FC Bayern Munchen visitor guide (Allianz Arena, FC Bayern Munchen (Munich), Bayern Munich)

The Allianz Arena has been the home venue of FC Bayern Munich since it's opening in 2005. It cost 340 millions Euros to construct and is considered one of the most modern football stadiums in the world. FC Bayern Munich shares the ground with local rivals TSV 1860 Munchen. In addition to the home matches of these teams, the Allianz Arena was used as a venue during the 2006 World Cup. A unique feature of the stadium is its facade. Constructed from nearly 3,000 ETFE-foil air panels, the arena facade can be lit up to represent the colours of the home team playing. Red is used for Bayern matches, blue for TSV matches and white is used when the German national team plays. The stadium has a 66,000 all-seater capacity; although with standing, the overall capacity is 69,901. The arena design is an elegant bowl with three-tiered seating that completely surrounds the pitch.

Visiting supporters are usually housed in the middle tier behind goal at the northern end of the stadium. As is to be expected from such a modern ground, the views of the action are excellent and so are the facilities. Fans looking for refreshment will find numerous fast food kiosks inside the Allianz Arena.

The stadium is located about 6 miles north of the city centre at the northern edge of the Schwabing borough. Check out the MATCHhotels.com map for the precise location. The area around the ground is undeveloped and fairly nondescript, so fans looking for a hotel near the Allianz Arena will be disappointed. This shouldn't be cause for concern though, as Munich is a popular tourist destination with many sites and attractions. Fans wanting accommodation will find a wide range of Allianz Arena hotels in the city centre.

Getting To The Allianz Arena

If you are coming to watch your team play at the Allianz Arena then it is likely that you will be arriving in Munich by plane. Munich's airport, the Franz Josef Strauss Airport is 17 miles northeast of the city. The airport is well integrated into the cities transport network so travelling into central Munich won't be a problem. S-Bahn lines S1 and S2 run from the airport to the main train station, the journey takes 45 minutes and costs about 9 Euros each way. A bus also runs from the airport to the main station; the journey takes about 40 minutes and costs about 10 Euros each way.

Getting to the Allianz Arena from central Munich is straightforward; the ground is situated next to the Frottmaning U-Bahn station, which is on the U6 line. The journey time from the city centre is around 16 minutes.

The stadium sits on top of the largest parking structure in Europe (9,800 spaces), so if you happen to be making your way to the match by car then finding a space should be fairly easy.