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Amsterdam ArenA - Ajax Museum Guide
Amsterdam ArenA is home of AFC Ajax football club and is the largest sporting stadium in the Netherlands. Located at the south-eastern part of the city the stadium is open to the public for various guided tours and also houses the Ajax museum. The Amsterdam Arena hosts Ajax home games as well as occasional Netherlands football internationals and big concert events. |
The Stadium: The ArenA was completed in 1996 and has a retractable roof which can be closed during bad weather. Total capacity (all-seater) is around 52,000 for football matches and up to 68,000 for concerts. The venue was used for the UEFA Champions League final in 1998 and the Euro 2000 semi-final. Music concerts from the likes of artists U2, The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Robbie Williams have been held.
 | The Club: AFC Ajax is the most famous and successful Dutch club having won the European Cup / UEFA Champions League 4 times and the Dutch Eredivisie 29 times. Their peak years came during the early 1970s led by the legendary Johan Cruyff. In recent years Ajax's form has waned somewhat - most of the best Dutch players have left to play in big money leagues abroad. Their last Dutch league title came in 2004. |
The Tour: The walk in "World of Ajax" guided tour (1 hour, no reservation needed, English spoken) takes you around the stadium including the dug-out, the press room and control room. Tours are daily (no tours on event days) at set times between 1100 and 1630 - and cost €12 (children 5 to 12 pay €10).
The tour also includes admission to the Ajax Museum. The museum showcases the club's illustrious history with photos, videos, trophies and various other exhibits.
Longer tours are available for groups and occasionally offered as walk-in tours. For more info phone +31(0)20 311 1336. Tours depart from main entrance E.
Watching Events: Try to see a game of the Netherlands Football team (Nederlands-elftal) if at all possible. The Dutch fans adorned in orange are one of the most colourful sights in world football. The Dutch national side has a rich footballing history including World Cup runners-up in 1974 and 1978 and winning the 1988 European Championship with Ruud Gullit and Marco Van Basten.
Not all international home games are played in Amsterdam - there is a rotation policy between the Amsterdam ArenA, Rotterdam's De Kuip and the Philips Stadium in Eindhoven - all are easily accessible via public transport.
You can buy tickets online at the official Dutch FA (KNVB) seller TicketBox. Another way to buy football and concert tickets is in person at any Post Office or "Primera" shops. The big games do sell out so buy your tickets well in advance. You should consider getting tickets for friendly matches - these are not so popular and are cheaper - priced from around €25.
Tourists can attend Ajax home games by buying a (more expensive) official tour package with the club. Non-residents are (officially) restricted from buying ticket-only due to a national football supporters ID scheme in place.
However tickets for the August pre-season Amsterdam Tournament featuring Ajax and 3 other big European clubs are freely available for purchase.
During the footbal season you can also watch Ajax in daily training for free. The training pitch is literally 50m north of the Arena stadium and training sessions normally start at 1030, lasting 90 minutes. Call +31(0)20 311 1444 to get the schedule, as it is subject to change.
Location: Amsterdam Arena is located in Amsterdam Zuidoost (south-east) and is very close to Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena train and metro station. Take metro line 54 from Central / Amstel stations or line 50 from Amsterdam Zuid / RAI stations. The area around the Arena also contains a multiscreen Pathe cinema complex, the Heineken Music Hall and a number of large stores such as Decathlon / Perry Sport (sporting goods) and MediaMarkt (big electronic retailer).
There is an official Ajax Fan Shop at the stadium (Arena Boulevard 1-3) selling club merchandise.
Amsterdam
ArenA, Arena Boulevard 1, Amsterdam Zuidoost
T: +31(0)20 311 1333
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