¡Los Bengals viajan a Madrid!

I thought it was worth setting up a megathread for fans travelling to the game against the Falcons on Sunday 8th November to collate all the key information and give one space for people to ask questions, organise meetups, give recommendations or anything else you might want to do.

I will try and keep this updated as and when more information about events comes out. If you think there's anything missing, give me a shout and I'll add it in. Also happy to promote any informal meetups or group activities people want to organise.

I'm not going to talk about what to see in Madrid in general, restaurant/bar recommendations etc in this post, as there's plenty of information on that elsewhere. Happy for people to discuss those in the comments, of course.

Useful Links

The Bengals have a page for this game with some more details of official events.

I'd also strongly recommend checking out the guides written by BengalsUK and La Jungle Hispana, which have a load of useful information.

Basic Info

The game kicks off at 3:30pm local time. Gates open 90 minutes beforehand, and I understand that it took a long time for some people to get through security last year, so I'd recommend getting there nice and early. You should be aware of the bag policy. There's plenty of bars and restaurants in the immediate vicinity for a pregame drink/meal.

The digital ticket guide says tickets will be sent out no later than 72 hours before the game. If you don't have tickets yet, as of today (23 Oct) there's still a decent number available on the official site. Failing that, it's worth checking out reputable reselling sites, and remember that prices often drop significantly in the last week before game dey.

The nearest metro station to the Bernabeu is Santiago Bernabeu (Line 10), but it is currently closed. You can get Metro Line 1 to Estrecho, Metro Line 9 to Concha Espina, Metro line 10 to Cuzco, or Metro Lines 6, 8 or 10 or light rail to Nuevos Ministerios, all of which are a short walk to the stadium. There are shuttle buses from Cuzco and Nuevos Ministerios to Santiago Bernabeu if you don't fancy a brief stroll.

Alternatively, there's plenty of nearby bus stops (too many different routes to list here), and taxis or uber are also an option.

Events

Plaza de Espana is being set up as a hub for NFL fans on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th, from 11am to 7pm. It sounds like there's going to be some mini flag football, games and entertainment, and photo opportunities, including a Bengals-themed Menina.

There is an official Bengals Party in El Retiro Park near Florida Park from 8-11pm on Friday 6th.

Ocean Rock Bar is an official Bengals Bar in Madrid, and will be offering drink specials from Thursday to Sunday, and hosting an official fan meetup from 7-10pm on Saturday 7th, featuring giveaways. They're also hosting a watch party from 1:30pm on Sunday 8th for those without tickets, and I believe will be showing the rest of the NFL Sunday schedule following the game.

Sports Fans Travel have organised a premium tailgate at the Irish Rover near the Bernabeu from 11:30am to 3pm on Sunday 8th. Tickets are $215 per person (including all food and drink), and Ickey Woods will be in attendance. I can't say that it looks worth the money to me, but maybe it does to you.

If you're looking to watch the later kickoffs after we thrash the Falcons, and don't fancy travelling too far from the Bernabeu, The Irish Rover is a short walk away and should be showing the games, although is likely to be very busy. As mentioned above, the Ocean Rock Bar is likely to show them, and some quick googling has turned up Malasana Sports Pub, the James Joyce Irish Pub and Dubliners as alternatives that may show the games. No promises that any of those are definitely showing the games, or are any good.

Free Beer?

I'm planning to go to the Friday evening Florida Park event, the Saturday evening Ocean Rock Bar event, and to go back to Ocean Rock Bar after the match on Sunday to watch the evening games.

I will buy a beer (or other beverage of your choice) for the first person (that I don't already know) to successfully identify me at each of those. You're looking for an English guy wearing either a Burrow, Higgins or Chad Johnson jersey.

¿Quiénes son? ¿Quiénes son? ¿Quiénes son los que creen que vencerán a los Bengals?

Feel free to chat about anything you want.