Villa Park away guide

Villa Park is a domestic away day, so you do not fly, you take a direct train to Birmingham New Street, then a local train to Witton (about 10 minutes, then a 5-minute walk) or the AV82 shuttle from outside New Street. Away fans sit in the north-east corner of the Doug Ellis Stand, up to around 3,100 for league games West Midlands Railway, Villa Underground.

Fast facts

Getting there from the UK

Birmingham is not a fly-to away day. There is no sense flying from Manchester or London when the ground is two miles from the city centre, so the real choice is train against coach: the train is quicker but dearer, the coach is cheaper but slower. Either way you finish with a short local hop from New Street to Witton, about 10 minutes plus a 5-minute walk. Costs are return estimates and depend heavily on how far ahead you book.

From the airport and city centre

If you are flying into Birmingham Airport from further afield, use the airport's own station, Birmingham International, which runs trains into Birmingham New Street in around 10 minutes. At New Street, change onto a local train to Witton or Aston for Villa Park West Midlands Railway.

Trains from Birmingham New Street to Witton take about 9-10 minutes, and trains to Aston take roughly 6-8 minutes West Midlands Railway.

For a direct option, the AV82 shuttle bus runs from Dudley Street outside Birmingham New Street Station to Villa Park, operated by Stagecoach, with cash or card tickets bought from the driver. It runs from three hours before kick-off and up to two hours after the match Transport for West Midlands.

By car, leave the M6 at Junction 6 and follow signs towards Birmingham, with Aston Hall Road leading towards the ground Villa Underground. Parking near the ground is very limited and residents' parking schemes operate on match days, so official car parks or public transport are strongly advised.

Nearest station and walking time

Witton is the nearest station, roughly a 5-minute walk (about 500 metres) from the ground and closest to the away entrance West Midlands Railway. Aston station is an alternative, about a 15-minute walk from Villa Park Transport for West Midlands.

Witton is on the West Midlands Railway line serving Birmingham New Street, Walsall and Rugeley, and frequent additional match-day services run before and after games West Midlands Railway.

Note that Birmingham has no tram or metro line to Villa Park. Access is by heavy rail (Witton or Aston) or bus, not the Midland Metro Transport for West Midlands. Brentford's official guide lists bus services 7, 11A, 11C, 65 and 67 as routes that get you within walking distance of the stadium Brentford FC.

Inside the stadium and the away allocation

For league games, away fans are housed in the north-east corner of the Doug Ellis Stand, also known as the Witton Lane Stand, split across upper and lower tiers Villa Underground. The away allocation for league matches is a maximum of around 3,100 seats. For cup ties with larger allocations the whole North Stand can be used Villa Underground.

Away fans enter at the turnstiles outside blocks P and Q, with block Q in the lower tier and block P in the upper tier Brentford FC. If you arrive late, Villa keep two turnstiles open for away fans, one each for the upper and lower tier, with entry possible until roughly half time Villa Underground.

All fans and bags are searched on entry. Stewards can turn away large bags and there are no bag-storage facilities at the ground, so travel light Brentford FC. Alcohol is sold on the concourse from around £5.20, though availability varies by tier and fixture: the upper Doug Ellis concourse has no bar and sales are often restricted, with complete bans typical for higher-risk or derby games Villa Underground, GiveMeSport. Turnstiles open around 90 minutes before kick-off, so arriving early helps you beat the queues.

Villa Park is one of England's oldest and largest club grounds, made up of four stands: the Holte End (south), the Trinity Road Stand (three tiers, west), the Doug Ellis Stand and the North Stand Wikipedia. The Holte End behind the south goal is the traditional home end and drives most of the noise.

Where to drink

There is no designated away pub right by the ground, and the venues closest to the turnstiles are largely home support, so most travelling fans drink in the city centre and travel out Football Ground Guide.

• The Gosta Green, Aston. Large university-district bar about 15 minutes from New Street and a 25-minute walk from the ground, food until late, 15-plus draught taps and plenty of screens. Comfortably handles away crowds. Standard high-street prices, around £5-6 a pint Away Games.
• The Bartons Arms, Aston. A stunning Grade II-listed Victorian pub just off the centre, all tilework and mahogany, friendly to all and serving Thai food alongside its ales. Well worth the visit in its own right Football Ground Guide.
• The Yew Tree, Witton (B6 7AR). The closest realistic option to the ground for away fans, though admittance has tightened. Turn up without colours and you will have a better chance Football Ground Guide.
• Broad Street and Brindleyplace, city centre. A strip of neutral bars and chains by the canals, easy for a pre-match session before the train or shuttle out Football Ground Guide.
• The Wellington, Bennett's Hill. A city-centre real-ale institution with a long rotating cask list and no jukebox, good for a quieter pint. Neutral crowd.

Avoid the Witton Arms by the station: long the main away pub, it has now become a home-only venue, so do not rely on it Football Ground Guide. Aston itself is a working residential area rather than a night out, and colours near the ground are best kept low-key.

Where to eat

Birmingham's dish is the balti, a curry cooked and served in a thin pressed-steel bowl, invented by Pakistani and Kashmiri families in the city in the 1970s and eaten by scooping it up with naan. The Balti Triangle around Ladypool Road, Stratford Road and Stoney Lane, just south of the centre, is the place to try it Visit Birmingham.

