Advice for fans travelling to Madrid for our Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday.
Please note that fans are advised not to travel to Madrid without tickets purchased officially from Tottenham Hotspur FC.
Those who choose to do so should not purchase tickets from unreliable sources in Madrid as these are likely to be forged and will not give access to the Stadium. A stringent ticket check procedure is in place at all entrance points of the Stadium.
Spurs fans travelling to Madrid will find a busy, historic City and will enjoy the numerous restaurants and cafes available together with the usual tourist sites, museums and shopping areas.
Fans arriving via the official travel package with Thomas Cook will be dropped off at Paseo de Camoens, which is approximately 40 minutes from the airport. These coaches will take you to the Stadium at 6.30pm - PLEASE make sure that you are back on your coach no later than 6.00pm - THE COACH WILL NOT WAIT FOR YOU.
For those fans arriving independently, there are excellent transport links to the City Centre and to the Bernabeu including buses and taxis. However, the Metro is the fastest and most affordable way to travel around - the Stadium can be found at Santiago Bernabeu Station, which is approximately 100m from the Stadium.
There is a large square - Plaza Mayor - which has plenty of cafes and restaurants to suit all tastes and is used to having football fans in the vicinity. There is also a large park for those wishing to relax. As always, take good care of your passport and valuables - we have been advised to alert fans to be wary of pickpockets in Madrid.
On arrival at the Stadium, you should go to Tower D, where there will be an initial ticket check. Once through the checking system, you will enter Tower D and a body search will take place, carried out by Private Security and Police Officers. Stairs will take you to the fourth and fifth tiers to the seated area. There is no lift available for our fans to access these areas. Sufficient toilet and catering facilities are available on the fourth tier concourse only. Those fans in the fifth tier can access the welfare areas on production of their match ticket.
As always, there will be a number of THFC Stewards available at the Stadium, please liaise with them if you have any problems, particularly in reaching the seated area.
The Stadium will open two hours before kick-off and Real Madrid officials have requested that THFC fans arrive early as ticket checks and searching procedures will delay them as kick-off approaches.
We have been advised that Spanish Law forbids a game to be watched whilst standing on areas other than in seats such as gangways, staircases and emergency exit routes and we would ask that you adhere to this ruling. The seated area is steep and fans should take care during their visit to the Bernabeu when accessing and exiting their seats. Those fans sat in the front rows should sit for safety reasons.
Flags and banners with appropriate wording will be welcomed at the Stadium and these will be checked by the Police prior to entry. It is common policy and normal ground rules at football stadiums in the UK and elsewhere in Europe that flags of an overtly religious/political nature will not be permitted. Police Authorities have advised that those flags will not be allowed access and may be confiscated, please respect this request.
Furthermore, large bags and luggage will not be permitted into the Stadium and where possible, you should leave such items on your coach - THFC and Thomas Cook accept no responsibility for these items. If you find that on arrival, your baggage is refused entry, please seek the services of a THFC Steward who will endeavour to assist.
The Police have advised us that as per usual procedures, THFC fans can be expected to remain behind after the final whistle for between 20 and 30 minutes. As always, we would ask you to be patient during this time as this may assist in releasing the fans earlier.
Coaches will be parked adjacent to the Stadium, close to Tower D for a quick departure to the airport.
The Bernabeu has an excellent Souvenir Shop which is located near to Tower D, but where possible, you should avoid the ‘home’ section situated at the South end of the Stadium. The local Police will have segregation in place to ensure safe access to the away section from all areas outside the Stadium.
The Club is rightly proud of our record of excellent behaviour at recent European matches and whether you are travelling as part of the official THFC package or independently, we would ask that you uphold this by respecting local amenities and culture. Please do not hang flags or banners from local statues or architecture.
We would also ask that you respect the Police Authorities at all times and follow their instructions, together with those from the Private Security based at the Stadium and from THFC Stewards. Anti-social behaviour, especially drunkenness, in the City Centre or at the Bernabeu will not be tolerated and fans risk arrest if they behave inappropriately.
Remember that you are ambassadors of the Club and we would request that you behave accordingly throughout the entirety of your visit.
If you lose your passport...
Fans misplacing their passport and not allowed back on the flight home will have to go to the British Consulate the next day between 8.30am-1.30pm to apply for an Emergency Travel Document (ETD) with the consequent added inconvenience of having to arrange and pay for another flight.
The fee for an ETD is 114 Euros (payable in cash or by credit card) plus 4 Euros for photographs. They would also need to obtain a police report.
Follow this link for more details and advice from the British Embassy in Madrid...