Estádio da Luz

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Key facts

Club: SL Benfica | Opening: 2003 | Capacity: 64,400 seats

History and description

Estádio da Luz, officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, was built to provide Benfica with a new and modern home, and to serve as the playing venue for the Euro 2004 final.

Estádio da Luz got built in place of the old Estádio da Luz. Construction works started in 2002, and in March 2003 Benfica played their last game at the partly demolished old stadium.

The new stadium opened on the 25th of October 2003 with a match between Benfica and Uruguayan side Club Nacional (2-1).

During the Euro 2004 Championships, Estádio da Luz hosted three group matches, the quarter-final between Portugal and England (2-2), and the final between Greece and Portugal (1-0).

The stadium has been selected to be the playing venue of the 2014 Champions League final.

Getting there

Estádio da Luz is located in the north of Lisbon, almost 8 kilometres north of Lisbon’s city centre, and not far away from Lisbon’s other major stadium, Estádio José Alvalade.

The stadium lies adjacent to the E1 (Av. General Norton de Matos) motorway. Take the exit toward Benfica. The stadium is clearly visible from the motorway and signposted coming from the east.

Estádio da Luz can furthermore be reached with the blue metro line. The blue line can be boarded at several stations in Lisbon’s city centre, e.g. at Baixa-Chiado. Get off at station Colégio Militar / Luz, which lies right next to the stadium.

Buses that pass the stadium are line 703, 726, 729, 750, 765, 767, 768, and 799. They stop either at metro Colégio Militar, at the Estrada da Luz, or at Av. General Norton de Matos (line 750).

Address: Av. General Norton de Matos, 1500-313 Lisboa

Eat, drink, and sleep

Estádio de Luz is surrounded by motorways and apartment blocks, and the area is not particularly pleasant to walk around in. There is therefore little reason to head to the stadium too much in advance, though across the Av. General Norton de Matos lies large shopping centre Colombo, where you can find restaurants of any cuisine, various coffee shops, some bars, and a cinema.

Still, the stadium is easily reached by metro, and if you did not specifically come for the match, it is recommended to eat and drink in Lisbon’s lively city centre.

There are no hotels in the immediate vicinity of Estádio da Luz. If you wish to stay as close as possible, you could pick one of various hotels near the Praça Espanha. While one could walk to the stadium from there, it also lies on the blue metro line. Hotels in the area include the typical chain hotels of Ibis, Mercure, Novotel, and the Portuguese SANA Hotels. These all get good reviews and are very reasonably priced around €60.00-€70.00. The Lisbon Marriott and Corinthia Hotel are somewhat more expensive.

For all hotels close to Estádio da Luz click here. Of course, if you have more than a day to spare, staying in the city centre will likely be more convenient. Click here to see the options.

Tickets

Tickets for Benfica games can be purchased online, or at the ticket office at the stadium.

Tickets can also be bought on the day of the match at the gates of the stadium. Apart from the odd match against Sporting or Porto, Benfica does not tend to sell out.

Ticket prices typically range from €22.50 for a seat behind the goal to €50.00 for a middle-tier seat at one of the long sides.

For more information call +351 21 721 95 00.

Stadium tours

SL Benfica organises guided stadium tours round the stadium that include access to the VIP areas, players tunnel, dugouts, and the away team dressing rooms.

The tours run at 10:00 am, 11:00 am, 12:00 noon, 2:30 pm, 3:30 pm, and 4:30 pm. There are no tours on matchdays, but more tours during the summer holidays.

Tickets can be bought at the stadium or through the online reservation form.

The tour costs €12.50. For more information call +351 217 219 520 or email visitasestadio@slbenfica.pt.

Photos

Relevant Internet links

SLBenfica.pt – Official website of SL Benfica.
Visitlisboa.com – Official tourism website of the city of Lisbon.
Metrolisboa.pt – Information on the Lisbon metro.
Carris.pt – Information on Lisbon’s bus services.