enjoy while watching the highlights. I spent another 45 minutes strolling around the stadium before exiting.
It was a rainy afternoon in Bilbao, and the last image -even though it was not the best-photographed one- was of a rainbow above the river. And just like that, a fantastic first day in Bilbao ended.
Athletic Bilbao facts: what makes the team special
The Athletic Club is Bilbao’s pride, and several facts are associated with it. In this section, I will share some information about the club and what makes it unique. Passionate football fans will probably know these things, but if you are still hesitant to watch a game, those facts might convince you of the club’s importance and connection to the local culture.
Athletic Club fields players only born or raised in the Basque country
This is one of the unique features of Athletic Bilbao. To some, this is a nationalistic approach, but no one can ignore the fact that in today’s football world, Athletic Bilbao still uses only native players on the field.
Specifically, the team only has players who have come through its “cantera” academy or the academies of other clubs in the Basque Country. Additionally, only players born in Biscay, Gipuzkoa, Alava, Labourd, Soule, Navarre, and Lower Navarre can play for the Athletic Club. These regions, located in Spain and France, consist of the Basque Country.
Athletic Bilbao is not a sports corporation
Unlike most contemporary teams, Athletic is not a sports corporation. The team belongs to its club members, and that’s unique. Only three other teams in Spain belong to their supporters: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Osasuna.
The tight connections to Great Britain and the team’s colors
Despite the post-industrial looks of contemporary Bilbao, the city was once a hub for industries. The introduction of football in the Basque Country didn’t happen before the late 19th century. This became possible through British workers living in Bilbao -mainly shipyard workers- and the students returning from British universities.
Although the club’s first strip at the beginning of the 20th century was blue and white after Blackburn Rovers, the story soon developed -always with a British touch. One of the students who returned from London, Juan Elorduy, was commissioned to bring new blue-and-white shirts for the team. However, he could not find an adequate number of them, and shortly before returning home to Bilbao, he thought that Southampton’s colors were compatible with Athletic.
Without second thoughts, he acquired 50 shirts, and the team’s strip changed forever: ever since, the red-and-white t-shirt and the black shorts became Athletic’s new strip.
Info about your Athletic Club VIP Experience
In this section, you will find helpful info about your visit to the San Mamés Stadium.
How to book a San Mamés Stadium Tour
If there’s no match during your stay, I encourage you to tour the iconic San Mamés. The so-called Cathedral is one of the most impressive football stadiums in Europe. You will learn about the history of the team and you will visit -among other locations- the dressing room and souvenir shop of Athletic.
You can book your San Mamés Stadium tour here.
How to get to San Mamés Stadium
The stadium is located in the city center, and accessing it is easy. The easiest way is by metro: lines 1 and 2 stop at the San Mamés station, and from there, it’s a short walk to the stadium. Alternatively, lines 26, 38, 56, 62, and 80 of the bus will also stop here.
The address of San Mamés is P.º Rafael Moreno “Pitxitxi,” s/n, Basurto-Zorroza, 48013 Bilbao, and you can see its location on Google Maps here.
How to book your Athletic Bilbao football tickets
It doesn’t matter if you want a plain or a VIP seat. The procedure is always the same. You should visit the team’s official website and follow the straightforward process to buy your tickets.
According to the website, it’s good to have a valid ID when entering the stadium on the match day. However, I was never asked for one.
Athletic Bilbao vs Celta: My VIP Area Experience & Conclusion
As you’ve already read and seen, I had a fantastic time at the VIP area of the San Mamés Stadium in Bilbao. The elevated ticket cost was fully justified: the food was delicious, the VIP seats were comfortable, and enjoying a match in the Cathedral was an unforgettable experience. The stadium’s architecture is something to admire, but the real magic happens in the interior.
If you are not a football fan, I still believe you can have a great time. However, for passionate football fans with a curiosity to see the atmosphere of an Athletic Club game, it’s a must. If available, cheaper tickets will give you an equally pleasant time at the stadium. But if you can afford the VIP ticket, I encourage you to go for it. Seeing several parts of the stadium, tasting pintxos and Rioja, and enjoying a match from the stadium’s premium seats will create a memorable experience.
Bilbao is a city of contrasts and tremendous vibes. And so is the local team, the world-famous Athletic Club. Try to get match tickets wherever your budget allows, and enjoy the atmosphere in the renowned Cathedral.
More about Bilbao: Getxo guide, Gernika guide, San Sebastian, Mundaka, San Juan Gaztelugatze
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Last Updated on March 1, 2025 by George Pavlopoulos