• Shababs, Ladypool Road. A Balti Triangle institution, high-flame cooking and generous portions at low prices. Sit-down, BYO in parts, around £10-15 a head Visit Birmingham.
• Al Frash, Ladypool Road. Long-running, reliable balti house, another good-value classic of the Triangle Visit Birmingham.
• Adil, Stoney Lane. One of the original balti restaurants in the area and a fair claim to the dish's birthplace Visit Birmingham.
• Digbeth Dining Club, Digbeth. Award-winning street-food yard for something quick and varied before or after the game, spread across changing traders.
• Grand Central / New Street food hall. Right on top of the station, handy if you are eating on the way through: chains and independents for a fast, cheap bite.
• Near the ground itself, options are limited to takeaways and chip shops, plus the Family Fun Zone inside the Villa Academy building, so eat in the centre before you travel out Football Ground Guide.

What to do

If you are making a day or two of it, Birmingham packs a lot into a walkable centre Bullring.

• Bullring & Grand Central and the disc-clad Selfridges building, the city's landmark shopping quarter, with markets on the site since the 12th century Bullring.
• Library of Birmingham, the striking filigree-fronted building on Centenary Square, with a free rooftop garden and city views.
• Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, home to the world's finest collection of Pre-Raphaelite art and the Staffordshire Hoard (check reopening status before you go).
• The Jewellery Quarter, more than 500 workshops and jewellers plus the preserved Museum of the Jewellery Quarter Bullring.
• Gas Street Basin and Brindleyplace canals, the heart of a canal network longer than Venice's, lined with bars and restaurants Bullring.
• Cadbury World in Bournville, the Cadbury factory tour and chocolate experience, a short train ride south Bullring.
• Aston Hall, a Jacobean mansion in parkland right next to Villa Park, ideal to combine with the match if it is open.

Common questions

How do you get to Villa Park from Birmingham Airport?

Take a train from Birmingham International station, at the airport, to Birmingham New Street, which takes around 10 minutes. At New Street change onto a local train to Witton, about 9-10 minutes, or Aston, about 6-8 minutes. Witton is the closer station to the away end, a 5-minute walk from the turnstiles West Midlands Railway.

Which airport do I fly to for an Aston Villa away game?

For UK fans, none. Birmingham is a domestic away day and a direct train beats flying comfortably, so there is no hub to route through. If you are travelling from abroad, Birmingham Airport (BHX) is the local option, around 20 minutes by rail into New Street and then a short hop to Witton West Midlands Railway.

Where do away fans sit at Villa Park?

Away fans sit in the north-east corner of the Doug Ellis Stand, also called the Witton Lane Stand, split across upper and lower tiers. Entry is at the turnstiles for blocks P and Q, with block Q in the lower tier and block P in the upper tier Villa Underground, Brentford FC.

What is the away allocation at Villa Park?

The league away allocation is a maximum of around 3,100 seats, spread across the upper and lower tiers of the Doug Ellis Stand corner. For cup ties that carry a larger allocation, Villa can open the whole North Stand to visiting supporters Villa Underground.

What time should I arrive?

Turnstiles open around 90 minutes before kick-off. Aim to be at Witton or on the AV82 shuttle in good time, as match-day rail and bus services get busy and the walk from the station to the away turnstiles funnels through a tight area. Arriving early beats the queues and the entry searches Villa Underground.

Can you drink alcohol in the away end?

Sometimes. Alcohol is sold on some concourses from around £5.20, but availability depends on the tier and fixture. The upper Doug Ellis concourse has no bar, and sales are often restricted, with complete bans typical for higher-risk or derby games. Do not count on it for a big fixture Villa Underground, GiveMeSport.

How much is a beer?

Inside the ground the cheapest pint is around £5.20, among the pricier ends of the Premier League GiveMeSport. In city-centre pubs on Broad Street and around the centre you are looking at roughly £5-6 a pint, a little less in the bigger student-district bars like the Gosta Green Away Games.

Is Birmingham safe for away fans?

Yes, with the usual matchday sense. The city centre is busy and well policed and fine for a normal day out. Around the ground, Aston is a quiet residential area rather than a hotspot, but keep colours low-key near Witton and the away turnstiles, as the venues closest to the ground are mainly home support Football Ground Guide.

Where should away fans drink?

Most travelling fans drink in the city centre, around Broad Street and the Brindleyplace canals, then travel out, because there is no designated away pub by the ground. The Gosta Green near Aston University and the historic Bartons Arms are among the more welcoming larger venues. Avoid the Witton Arms by the station, which is now home-only Football Ground Guide, Away Games.

Does the match ticket include free local transport?

No. Unlike some European cities, a Villa match ticket does not cover rail or bus fares. You buy your train to Witton or Aston, or your AV82 shuttle ticket from the driver, separately Transport for West Midlands.

How far is Villa Park from the city centre?

Villa Park is in Aston, about two miles north of Birmingham city centre. It is roughly a 10-minute train from New Street to Witton, or a similar time on the AV82 shuttle from Dudley Street. It is walkable in around 40-45 minutes if you fancy it, though most fans take the train or bus West Midlands Railway, Transport for West Midlands.

Where should I stay?

Base yourself in the city centre rather than near the ground: it has the hotels, the bars and the restaurants, and Witton is a short train away. The New Street, Broad Street and Brindleyplace areas put you on the doorstep of transport out to Villa Park and the pick of the food and drink Bullring.

Can you park at Villa Park?

Parking near the ground is very limited and residents' parking schemes operate on match days, so official car parks or public transport are strongly advised. By car, leave the M6 at Junction 6 and follow signs towards Birmingham, with Aston Hall Road leading towards the ground Villa Underground.