Irish striker Troy Parrott has had an excellent start to his career at Real Betis, scoring the winner against Real Madrid in La Liga and against Lille in the Champions League within his first four matches. The 24-year-old and the club have embraced each other, welcoming new Irish fans, but it leaves the question, how does the average punter get to see Parrott in person?
Where are Real Betis playing their home games this season?
The good news for Parrott fans is that it has never been more accessible to get tickets to watch Real Betis in La Liga.
Betis’ stadium Estadio Benito Villamarín is under renovation, which means Betis are playing their home games this season at the Estadio de la Cartuja in Seville. With a capacity of 70,000, the latter venue has almost 10,000 more seats than Estadio Benito Villamarín.
Estadio de La Cartuja is the fourth largest stadium in Spain, built as part of failed attempts at hosting the Olympics in the 2000s, but has since been used for Copa Del Rey finals and some Spanish national games. It will also host several World Cup games in 2030.
How do you get tickets for Real Betis games?
Prices are reasonable on the official website for their next game against Getafe on September 17th, going for as low as €22 for a high seat behind the goals, or €50 for a seat in a general-admission central area, while VIP tickets range from €90 to €140 if you would like a luxury experience. Tickets can be bought via the portal on the Real Betis website.
Tickets generally go on sale to the general public one to three weeks before matchday, so with an away game and an international break coming up, the match against Getafe is currently the only fixture for which tickets available to buy on the website. You can also buy tickets at the stadium’s ticket office, old-school style – an option if you want to plan ahead for flights and accommodation but wait to get match tickets. Most La Liga matches do not sell out, with 54,348 turning out for Betis’ glamour match against Real Madrid.
Alternatively for future matches, you can buy tickets on secondary websites like StubHub. For example, it’s €56-€145 for tickets to see Betis play Porto in their next Champions League home game. Understandably, prices go up for marquee matches like Barcelona in La Liga on October 18th, with tickets starting from €139 on StubHub.
How can I get to Seville?
Ryanair have direct flights to Seville from Dublin four or five days a week. Aer Lingus also fly to Seville, although less frequently.
As an example itinerary, if you wanted to go to Betis’ aforementioned game against Getafe on Thursday, September 17th, return flights with Ryanair (leaving on Wednesday and returning on Friday) would come in around €219. For the Champions League game against Porto on Wednesday, October 14th, return flights are €186 with Ryanair (leaving Wednesday morning and returning Thursday evening).
Where can I stay?
The most popular area to experience Seville is Santa Cruz, the former Jewish quarter containing historic sites, examples of traditional Andalusian architecture, cobbled streets and charming squares. From Seville Cathedral, it’s about 50 minutes to Estadio de La Cartuja by bus (with one changeover), 15 minutes by taxi, or about an hour walk.
Closer to the stadium, the area of Alameda de Hércules is a lively option, with plenty of bars, cafes and restaurants. It’s about a 40-minute walk to the stadium, or 10 minutes by taxi.
What else is there to do there?
The Royal Alcázar of Seville is a historic palace and Unesco World Heritage Site which combines Islamic, Gothic, Renaissance and Baroque influences across its buildings and gardens. Another spot worth a wander is the Plaza de Espana, a huge semicircular plaza adorned with tiled alcoves, fountains and bridges. Seville is also famous for flamenco shows as Andalucía is the birthplace of the Spanish dance.