Heading to a soccer match or a concert at San Siro stadium in Milan?
Here’s what to know before you go to Italy’s biggest stadium. Find out practical information about San Siro, and how seating is organized.
Not only that, stay tuned for 7 tips for going to a soccer game or a concert at San Siro – from someone who’s actually been there. Over the 15+ years I’ve lived in Italy, I’ve been to San Siro for an Inter Milan soccer game, and most recently for a Måneskin concert.
Table of Contents
ABOUT THE STADIUM
San Siro is the home of both of Milan’s Serie A soccer teams: Inter Milan and AC Milan. The frenzy at an Italian soccer match can’t be beat! Catching a soccer match is a boisterous Italian rite of passage.
San Siro is also an important concert venue, hosting huge Italian and international acts like Laura Pausini, Vasco Rossi, Bruce Springsteen, U2, and in 2024: Taylor Swift!
Not only is San Siro Italy’s biggest stadium, it is also one of the largest stadiums in Europe. It can seat over 80,000 people.
San Siro’s official name is Giuseppe Meazza Stadium, but it is called San Siro after the Milan neighborhood where it’s located. It’s also called La Scala del Calcio, or the La Scala of soccer, a reference to Milan’s world famous opera house La Scala.
Die hard soccer fans won’t want to miss the San Siro stadium museum and take a tour.
The pronunciation of San Siro is: sahn SEE-roh
Listen to how to pronounce San Siro here:
SAN SIRO SEATING
San Siro has 3 tiers (anelli). The tiers are divided into 4 sections, and each has a color:
- blu: blue (the south end)
- rosso: red (west side)
- verde: green (north end)
- arancio: orange (east side)
1: HOW DO I GET TO SAN SIRO?
San Siro is within Milan, and has its own metro stop: SAN SIRO STADIO. It’s the last stop on the light purple M5 metro line, which is relatively new.
Read my guide about how to take the Milan metro for tips on getting around.
Especially on game and concert days, ATM (Milan’s public transport company) makes sure there are plenty of trains going out before show time, and afterwards to get everyone home.
The metro is the easiest way to get both to and away from the game– especially afterwards. Keep in mind that there are tens of thousands of people trying to get home at once– so there’s tons of street traffic in the stadium area.
ATM extends service after night concerts so you don’t have to worry if the metro will still be running when you get out.
Don’t be discouraged by the huge crowds trying to get down into the metro station after the concert/game. The turnstiles close after a maximum number of people go through, so that everyone doesn’t flood the platform at once. Then they reopen the gates, then close them when the max is reached, etc.
Everyone gets through eventually: my advice is to hang out and wait for the crowd to thin out. You’ll get your chance to go down into the metro station, and you don’t need to be in the crush of people.
Is the metro safe? We took our 7 and 9 year-old to a night concert at San Siro stadium, and took the metro both there and back. We felt perfectly safe and there were plenty of other families with children their age.
However, I would think twice between taking my kids to an especially heated soccer match: for example the Inter v. Milan derby. Fans can get rowdy.
2: WHEN SHOULD I GET THERE?
I recommend arriving at the stadium one hour ahead in order to get through security, find your seat (especially if it’s all the way up the ramps in Tier 3), and get oriented.
For soccer matches, the official recommendation seems to be to arrive two hours ahead, but 1 hour should leave you plenty of time to get in and get settled.
3: WHERE DO THE DIE HARD SOCCER FANS SIT?
Fans or supporters in Italian are called tifosi, and die hard, I-live-for-my-team fans are called ultras. The curva, or short side of the stadium behind the goal where all the ultras sit, is a (loud), rowdy spectacle in itself, with banners, flags, drums, bullhorns, and tons of chanting.
Inter fans are called interisti. Their ultras sit in the Curva Nord (the north end of the stadium, or the green section) when Inter is playing.
AC Milan fans are called milanisti. Their ultras sit in the Curva Sud (the south end of the stadium, or the blue section) when AC Milan is playing.
Make sure you can pronounce the team names correctly like a local!
Inter Milan is simply called Inter. It’s pronounced EEN-tehr
AC Milan is just called Milan, with the accent on the first syllable: MEE-lahn
Inter’s colors are blue and black, and Milan’s colors are red and black. If you’re sitting anywhere near the curva make sure you’re wearing the right colors!
4: WHAT IS THE 3rd TIER LIKE?
Welcome to the nosebleed seats! San Siro’s 3rd Tier, or Terzo Anello (Anello III) is the highest. To get there, follow San Siro’s trademark corkscrew ramps all the way up. There are steps and elevators, but we had fun walking up the ramps, which is an experience in itself!
Once you’re up in Tier 3, finding your seat is confusing because seat ranges are not well marked at all (they’re painted on the wall).
The stairs are very steep. If you suffer from vertigo, consider yourself warned. Luckily, there are sturdy railings that are a big help, especially for keeping your balance on the way down.
The 3rd Tier does have some big advantages. You’re so high up that in the red section (rosso), you have a view of Milan’s skyline in the distance! The roof overhang protects all sections from the elements, but there is a horizontal gap up near the roof. This means that way up in the third tier you can even get a breeze in the summer.
5: WHAT SHOULD I BRING?
Make sure to bring an ID that matches the name on your ticket (every ticket is assigned to a specific person, on both soccer and concert tickets).
6: WHAT CAN’T I BRING?
Security will search any bags you have. You can’t bring any bottles (even water), alcoholic beverages or lighters. You can bring food.
If you’re worried about getting dehydrated, you can buy water inside the stadium.
7: ARE THERE BATHROOMS AT SAN SIRO?
Yes, there are bathrooms at San Siro stadium. Do you want to use them? Not if you can help it. They aren’t known for being clean or in good condition.
Ivan Gazidis, AC Milan’s former CEO, said in a 2023 interview: “[At San Siro] there are few access points for the handicapped and it’s better to avoid the bathrooms, especially if you’re a woman.”
So there you have it. If you’ve gotta go, make sure you’re armed with tissues and hand sanitizer.
Want to make the most of your time in Milan? Read One Day in Milan, 2 Days in Milan, What to Eat in Milan, How to Get Around Milan, and Milan with Kids for my recommendations on what to prioritize.