Allianz Arena: matchday guide, stands and away section
Allianz Arena is the home of Bayern Munich in Munich, with a nominal capacity of 75,024 and an opening date of 2005. The first stadium in the world with a full colour-changing exterior, on the Fröttmaning Heath north of the city. This guide covers how to reach the ground, the real names of its stands, the away section, the matchday rules, where supporters gather, and tours and tickets.
At a glance
Bayern Munich have played at Allianz Arena since 2005, and the ground is the anchor of the whole matchday: everything in Fröttmaning is organised around the hours either side of kick-off.
Getting there: lines, stations and timings
Routes for Allianz Arena, station by station. Munich U-Bahn — line U6 — Fröttmaning station is right beside the arena, a short walk across the esplanade. From Marienplatz — About 20 minutes on the U6 from the city centre, with extra trains on matchdays. Local buses — Services connect the arena with the surrounding districts and the park-and-ride sites. From the airport — The airport is about 40 minutes by S-Bahn into the centre, then the U6.
Public transport is the default here, and the map below sets out the lines and the stations rather than a single route — there is usually more than one sensible way in.
Driving is possible but rarely worth it. Parking near a ground of this size is limited, expensive and slow to leave after the final whistle.
The matchday essentials
- Arrive about an hour before kick-off — Allianz Arena is large and the walk from the station is busiest late.
- Your gate matters more than your seat: check it against the stand name on the ticket.
- Take only a small bag; there is no general left luggage at the ground.
- Away supporters enter through the Nordtribüne, upper tier turnstiles only.
- Plan the journey home before you travel: the nearest station queues after the whistle.
The stands, and where to sit
Nordtribüne is the reference point most regulars use when they describe the ground, and the other three stands each have their own character.
If you want volume rather than analysis, head for the goal ends. If you want to watch the way a team builds up, a seat along one of the side stands will always beat a place behind the goal.
As a rule, a seat in the corner between a side stand and a goal end gives you the best compromise: close enough to the singing to feel it, high enough to read the whole pitch.
The away section and its view
Visitors are placed in the north stand, with their own concourse and turnstiles — a good side-on view but a long climb. German league rules set the domestic away share; European ties follow the competition's allocation.
The visiting allocation at Allianz Arena sits in Nordtribüne, upper tier. Because the away section is agreed by competition rather than by a single rule, the size and position can change between a league match and a European night.
The view from Nordtribüne, upper tier is a trade-off: a corner or upper-tier position gives you a clear sightline but puts distance between you and the goalmouth action.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Club | Bayern Munich |
| City | Munich, Germany |
| Nominal capacity | 75,024 (Permanent · all-seater for European nights) |
| Opened | 2005 · Fröttmaning |
| Stands | Nordtribüne, Osttribüne, Südtribüne, Westtribüne |
| Away allocation | Nordtribüne, upper tier |
Matchday rules: bags, colours, banners and drums
Bag policy is the single most common reason for a delay at the turnstiles. Most grounds in this guide admit only small bags and refuse anything that will not fit under a seat.
Where supporters gather
For Allianz Arena the pattern is this. Munich city centre: The main pre-match quarter, with the beer halls of the old town filling from early afternoon. Schwabing: The district south of the arena, with bars along the U6 corridor. Fröttmaning: The immediate area around the arena, with park-and-ride and open ground for the walk in.
Munich city centre is where the crowd gathers before kick-off, and it is the quickest way to feel the mood of a fixture on your first visit to Munich.
For a quieter pre-match, Schwabing is the sensible choice; the streets closest to the turnstiles fill first and empty last.
Tours, tickets and the rest of the visit
The arena tour includes the dressing rooms, the tunnel, the dugouts and the FC Bayern Erlebniswelt museum, with the exterior lighting explained.
On tickets: buy through the club or the official competition channel. Inflated resale prices are a genuine feature of the biggest fixtures at grounds this size, and they are avoidable.
If you are travelling specifically for the ground rather than the match, midweek league fixtures are usually easier to get into than weekend or European matches.
Matchday questions
How long does it take to get in? Turnstiles typically open between 60 and 90 minutes before kick-off, and the queue peaks in the final half hour. Arriving 45 minutes early is enough at most grounds.
Can I buy on the day? Occasionally, for smaller fixtures. For anything involving a big club or a European tie, assume you need a ticket in advance.
Allianz Arena is worth the journey whether or not you have a seat in the best part of the ground. Read the stand names, plan the transport, keep the bag small, and the matchday takes care of itself.