Aaron S.
Yelp
The Stade De France is the largest football stadium in France, with a capacity of just over 81,000, which is nearly 25,000 more seats than the second largest stadium in France, the Stade Velodrome.
The Stade de France is one of two major football stadiums in Paris, this being home to the french rugby and football team, it gained a lot of fame recently during Euro 2016, where the Stade de France hosted the opening game and the final of the tournament, which saw heartbreak for France, being defeated in added time by Portugal 1-0.
The stadium does seem quite new being built in 1995 and being opened in 1998, but on the inside, going into the ground and the back enterences, it just seems really old, and that seems to be the case with the lift as well.
Don't get me wrong, this is a great stadium but it saw everything go to shambals on my recent visit, where I hoped to get a stadium tour.
I had already prebooked tickets, arriving 1 hour and 20 minutes early, I asked if I could come in and look around, only to be told rather rudely my tour was at 2pm and to be made fun of, and just made to wait about which was a shame.
Eventually, when I come back I got in the stadium quite quickly, but then the layout to find the tour and queue up for my tickets was confusing and it did take a while too, and after that there were no clear instructions on where to wait for my tour to begin, as there were also another group taking part at this time, on a french tour.
During the summer holidays, there are 2 tours in english per day at 11pm and 2am.
Sadly everything in the stadium seemed basic, whether it be the enterences, the store, or even the backstreets and what I saw on my tour as well, even seeing jerseys from other nations and other players which had nothing to do with the stadium.
My tour guide was nice enough, but didn't speak fluent english so it was difficult to ask questions, she also seemed to have forgotten about me, sending me down in the lift on my own a few times, not knowing where I am, she seemed really quiet and in such a large tour group, it was so hard to see or hear, or simply do everything. I feel upset how they overbook the tours and only make 2 a day, so it isn't an enjoyable experience and this is something that needs to be looked at.
This is a nice stadium but the tour was honestly, even as a football lover, boring and had no relevance, and I even had to wait 10 minutes for someone to open the special enterence to get me out of the ground, just as the rain was starting which was annoying and shows a lack of preperation, I don't think I got anything out of the tour despite paying 15 euros, with facts muddled up and most of the time, it just seemed silent, and the tour guide didn't have much to show or say, and just seemed to be going as slow as she could to make the tour last the whole hour and half.
Due to problems here with the staff and the tour, I am really devastated to have to give this stadium a single one star, after being wowed recently by the stadium in the European Championship 2016, which was the lead stadium, home of the final between France and Portugal, and also the opening game, with that fantastic ceremony.