Football Cities Featured Image

5 global cities with the best football fever

Football stadiums that offer unrivalled sporting atmospheres - and even city breaks!

fallback image for author
Newmarket Holidays

Since Greece’s ancient Olympic games, skill, discipline, and spectators have been at the heart of sport. So too has culture. While the most esteemed national football leagues (the Big Five) can be found in Europe - the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A, and France’s Ligue 1 - the wider sport has an estimated 3.5 billion followers worldwide! Experiencing a football game is a truly unique way to experience culture, tradition, and the fierce local spirit all in one go.

So many fantastic cities are brimming with football fever - see the Spaniard's race from the stadium into the plazas of Madrid, or cover your ears (or vocally contribute to) at the world’s loudest stadium in Istanbul. We’ve compiled a list of our favourite football stadiums that are well worth a city break.

Liverpool, England

Anfield, Liverpool
The buzz of the football players and fans on matchday at Anfield, Liverpool.

It might not be a destination that immediately comes to mind when you think city break, but Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium has a certain magic to it. “It makes opponents feel small,” Pep Guardiola, manager of Premier League club Manchester City, told Catalan newspaper ARA. “The motto This is Anfield is no marketing spin. There’s something about it that you will find in no other stadium in the world.”

Perhaps it’s the fans that make it great. Football legend Diego Maradona remarked that Liverpool’s fans made the sport beautiful and ‘miraculous’, with their unrivalled passion and unconditional support. While Anfield is renowned for its electric atmosphere - particularly during European matches - Liverpool is home to a whole other form of culture: music. The city is the birthplace of the greatest bands of all time: The Beatles.

Arrive in Liverpool with football fever and leave with Beatlemania. The city is home to the Casbah Club, where the band started performing, as well as the lyrically inspiring locations of Strawberry Field and Penny Lane.

Athens, Greece

The teams and the fans before the UEFA Champions League group stage match Panathinaikos vs Barcelona in Athens, Greece.
The teams and the fans before the UEFA Champions League group stage match Panathinaikos vs Barcelona in Athens, Greece.

Against the ruins of ancient Greek civilisation, lies Athens’s eternal enemies. Playing between Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium and Agia Sophia Stadium, the teams Panathinaikos and AEK Athens have one of the most formidable sporting rivalries in the world. Every one of their tension-fused matches makes the Greek city come alive with athletes playing their best games and the fans filling the air with loyalty and passion.

Football aside, a weekend trip to Athens will stoke the imagination, bringing to life the wonders of the Ancient Greek civilisation. The 5th-century Acropolis of Athens is a must-see with its enormous rock buttress topped with the ruins of the Parthenon. The nearby Roman Herodes Atticus Theatre is also incredibly interesting, with a 17-000-seat venue that once hosted the works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides.

Suggested tour: Ancient Greece Uncovered

Rome, Italy 

The excited supporters of AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
The excited supporters of AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

The magnificent Stadio Olimpico is Italy's most famous sporting venue. Constructed in 1928 to be the centre of the country’s burgeoning sporting culture, the stadium now seats a whopping 74,000 people and is home to clubs Lazio and Roma.

Like the aforementioned Greek teams, these squads have another one of those age-old rivalries. Fans are known to get very excited each time these teams come head-to-head. While the rivalry has simmered down in recent years, there’s no doubt a match between Lazio and Roma at Olimpico is the place to be for atmosphere and energy.

Of course, it's the city that also makes Stadio Olimpico, and the game, unforgettable. The city’s culture, monuments, and buildings beautifully reflect its 2,000 years of history. You’ll be happy in Rome whether it’s for a week or a weekend - gasp at Michelangelo's exquisite frescoes and ceiling in the Sistine Chapel, trot down the cinematic Spanish Steps, and make a wish at the magical Fontana di Trevi.

Suggested tour: Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Drive

Madrid, Spain

Excited Spanish fans celebrate in the Plaza de Cibeles in the victory of the Spanish football team.
Excited Spanish fans celebrate in the Plaza de Cibeles in the victory of the Spanish football team.

Real Madrid is one of the world's most recognised teams, so it makes sense that Madrid is the true hub of international football. 

The team's home grounds, Santiago Bernabeu, has a seating capacity of 81,044 screaming, flag-flying fans. The venue is classic and elegant in design and is fringed by a lively scene of restaurants, bars, museums, and open spaces. It’s no wonder fans often spill out onto the streets to revel in the post-match atmosphere.

