Few stadiums make you stop at the turnstile and just stare. Olympiastadion Berlin is one of them. Walk up through the towering limestone colonnades, catch your first glimpse of that famous blue running track ringing the pitch, and you feel the weight of nearly a century of sporting history pressing down on you. For any serious ground-hopper, this is not just another tick on the list — it is a pilgrimage.
Olympiastadion Berlin
74,667 capacity
View stadium →A stadium built for the world stage
Olympiastadion opened in 1936, designed by architect Werner March for the Berlin Olympic Games. It was here that American sprinter Jesse Owens won four gold medals, a performance that turned the Games into one of the defining sporting moments of the 20th century. The bowl was carved partly into the ground, so from the outside it looks deceptively low-slung — only once you are inside do you grasp the sheer scale of the place.
The stadium was reborn for the modern era ahead of the 2006 World Cup, when gmp Architekten wrapped the historic structure in a sweeping partial roof supported on slender steel columns. The renovation was masterful: it added weather protection and hospitality without erasing the monumental 1930s bones. The result is a listed monument that also functions as a genuinely comfortable 21st-century arena, seating 74,667 spectators.
That blend of old and new is exactly what makes it such a rewarding visit. You get the grandeur of the marathon gate and the Glockenturm bell tower alongside cashless payment, stadium Wi-Fi, accessible seating and a dedicated family section.
The matches that made it legendary
If a stadium is defined by the nights it hosts, Olympiastadion has few rivals anywhere in Europe.
It staged the 2006 World Cup final, the night Italy beat France on penalties and Zinedine Zidane's career ended with that infamous headbutt. Nine years later it hosted the 2015 Champions League final, where Barcelona's peak-era front three of Messi, Suárez and Neymar dismantled Juventus. Most recently it was the setting for the Euro 2024 final, earning the ground its "euros-2024-host" badge on Ground Hopper and cementing its place in a new generation of football memory.
Add to that the annual DFB-Pokal final, which has been played here every year since 1985, and you have a venue that hosts showpiece occasions as a matter of routine. For a ground-hopper, that history is part of the atmosphere — you are standing where legends were made.
Matchday: what to expect
Day to day, Olympiastadion is the home of Hertha BSC, the capital's biggest club, and it also regularly welcomes the German national team. That gives visitors plenty of chances to plan a trip around a fixture rather than settling for a tour-only visit.
A few practical notes for planning your visit: the ground has an away end for travelling fans and offers bag-free entry only, so travel light — there is no bag storage on site, and re-entry is not permitted once you have gone through the turnstiles. Ticket prices for Hertha league games are among the more affordable in Germany's top divisions, making this an easy one to fit into a Berlin city break.
Here are the upcoming fixtures currently on the calendar at Olympiastadion:
Hertha BSC
Arminia BielefeldHertha BSC
VfL Wolfsburg
Germany
NetherlandsHow to get there
Getting to the stadium could not be easier. The U-Bahn line U2 stops at Olympia-Stadion, and the S-Bahn lines S3 and S9 stop at Olympiastadion station, both a short walk from the gates. From central Berlin you are looking at around 20–30 minutes on public transport, and a match ticket typically doubles as a free travel pass on the VBB network on the day of the game — always worth checking when you buy.
If you can, arrive early. The Olympic Park surrounding the stadium is a fascinating (and architecturally loaded) place to wander, and climbing the Glockenturm bell tower rewards you with one of the best panoramic views in Berlin, looking straight down into the bowl.
Should it be on your list?
Absolutely. Olympiastadion Berlin is one of those grounds that transcends the club that calls it home. Whether you come for a Hertha league game, a Germany international, the DFB-Pokal final or simply a stadium tour, you are visiting a piece of living sporting history — a place that has hosted the Olympics, three of football's biggest finals, and everything in between.
Planning a German ground-hopping trip? Olympiastadion pairs beautifully with the Allianz Arena in Munich and the legendary Yellow Wall at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund. Between them, those three grounds tell the whole story of German football architecture — from monumental 1930s stone to steel-and-glass modernism to raw terrace atmosphere. Tick off all three and you will have seen the best the country has to offer.
Have you visited Olympiastadion Berlin? Log your visit on Ground Hopper and start planning the next ground on your list.