Away days: Stoke City

30th November
Club

As the Swans get set to face Stoke City on Saturday, we bring you a fan's guide to the bet365 Stadium to improve your matchday experience.

Stoke City

Address: bet365 Stadium, Stanley Matthews Way, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 4EG

Telephone: 01782 367598 Website: stokecityfc.com

 

WHAT’S IT LIKE? The stadium is high on a hill and looks impressive from a distance, especially at night.

The home fans are renowned for being among the loudest in the Premier League, so there should be a good atmosphere and Swans fans will be in the South Stand.

Excellent facilities are available in the ground with good views of the pitch and beer, lager and cider are sold in the bars, but be wary of wearing club colours around the ground and in the pubs.

 

VISITING STOKE There are 45-minute stadium tours available, but they must be booked two weeks in advance at http://www.stokecityfc.com/stadium-tours. Prices range from £30 for five people or less to £50 for 11 to 20 people.

Alton Towers (ST10 4DB) and the Monkey Forest (ST4 8AY) are closed for the winter, but there is plenty of entertainment at the Victoria Hall (ST1 3AD).

The Darkness are playing there on Friday with tickets costing £31.65, while you can see comedian Rob Brydon take centre stage on Sunday for £29.15.

Potteries Museum and Art Gallery (ST1 3DW) and Shire Hall Gallery (ST16 2LD) also have various exhibitions. See www.visitstoke.co.uk/ for more ideas.

There are several hotels to choose from. The North Stafford Hotel (ST4 2AE) is right outside Stoke-on-Trent train station, while The Plough Motel (ST4 4EN), Kenwood Guest House (ST4 2DP) and the Wheatsheaf Hotel (ST1 4LW) are not far away, along with Victoria on the Square (ST1 4JH) and the Quality Hotel (ST1 5NB).

PUBS AND GRUB There are not many away-fan friendly pubs near the stadium, with the exceptions being the Holiday Inn and the Harvester, where you can also park for £3.

There is a Power League complex (ST4 4TN) close to the stadium with a bar and Sky TV that is suitable for away fans. You can park there for £4.50 and £5 at Longton Rugby Club (ST4 8WG), which is a 20-minute walk away.

Also, the shuttle bus to the stadium stops outside the Terrace Bar (ST4 2BW) near the train station and costs £3 for a return trip.

 

PARKING Finding somewhere to park near the stadium will be quite tricky as you need to book in advance to use the official car park.

However, a mile away, there are 300 parking spaces at Screwfix (ST4 8GR), which costs £4 and gives fans a quicker getaway onto the A50 after the game.

There is also parking available at around £5 at the industrial units on Great Fenton Business Park (ST4 4LZ), which is a 10-minute walk from the ground.

 

TRAIN Stoke-on-Trent railway station is two miles from the stadium and you can travel there by taxi for £7.

Meanwhile, you can also catch the bus from Glebe Street, a five-minute walk from the station, for between £2 and £3.

Stoke is a four-hour train journey from Swansea, leaving at 07:29, 08:29 and 09:29. The returning trains depart at 17:45, 18:44 and 19:44 and arrive back in Swansea at 21:43, 22:44 and 00:03 respectively.