Estadio da Luz (Lisbon)

The Estádio da Luz, officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, its owner.

General information

Official website: https://www.slbenfica.pt

Arena capacity: 64,642 spectators

Address: Av. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, 1500-313 Lisboa, Portugal

GPS coordinates for the navigator: 38.7527° N, 9.1848° W

Year of construction: 25 October 2003

Construction cost: €162 million

Field: grass lawn with dimensions of 105 x 68 m

Seating plan of Estadio da Luz

Stands at Estádio da Luz are named after the companies that sponsor them, but it’s probably best to tell you about their geographical location in case those companies change. The North Stand houses the away supporters, The East Stand runs along the side of the pitch, The West Stand contains the dugouts, players tunnel and changing rooms and The South Stand is a replica of its Northern counterpart. The stadium has a ‘bowl’ design and there are four tiers running around it.

Where to buy tickets?

As is often the case with European clubs, finding out the ticketing scheme can be quite tricky. What we can tell you is that Benfica have two different pricing structures, one for ‘Socios’, or club members, and one for the public. There’s also a different price depending on where in the ground you want to sit. The club also charges different prices depending on the level of opposition, but for their game against Nacional the prices ranged from €30 to €90 for adults buying in the public sale.

How to get Benfica tickets?

You can buy tickets online, from the club’s ticket office and from official retailers throughout Lisbon.

How to get there?

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and as such getting there is relatively easy. Here are some of the most common methods you’ll want to use.

Train

Getting the train to Lisbon will take the best part of a day, with your journey taking you from St. Pancras to Paris Nord on the Eurostar before changing to Paris Montparnasse from where you’ll get a train to Irun. From there you get another train to Lisboa Oriente. The ground itself is served by Colegio Mililitar/Luz on the Blue Metro line.

Bus

Plenty of buses will get you to Estádio da Luz including the 703, the 750, the 765 and the 799.

Car

The stadium is on the E1 Expressway, which is the main ring road heading West of the city. If you want more specific instructions you might do well to get yourself a sat-nav or something.

By air

Aeroporto da Portela, or Lisbon Portela Airport in English, is the largest airport in Portugal and is just a few miles from the city centre.

Taxi

Getting to the ground from Lisboa Oriente station will take you just under twenty minutes and should cost about €15.

Parking Near Estadio Da Luz

There are two pubic parking areas outside the stadium that you can use if you want to drive.

Estadio da Luz Hotels

As the country’s capital it’s fair to say that Lisbon has got a number of excellent hotels. Here are some of our favourites.

ibis Lisboa José Malhoa — £30+

Avenida Jose Malhoa 10, Lisbon, 1070

About twenty-five minutes walk from the ground is this member of the ibis chain of hotels. It’s got a bar, a meeting room, a business centre, self-parking and free Wi-Fi. It’s basic, but it’s quite cheap.

SANA Metropolitan Hotel — £55+

Rua Soeiro Pereira Gomes, Parcela 2, Lisbon, 1600-198

Around twenty minutes walk from the stadium is this large, 4-star hotel with a restaurant, a bar, a fitness centre, a 24-hour business centre and self-parking. There’s also the de rigueur free Wi-Fi.

Corinthia Hotel Lisbon — £80+

Avenida Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro, 105, Lisbon, 1099-031

This luxury hotel is about twenty minutes walk from the Estádio da Luz and you’ll be grateful you opted to stay here. With a restaurant, two bars, a full-service spa and health club including indoor pool and a terrace area, you really will be able to luxuriate during your stay.

Pubs & Bars Near Estadio da Luz

All capital cities have a mix of tourist traps and quaint little local bars. Lisbon is no exception. Here’s where we like to go for a pre-match port.

Hennessy’s

Cais do sodré 32-38, 1200-450 Lisboa

Located near to the sea front is this Irish pub that’s been refurbished quite recently. There’s a decent menu, loads of drink options including, of course, Guinness, plus plenty of TVs for the watching of any interesting sporting event.

The Corner Irish Pub Lisbon

nº9, Tv. da Queimada, 1200-285 Lisboa

There’s a reason Irish bars are so popular around the world when it comes to sport and that’s because they know what they’re doing. The Corner bar fits into that bracket, with their good menu, selection of drinks, TVs for sport and welcoming atmosphere.

Sky Bar

Av. da Liberdade 185, 1269-050 Lisboa

The Sky Bar is actually part of the Tivoli hotel in Lisbon. It’s not exactly a sports bar, but if the Irish pub scene isn’t for you then this rooftop bar with fantastic views of the city might tick your boxes instead.

Facilities

As one of the best stadiums in Portugal it’s fair to say that Estádio da Luz has some excellent facilities. The views are great from pretty much everywhere and there are a number of kiosks from where you can buy plenty of food and drink.

Hospitality

There are a number of match day hospitality packages available at Estádio da Luz, with the stadium featuring a row of executive boxes all the way around. If you’d like to know more then your best bet is to get in touch with the club directly.

Private hire

Up to 3000 people can be accommodated for conferences and events at Estádio da Luz. The private boxes are also able to used as offices from 9am until 7pm, should you be looking for a regular office space in Lisbon and think that takes your fancy.

Characteristics

Architect Damon Lavelle, from HOK Sport Venue Event (now Populous), designed the stadium to focus on light and transparency. Its polycarbonate roof allows the sunlight to penetrate the stadium in order to illuminate it. The roof, which is supported by tie-beams of four steel arches, seems to float on the underlying tribunes. The arches are 43 metres high and help define the look of the stadium, after having been shaped to be similar to the wavy profile of its three tiers.

History

The previous Estádio da Luz could accommodate 120,000 people, but when it was demolished and the new stadium built the new Estádio da Luz’s capacity was reduced to just over 65,000. The architect, Damon Lavelle, decided to concentrate on the light and transparency of the ground, giving it a polycarbonate roof that allows sunshine to penetrate through. There are arches on top of the stands that appear to give it a wavy look similar to the design of the stadium itself.

The origins of the nickname of the stadium (Estádio da Luz) are confused to say the least. Some will tell you it’s because it was built next to the Estrada da Luz, taking the ‘Luz’ part from that. Others say that it was named in honour of the Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz, or the Church of Our Lady of the Light. Whatever the reason, the name has carried over to the new ground, encouraged by the work of Lavelle and his team in the design of the ground. As well as Benfica matches the stadium also hosts occasional Portugal national team games as well as five Euro 2004 games, including the final that Portugal lost 1-0 to Greece.