By the Tours in Amsterdam editorial team · Updated July 2026
Standing pitch-side where Ajax has made European history, walking out through the players’ tunnel, sitting in the dugout — the Amsterdam ArenA tour takes you behind the scenes of the Netherlands’ biggest stadium, now named the Johan Cruijff ArenA. Two things trip visitors up: choosing the right ticket, and turning up on a day the tour actually runs. Here is how the tour works, what it costs, what you’ll see, and how to get there.
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The stadium tour opens up the areas normally closed to fans:
Access to the dressing rooms and pitch can be limited around training sessions, matches and events, so it varies by day.
In our experience, the self-guided tour is plenty for most visitors; pick the guided option only if you want the commentary and the anecdotes.
Prices start from roughly €18–20 for a self-guided ticket, with guided and VIP tours costing more; children pay less, and every ticket includes a 10% discount in the Ajax fan shop. Booking online locks in your time slot and saves queueing at the desk. Round it off with a Dutch snack — your ticket also gets 10% off at the nearby FEBO snack bar.
Tours run most days, roughly 9:30 to 16:30. But here’s the mistake visitors make most: there are no stadium tours on Ajax home-match days or big event days, and during the summer concert season (roughly mid-May to late July) the pitch is often covered and tours are cut back. Always check your date before booking — it is the single most common reason people turn up to a closed tour.
The stadium is in Amsterdam Zuidoost (the Bijlmer), a five-minute walk from Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station — metro lines 50 and 54, or a direct train from Amsterdam Centraal in about 15 minutes. The tour starts at Entrance E, next to the Ajax fan shop.
For football fans it’s a genuine highlight — few stadiums let you get this close to the pitch, tunnel and dressing rooms. Families enjoy it too, and it’s a solid rainy-day option away from the busy centre. If you have no interest in football, it is a fair trek south for a stadium, and your time is better spent on the things to do in Amsterdam in the centre.
It’s the same stadium. Opened in 1996 (at a cost of around €140 million) with a capacity of nearly 55,000, it was the Amsterdam ArenA until 2018, when it was renamed the Johan Cruijff ArenA after the Dutch football legend who died in 2016. Cruijff and coach Rinus Michels, both from Ajax, gave the world “total football”; the club has won the Dutch league 34 times and the European Cup four times. It is also a multi-purpose venue, hosting some of the biggest concerts and events in the country. See where it sits relative to the centre on our map of Amsterdam.
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Self-guided tickets start from around €18–20; guided and VIP tours cost more. Every ticket includes a 10% discount in the Ajax fan shop.
Yes, on the stadium tour most days between roughly 9:30 and 16:30 — except on Ajax home-match days and major event days.
No, the stadium tour is a paid ticket. You can, however, walk around the ArenA plaza and visit the Ajax fan shop for free.
About 75 minutes for the self-guided and guided tours, and around 2 hours for the VIP tour.
The pitch, dugouts, players’ tunnel, home and away dressing rooms, the press room, and the Ajax Gallery of Fame trophies.
Take metro line 50 or 54 to Amsterdam Bijlmer ArenA station, a five-minute walk from the stadium; it is about 15 minutes by train from Amsterdam Centraal.
No. There are no tours on Ajax home-match days or big event days, so always check the date before you book.
Yes. The Amsterdam ArenA was renamed the Johan Cruijff ArenA in 2018, in honour of the Dutch football legend.
At Entrance E, next to the Ajax fan shop.