Deportivo La Coruna - anyone been to the Riazor recently

On hols in Galicia for a couple of weeks soon, coinciding with the start of the La Liga season. Deportivo are at home to Osasuna, so we thought we'd go. Anyone know …
a) What the parking is like in Coruña?
b) How easy it is to pay on the gate?

I went in 2005 to see them play Villareal, which was a big game at the time, and we just rocked up at the stadium and bought tickets about six hours before the game (about four rows behind the goal).

I have no idea about the parking in Coruna, some of the old town may be a bit tricky but I doubt it'll be impossible to find somewhere to park.

It's a lovely town by the way. My advice would be to arrive there earlyish in the day, buy tickets, wander round, eat awesome seafood* and then go to the game. Should make parking less of an issue. Apparently the beach is nice but we went there in late October so it was of minimal interest.

*Seriously it is amazing.

Thanks Matt. It's my compensation for missing the glamour of QPR v Swansea on the opening day of the season. Celta Vigo also at home that weekend, but on the first day of the holiday - Deportivo's on the Monday, so a bit easier to get to.

I've been to La Coruña but it was many years ago and not for football. But iirc parking was dead easy, the old town's not that tight and it widens out quickly. Possibly due to its out-of-the-wayness, it can't've been built with land attacks in mind unlike somewhere like Toledo. And much of it is coast with wide seafront avenues, so I doubt there'll be any trouble at all finding somewhere within a short walk of town.

Looking forward to the match report btw.

Bought tickets online this morning from the club website. Pretty much UK prices: €45 to sit at the side. Guessing it's the side in the sun, cos the other side was €60.

Wow that's gone up, I think we paid about a tenner.

Lovely evening at the Riazor: fantastic arena for watching football, and a great atmosphere. But the prices verge on criminal, given that the facilities at the stadium would be a disgrace at a League Two ground.

Spent money in the club shop before the game. First game back in the top flight, opening game of the season - surely the busiest single day of the year for a club shop - and they had one person on the tills. Took half an hour of queueing to buy a shirt for my son.

Yes yes, but how was the parking?

The parking was …

Good.

Tons of underground car parks. We went in one just off the main road into the city for ease of egress after match - about 15 minutes walk from the ground. Didn't have time for seafood and strolling sadly.

lol pleased to hear it - hope you're having a good time

the facilities at the stadium would be a disgrace at a League Two ground

Well I was there the same time as Matt, but unless the facilities have been worsened in the last seven years, they were substantially better than I expect to experience at Aldershot tonight.

It's a great town, though, I agree.

OK, I exagggerate a little about the facilities. But not much. The bleakest of concrete concourses with minimal concessions to refreshment and toilets. And I know football isn't about the hot dogs - and at QPR I never bother - but last night there were five of us with two small kids and I actually wanted some decent facilities …

We ate packs of pipas that we bought outside, as I recall. It means something rude in Italian, you know.

Problem with everywhere outside was that they were overrun. We had sunflower seeds to be Spanish. Is there a more high-effort low-yield snack anywhere in the world?

I quite like apple pips, which are even more tricky to unpeel but much nicer when you get at the tiny core. Though if you count eating the apple itself as part of the peeling, both effort and yield increase substantially

Only if you eat the apple too, obviously - I just throw that bit away.