Why visiting Camp Nou is a must in Barcelona

Barcelona is a stunning Spanish city that is home to a wealth of churches, museums and galleries that all make it a top cultural spot to visit. But sports fans will no doubt also be keen to take a look at one of its other major attractions - Camp Nou.

The football stadium is where Barcelona FC has played since 1957, making this an historic site for sports enthusiasts. It's located at Carrer d'Arístides Maillol, so you can either book hotels in Barcelona that are close to the stadium or decide to stay somewhere nearer to the other attractions, like Las Ramblas. Either way, the city's metro and bus service will ensure you're never too far away from the biggest tourist spots.

Below are my top reasons why stopping off at Camp Nou is a must.

Its history

Camp Nou has an interesting history that goes beyond the age of the stadium. It was designed by Josep Soteras Mauri, Lorenzo Garcia Barbon and Francesc Mitjans Miro to provide capacity for more than 93,000 fans. A bigger ground was required due to the growing popularity of Barcelona FC, helped by the signing of Ladislau Kubala, who was a very respected Hungarian player.

The building project cost millions of pesetas, resulting in the club spending several years clearing its debt. To find out loads more interesting facts, stop by Camp Nou's museum. A mixture of trophy-packed display cabinets, interactive screens and temporary exhibitions all make this corner of the stadium a fascinating place to visit.

Its sheer size

Camp Nou is huge and you'll be blown away by its size when you approach the ground, and even more so once you step inside. It's got a capacity of 99,354, making it the biggest stadium in the whole of Europe. Believe it or not, it was actually going to be extended to house 120,000 football fans for the 1982 World Cup, but new regulations regarding standing areas soon put paid to these plans. Rising for 48 m and with a surface area of 55,000 sq m, it's certainly big enough - for now, anyway!

The Camp Nou Experience

If you really want to get a feel for the stadium, get yourself booked on to the Camp Nou Experience. As soon as you've sorted your flights and hotels in Barcelona, your next step should be getting a place on this tour. You get to see and hear loads of different things, such as visiting the museum, exploring the multimedia area, discovering the grandstand and seeing what the view is like from the press boxes. Throw in the thrill of standing in the players' tunnel and checking out the pitch and very swish changing rooms, and you can see why it's an amazing experience for football fans.

The club shop

Barcelona FC's football strip is one of the most recognisable in the world, so get yourself a reminder of your time at Camp Nou by picking up some of the latest kit. There are plenty of items to choose from, and not just the team's official strip. You can bag a hoodie, nightwear, cap and tie, as well as bags, balls, games and toys.

If you've been lucky enough to visit Camp Nou when on holiday in Barcelona, what was your favourite bit and why?