Madrid is a must-visit if you’re a fan of Iberian cuisine, or if you’re looking to indulge for the first time. The city is home to the oldest restaurant in the world, Botin, which dates back to 1725. Football fans and foodies will see that a holiday in Madrid offers endless possibilities.

Suggested tour: Historic Paradors of Hidden Spain

Istanbul, Turkey

The impressive Vodafone Park in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey.
The impressive Vodafone Park in the Beşiktaş district of Istanbul, Turkey.

Istanbul is a football-loving city. The stadiums are known to draw chanting fans as soon as three hours before kick-off, meaning the atmosphere flows through the city streets for most of the day. While Atatürk Olympic Stadium is Istanbul’s biggest, Beşiktaş JK‘s Vodafone Park is officially the world’s loudest. That’s right. Don’t attend a game here unless you’re ready for the rumble, or if you’ve slipped some earplugs into your pocket. The Turkish stadium holds the world record of decibels produced during a game (141 decibels) which is even louder than a plane during take-off!

The former centre of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires, Istanbul boasts intricate classical sites, churches, mosques, palaces, and bustling bazaars. The extraordinary Topkapi Palace and its priceless treasures, the Blue Mosque with its minarets, and the Byzantine church of Aya Sofya are guaranteed to be trip highlights.

Great European Breaks:

Low angle shot of temple ruins, with pillars. Blue sky behind
BLACK FRIDAY SALE! SAVE 15%
Ancient Greece Uncovered
Greece
+ 3 More
  • Discover Athens and its treasure chest of archaeological sites
  • Explore the UNESCO World Site of Mycenae, among the most important archaeological sites in Greece
  • Visit the Corinth Canal and Epidaurus, a small city famed for its temple and theatre
  • 8 days from £1,356 pp

    was £1,595 pp

  • Dates Available

    May 2025 - October 2025

  • Duration

    8 days

  • Depart From

    3 airports

  • Excursions

    6 included

  • Meals

    9 included

Shot of half the Colosseum and half some of the town in Rome
BLACK FRIDAY SALE! SAVE 10%
Tuscany, Rome and the Amalfi Coast
Italy
+ 3 More
  • Marvel at Rome and the Vatican City’s striking medley of historic monuments
  • Explore Florence’s Renaissance architecture and artistic wonders with a guided city tour
  • Pay homage to the Roman ruins of Pompeii in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius
  • 11 days from £2,265 pp

  • Dates Available

    May 2025 - October 2025

  • Duration

    11 days

  • Depart From

    3 airports

  • Excursions

    6 included

  • Meals

    20 included

Paradors, Spain
BLACK FRIDAY SALE! SAVE 10%
Historic Paradores of Hidden Spain
Spain
+ 3 More
  • Soak up the royal history and elegant atmosphere of your parador hotels
  • Explore Santillana del Mar – one of Spain’s prettiest villages
  • Revel in relaxed Gijón and the historic Asturian capital, Oviedo
  • 8 days from £1,625 pp

    was £1,805 pp

  • Dates Available

    May 2025 - November 2025

  • Duration

    8 days

  • Depart From

    3 airports

  • Excursions

    5 included

  • Meals

    11 included

Celsus Library Ephesus
BLACK FRIDAY SALE! SAVE 10%
Istanbul, Ephesus and Troy - 8 Nights
Turkey
+ 5 More
  • See the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia and the famed Topkapi Palace
  • Discover wonderful Pamukkale on an optional excursion
  • Be amazed by the ruins of Ephesus
  • 9 days from £1,431 pp

    was £1,589 pp

  • Dates Available

    April 2025 - October 2025

  • Duration

    9 days

  • Depart From

    5 airports

  • Excursions

    5 included

  • Meals

    12 included

Related articles

 Cape Winelands South Africa

Gary Barlow's Wine Tour: Six must-visit wine regions

Follow in the footsteps of Gary Barlow's Wine Tour, with a wine-lovers' escape to the world’s best viniculture destinations.

1920 Sh 753506305 Tiger Ranthambore National Park

Sir David Attenborough's Asia: Six wildlife hotspots

Go beyond the screen and discover Asia’s most exciting natural wonders with some thrilling animal encounters along the way.

Andre Rieu 2022 Vienna Image No 1

The Waltz King: Get to Know André Rieu

A living legend and the greatest showman of the classical music industry, André Rieu is a household name to millions of fans across the world.

You'll love our holidays