Arsenal Emirates Stadium

North London


When Arsenal FC moved to this stadium in 2006, fans claimed it would never be the same again. It's true that the 60,200-seat stadium lacks some of the bonhomie of the old art deco Highbury ground, but it's still a sell-out at every game. Match tickets are tricky to come by, even if you have a first-born to sacrifice, but fans can still get inside on a stadium tour.

Self-guided audio tours (available in 10 languages) are very entertaining, or you can shell out for a guided tour with one of three former Arsenal players. Both options take you everywhere, from the back entrance used by the players to the entertainment suites like the Directors' Box where corporate bigwigs watch the game. You'll get to walk to the pitch through 'the tunnel', sit on the team's pitch-side benches in the home dugout, even check out the home and away feng-shui approved changing rooms, which are complete with spa facilities and physiotherapy suite.

Tours include entry to a small but complete museum that focuses on the history of the club and its 100 million fans worldwide. Visits start and end in the stadium's enormous shop overflowing with Arsenal merchandise.


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