“That area is the general one. There, five thousand fans spend the entire game jumping. Do you know what is underneath the general?” asked the guide, during the guided tour of the La Bombonera stadium, in Buenos Aires. With a smile on his face, he replied: “The visiting team’s locker room. They have to prepare for the game while the roof above them is trampled by 5,000 people, a tremendous noise.”
I’m not the type of tourist who puts football stadiums on my travel itinerary, but in Buenos Aires the situation is different. In addition to La Bombonera being one of the city’s biggest attractions, football here is religion. And in the Buenos Aires pantheon, no team is as important as Boca Juniors, owner of La Bombonera. There are 17 million fans, six Libertadores and three World Cups. Little? To top it off, Boca also has a fanatical fan: none other than Diego Maradona, eternal owner of one of the boxes at La Bombonera.
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The shirt of Argentina’s biggest team is known all over the world. And with one detail: blue and yellow were chosen by chance, when Boca’s founders determined that the team’s colors would be the same as the flag of the next foreign ship that disembarked in Buenos Aires. “I’m glad it was a ship from Sweden. Have you ever imagined if you were from another country? Our colors could be red and white, like a certain small team from Buenos Aires”, joked the guide, in allusion to River Plate, Boca’s great rival.
The La Boca neighborhood and the stadium surroundings
La Bombonera is located in La Boca, a neighborhood close to the port and which served as a base for many immigrants who moved to Argentina – and which also gave its name to the team. Close to the center, La Boca is usually on the tourist itinerary due to another attraction, the famous Caminito. Even if you don’t like football that much, if you go to Caminito, at least pass by the stadium, which is close by. Are you in doubt whether it’s worth downloading from Boca? Read our full post about visiting the caminito.
Shop in La Boca, the neighborhood where the stadium is located
If you choose to enter, choose the guided tour of the museum and stadium, which costs 470 pesos (33 reais). It is much more worth the 310 pesos invested just in the visit to the museum and the panoramic view of the countryside. The difference? The stories told by the guide, which give a clear dimension of the importance that Boca has in the lives of Argentines. And, of course, the jabs at his rival. “They say that the biggest game in Argentine football is Boca and River. For us, it’s just a game between a first division team and a second division team”, scoffed the guide.
What is a visit to La Bombonera like?
The visit begins with a quick visit to the stadium museum. Trophies, newspaper clippings, photos, parts of uniforms and other objects that remember Boca’s important achievements are on display there. When we arrived, the tour was about to leave, so we just had a quick look around the museum and followed the guide. If this happens to you, don’t worry, after passing through the stands and changing rooms, the guided tour ends inside the museum.
Boca Museum
Upon arriving in the stands, the guide tells you a little about the history of Boca Juniors. As almost everyone knows, the stadium’s nickname, which is officially called Alberto Jacinto Armando, is a reference to the shape of the building, which resembles a box of chocolates. As the area for building the field was small, the architect chose to make the stadium grow upwards, creating a curious shape. La Bombonera looks small, but it is capable of holding up to 50,000 fans.
Everything is designed to make rivals’ lives more complicated. In addition to having to prepare for the game in the locker room below the general, the exit tunnel for opposing players is close to where La Doce, Boca’s largest organized fan base, is located. “Boca’s dressing room is below the chairs, where grandfathers and grandmothers sit. In other words, our players have all the peace and quiet to prepare for the game”, says the guide.
The 12 marks the location of the organized one, the blue floor is the general one, which is above the visitors’ dressing room
It does not stop there. The area dedicated to opposing fans is also carefully planned. It is in the third upper ring, the only part of the stadium where the sun shines after 6pm. It is a place that receives strong winds, coming from the Rio da Prata. If you are a visiting fan at La Bombonera, you can do one of two things: get ready to fry in the sun or bundle up to avoid freezing to death. “If they want, they can convert to Boca and stay in the best parts of the stadium. We accept everyone”, said the guide.
Can you watch a Boca Juniors game in Buenos Aires?
You will spend a lot of money, as the team doesn’t even sell tickets, after all there are more fan members than available seats at La Bombonera. But if you make a point of watching Boca during your trip to Buenos Aires, you can hire one of the many specialized companies that resell members’ tickets. Prices start at 900 pesos (180 reais).
Visiting team locker room
La Bombonera: how to get there, how much it costs and other tips
On my tour, the guide spoke fluent Portuguese, a language widely understood by the visitors, who were Argentines (mostly Boca fans who live in other parts of the country, but also some from rival teams) and Brazilians.
There is no metro to this part of the city, but several buses connect the center to La Boca, including the 70, 39 and 10. It is also possible to walk – I did it myself – but you will walk for at least 30 minutes, starting from the Avenida 9 de Julho region and passing through San Telmo.
See too: How to get around Buenos Aires
The best way to get there, however, is by taxi. The ride from the center or Puerto Madero costs no more than 10 reais. It may be a better way out, as some areas of the neighborhood are not safe – I have known tourists who were robbed there when they accidentally entered a street outside the tourist area.
If you decide to return by taxi, be aware that the drivers of vehicles parked in front of the stadium usually refuse to turn on the meter – one of them tried to charge us twice the real cost of a ride. If this happens to you, just go to the next corner and wait for a taxi. As the number of tourists there is large, the movement of vehicles is also large. See more information on the stadium’s official website.
Travel insurance for Argentina
Taking out travel insurance is essential, even for countries as close as Argentina and Uruguay. No matter how close it is to home, it is best to travel protected so as not to suffer from unforeseen events.
The good news is that it is possible to take out good travel insurance for around 10 reais per day. To do this, we recommend using a search engine like Seguros Promo, which compares the main insurance companies and ensures that you find the best value for money, according to your needs.
Furthermore, blog readers are entitled to an exclusive discount coupon: 360MERIDIANOS05. See some of the offers below and choose yours:
Where to stay in Buenos Aires
The main neighborhoods to stay in Buenos Aires are:
- center
- San Telmo
- Recoleta
- Palermo
The first two are for those who want to save money, stay close to everything and don’t mind clutter. Recoleta and Palermo have more expensive accommodation, but they are more upscale and beautiful neighborhoods. You can find out more about the regions in our post Where to stay in Buenos Aires.
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