Our guide to the best match day football experiences in Europe this autumn and winter. In Madrid, Milan, London, Liverpool & Munich.
The UEFA Champions has its new league format and the fixtures have just been released. Plus we consider the biggest domestic fixtures in world football, like El Clasico.
It’s only live once. And it’s not the same watching it on tv. Here’s when to go and where to stay for the best football experiences this autumn and winter.
Madrid
Los Blancos have signed Kylian Mbappe and Endrick, the new, spaceship-like Bernabéu is finally finished, and Madrid has loads of great recently opened hotels.
At the same time, the Camp Nou is being redeveloped and Barcelona are playing at the featureless, atmosphere-less Olympic Stadium.
Yes, Madrid is where to watch football this autumn and winter, especially with your kids, after the football gods presented some great fixtures during the autumn school holidays.
- Tuesday October 22nd – Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund
- Saturday October 27th* – Real Madrid vs Barcelona
- Tuesday November 5th – Real Madrid vs AC Milan
(*Note that the kick off time for El Classico is still TBC and it could be moved to Sunday October 28th).
Madrid really is at its best in autumn, when the weather is invariably sunny, warm and perfect for days our exploring. It’s a good city destination with kids too: easy to get around, a centre that’s not too big, lots of experiences, and also lots of parks and plazas to just chill with the kids.
Go for only two nights, go for an extended weekend, or go for a week and get yourself a Champions League and El Classico experience at the new Bernabeu – the atmosphere is really quite something.
You are spoiled for hotel choice. Read our reviews of Rosewood Villa Magna, Four Seasons Hotel Madrid and Mandarin Oriental Ritz, all opened in the last four years. All are convenient for visiting the Bernabéu, which is not far north of the city centre.
Munich
Need an excuse to check out the new Rosewood Munich? Here are three:
- Tuesday 26th November – Bayern Munich vs PSG
- Wednesday 29th January – Bayern Munich vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- Saturday 12th or Sunday 13th April – Bayern Munich vs Borussia Dortmund
Milan
Milan is always an interesting choice for a football-plus getaway. Football plus fashion, football plus art, football plus food, or simply football plus checking out Milan for the first time.
The San Siro looks and feels pretty dated, but wow is it noisy. While some parts of this famous old ground border on being intimidating, the VIP packages are perfect for soaking in all in as a neutral, especially for the Milan derby.
You can count on Milan to deliver a VIP match day experience with seriously good food and drinks. And a seriously stylish crowd.
- Tuesday September 17th – AC Milan vs Liverpool
- Sunday September 22nd – Inter vs AC Milan
- Sunday October 27th – Inter vs Juventus
- Wednesday November 6th – Inter vs Arsenal
- Sunday February 2nd – AC Milan vs Inter
There are plenty of strong hotel options across Milan city centre. Contemporary glamour is the vibe at Bulgari Hotel Milano, Grand Hotel et de Milan is the old-world option, or you may prefer Four Seasons Hotel Milano.
London
Football. As good a reason as any to explore London. And there is always another reason to visit London, so football is just a good way to decide on the dates of your trip.
Unfortunately, watching Tottenham Hotspur is like staying in a four-star hotel: looks good, under delivers and easily outclassed when side by side against the best.
Chelsea bought so many players there’s hardly a seat left in the stadium for spectators. The atmosphere at Stamford Bridge is so stale anyway.
So it’s left to Arsenal to provide your London football experience. Which is good, because the Emirates is comfortably the best stadium in the city.
- Tuesday 1st October – Arsenal vs PSG
- Sunday 27th October – Arsenal vs Liverpool
- Tuesday 3rd December – Arsenal vs Man Utd
London has a plethora of excellent hotel options, from the tradition of icons like The Lanesborough, Brown’s Hotel, and of course Claridge’s, to the home away from home that is Rosewood London. Raffles London at the OWO is the hottest new hotel opening in London over the last year.
Liverpool
Liverpool have increased their capacity for this season and Anfield is one of those stadiums that every football lover has to experience once in their lifetime.
Champions League nights and games against their Manchester rivals provide the most iconic atmosphere. There’s an awesome two-match combo this November.
- Wednesday 27th November – Liverpool vs Real Madrid
- Saturday 30th November* – Liverpool vs Manchester City
(*kick off time TBC and this fixture could be moved to the Sunday for TV broadcasting reasons).
Liverpool is great fun for a night or two. It’s also easy to combine with most other destinations across the UK, including London.
The hotels aren’t anything grand or great to write about but we can advise you on comfortable four-star-superior options. It’s not about the hotel anyway. Imagine being in the Kop for the visits of both Real Madrid and Manchester City, in one five-day trip to England?
Away Fixtures for Sparta Prague and ŠK Slovan Bratislava + Europa League
There are four more teams in the new Champions League format, which helped us having both a Czech and Slovak club in the group stage.
Playing away at Manchester City will be a great experience for Sparta fans.
The big one for us is Sparta away at Feyernoord, now coached by Brian Priske. The old De Kuip stadium provides an intense atmosphere, it’s only 45 minutes from Amsterdam Schiphol and there are multiple daily flights. It would make a great combination with a couple of nights in Amsterdam.
In case you were sleeping on a beach and missed it, or you’re reading this on behalf of your football loving spouse and children, these are all the Sparta Prague fixtures.
- Wednesday 18th September – Sparta Prague vs Salzburg
- Tuesday 1st October – Stuttgart vs Sparta Prague
- Wednesday 23rd October – Manchester City vs Sparta Prague
- Wednesday 6th November – Sparta Prague vs Brest
- Tuesday 26th November – Sparta Prague vs Atlético Madrid
- Wednesday 11th December – Feyenoord vs Sparta Prague
- Wednesday 22nd January – Sparta Prague vs Inter Milan
- Wednesday 29th January – Bayer Leverkusen vs Sparta Prague
ŠK Slovan Bratislava fans can look forward to the visits of Manchester City and AC Milan. Girona is a stunning, small Spanish city that makes an easy combination with a stay in Barcelona.
There’s also a December away day in Madrid to enjoy and the biggest game in recent history, the final fixture of the league stage at Bayern Munich.
- Wednesday 18th September – Celtic vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- Tuesday 1st October – ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs Manchester City
- Tuesday 22nd October – Girona vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- Tuesday 5th November – ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs Dinamo Zagreb
- Tuesday 26th November – ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs AC Milan
- Wednesday 11th November – Atlético Madrid vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava
- Tuesday 21st January – ŠK Slovan Bratislava vs Stuttgart
- Wednesday 29th January – Bayern Munich vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava
Slavia Prague and FC Viktoria Plzeň qualified for UEFA Europa League and the interesting away games are coincidentialy in the same cities. Both Czech teams play in Frankfurt and Bilbao, which is our recommendation – beautiful new stadium and Basque is a super interesting destination!
- Thursday 26th September – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Viktoria Plzeň
- Thursday 24th October – Athletic Bilbao vs Slavia Prague
- Thursady 7th November – Eintracht Frankfurt vs Slavia Prague
- Thursday 30th January – Athletic Bilbao vs Viktoria Plzeň
VIP Packages for the Best Football Matches
VIP packages for the biggest games can be hard to find. At least for most people anyway. We have close partnerships with the best and most trusted entertainment agencies in Europe, providing near-guaranteed tickets and VIP access to just about any match or show on the continent.
Get in touch and we’ll talk you though different options, from match day tickets to the full VIP wining and dining experience.
Please note that we have almost zero availability for home games in the Czech Republic.
