One of England's new football cathedrals. It is modern, comfortable, and has great sightlines, but it seldom has the atmosphere of the old Highbury.

History and description

The Emirates Stadium replaced Arsenal's previous home, Highbury, which had become too small and lacked the possiblities for expansion being hemmed in by housing. After much debate, the new stadium was finally built in 2007. First plans for the construction of a new stadium were made in the 1990s but also a move to the new Wembley Stadium was considered. After much debate, the new stadium was finally built in 2007.

Construction of the new stadium began in 2004 and cost £390 million.

The Emirates Stadium officially opened on July 23rd, 2006. The first match was a testimonial match for former Arsenal and Ajax player, Dennis Bergkamp.

Despite the competition from nearby Wembley Stadium, the Emirates Stadium has never hosted the English national team. However, the Brazilian national team has regularly staged friendlies at the stadium.

How to get to the Emirates Stadium

The Emirates Stadium is located in the north of London, near Kings Cross St Pancras railway station. If you're coming by car, the best place to park is the Northumberland Park multi-storey on N5.

On non-matchdays, the Holloway Road station (Piccadilly line) is the closest but it will be closed before the match and it is exit-only afterwards.

Alternatively, one can catch a train to Finsbury Park or Highbury & Islington main line stations. It is a 5- to 10-minute journey coming from Kings Cross station. During the week, trains depart from Moorgate as well. Drayton Park rail station, closest to the stadium, closes on matchdays.

Supporters are not advised to come to the Emirates Stadium by car on matchdays, and there is very little parking available around the stadium on non-matchdays.

Address: Emirates Stadium, London N5 1BU

Eat, drink, and sleep near the Emirates Stadium

The Emirates Stadium is located in the Highbury area. There are a few pubs and cafés in the immediate surroundings of the stadium, which is mainly residential, and some options to eat and drink along Holloway Road and Highbury Park road. There is more nightlife to be found in the Islington area on Upper Street starting south of Highbury & Islington tube station - a walking distance of around 15 to 20 minutes from the stadium.

There are no hotels near Emirates Stadium, but a few options are available further north on Seven Sisters Road near Finsbury Park. The Queens Hotel and Best Western Highbury get the best reviews and cost about £100 per night. The Pembury Hotel, Woodberry Down Hotel, and Central Park Hotel are less luxurious options and cost about £60-70 per night.

All the hotels near the Emirates Stadium are listed here. You can choose to stay in any part of Central London if you like.

Arsenal Tickets

Tickets for Arsenal matches can be bought online or by phone. However, with the recent increase in ticket prices for Premier League games, it may be more difficult to obtain tickets in the near future.

Tickets for category B matches, in the middle, range from £39.00 for most lower-tier seats to £89.00 for a central upper-tier seat. Arsenal tickets fall into three price categories: C, A, and B. For C matches, the cheapest tickets start at £26.00 for most lower-tier seats and go up to £51.00 for a central upper-tier seat. For A matches, the most expensive tickets start at £63.50 for most lower-tier seats and go up to £126.00 for a central upper-tier seat. For B matches in the middle, tickets range from £39.00 for most lower-tier seats to £89.00 for a central upper-tier seat

A booking fee of about £2.00 applies when tickets are purchased for members. Tickets for members are a little bit cheaper than tickets purchased for non-members.

Emirates Stadium tours

Arsenal offer a self-guided stadium tour that takes visitors through the Emirates Stadium. The tour includes the changing rooms and players' tunnel, and can be taken at your own pace with an audio guide. The Arsenal FC club offers guided stadium tours with an Arsenal legend. The tours include access to the club's museum.

The stadium is open 7 days a week for self-guided tours. Entry is at 10am with the last entry at 5pm. There are no tours on matchdays and the stadium may close earlier on the day before a match or event. It can take up to 90 minutes to complete the walk around the stadium.

The legends tour starts every day at 1:00 pm and lasts 75 minutes.

The cost of the self-guided tour is £17.50 and the cost of the legends tour is £35.00. Tours can be booked online, by phone +44 (0) 20 7619 5000, or at arrival at the stadium (self-guided tours).

Relevant Internet links

Arsenal.com, London city guide website London Underground website, public transport journey planner Journeyplanner.org The Emirates Stadium is clean and tidy with plenty of room to move around, and it's progress that had to happen. Well done Mr Wenger, I don't always agree with his tippy-tappy football, but what he has done for the club is nothing but miraculous. The Emirates is a big part of his legacy! I have been going to see Arsenal since 1970, and how things have changed!

The Emirates Stadium is clean and tidy with plenty of room to move around. The stadium has progressed since Mr Wenger took over, and this was necessary for the club's long-term success. Well done, Mr Wenger! I don't always agree with your tippy tappy football, but you have done an amazing job for Arsenal. You have built the Emirates Stadium into a major part of your legacy, and I have been going to see the club since 1970.

Despite the poor atmosphere and seats, the stadium has potential. It's a great location near a lot of tourists, and it could be because they're not die-hard fans that the volume is low. Plus, the distance between seats and pitch can be improved.

One problem is that the atmosphere is poor. This could be because the stadium is filled with a lot of tourists who aren't die-hard fans, and that could possibly contribute to the low level of noise. Additionally, the seats are a little far from the pitch.

Nobby Clarke wrote: The Fantaic Stadium is well-organized and has plenty of space in the seats. It's also affordable to eat your own food there. After the game, take the Tube to Finsbury Park without too much of a crowd.

The Fantaic Stadium is an amazing place to attend a game. There is plenty of room in the seats, and you are free to bring your own food. After the game, it is easy to walk to the Finsbury Park tube station.

Gavin Roger wrote: 4 September 2015 at 7:48 pm Excellent ground but zero atmosphere. The view from the away section is awful if your near the front.

Despite excellent ground, the atmosphere in the away section is terrible. If you're near the front, the view is terrible.

Mr Woolwich wrote on February 22, 2015 at 10:45 PM: 0 out of 10. Very, very disappointing. Are you experiencing the same thing? You'll find more atmosphere at a morgue, where people are more interested in the prawn sandwiches and red wine than the football.

I absolutely dislike this stadium. It has a very dull atmosphere and the fans are apathetic.

JWB wrote: The stadium is nice. The seats are padded and the size is good. The ground does look bigger than Old Trafford and even Wembley, but it has a lot of leg room so it doesn't fit as many seats in. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10, as it is scary when sitting in the very top row with glass. It's an amazing experience though!

The stadium is really nice and has comfortable seats. The ground looks bigger than Old Trafford and even Wembley, but there are a lot of legroom so it doesn't fit as many seats in. I would give it an 8.5 out of 10, as it is scary when sitting in the very top row with glass. It's an amazing experience though!

Babul wrote: October 20, 2013 at 1:54 am The stadium is amazing! The tour was wonderful. The changing room and tunnel were surreal. You got to check it out!

The stadium is amazing and the experience from the tour was wonderful. The changing room and tunnel were surreal - you got to see it!

Greg wrote: April 15, 2012 at 2:55pm Emirates is good, but lacks the atmosphere thatArsenal had so much of at Highbury. It's easy to get to by tube, but remember to allow plenty of time, as queues are huge getting into Arsenal Station.

Arsenal is better than Emirates, but it lacks the atmosphere that Emirates had at Highbury. It's easy to get to by tube, but remember to allow plenty of time, because queues are really long getting into Arsenal Station.