Ataturk Olympic Stadium

Ataturk Olympic Stadium, in Turkish Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadi, is the biggest stadium in Turkey. It is named after Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, founder of the Republic of Turkey, and is the main home ground of football side Istanbul BBSK.

Work on Ataturk Olympic Stadium started in 1999. The ground was developed to act as the centrepiece of the 2008 Olympic Games, although the Turkish bid did not win enough backing. Later bids to get the Euro 2012 or 2016 tournaments, for which the ground was supposed to host the final, also failed.

Ataturk Olimpic Stadium was formally inaugurated on 31 July 2002 with a friendly fixture between Galatasaray and Greek side Olympiacos.

In 2005, the ground staged the 2005 UEFA Champions League final, where Liverpool beat AC Milan in a penalty shoot-out after a draw of 3-3 in normal time.

One year later, in 2006, Istanbul BBSK adopted the ground as their permanent base, but relocated again in 2014 to Fatih Terim Stadium.

Earlier throughout the 2003-04 season, Galatasaray had played their home matches at the ground while their own ground underwent refurbishment performed at their Ali Sami Yen stadium. Besiktas also used the ground while their Vodafone Arena was getting rebuilt.

Ataturk Olympic Stadium stands on the northwestern outskirts of Istanbul at more than 20 kilometres from the downtown area. It borders the O-3 motorway.

For several years the ground has been linked to Istanbul's metro network with line M3 bringing you straight to the ground. Olimpiyat station is on line 3 that runs in the north of Istanbul. From most central locations expect at minimum two changes.

Ataturk Olympic Stadium lies well outside central Istanbul in a semi-urban area alongside a motorway. The immediate area offers little, so plan food and drinks in Istanbul's downtown area.

Accommodation options beside the ground are limited, but if you are travelling only for the fixture and have no interest in sightseeing Istanbul, then getting a hotel along the motorway between the airport and the ground might be convenient. Visitors will find a Holiday Inn close to the ground and a Courtyard by Marriott a bit farther away. Taxis will in addition be cheaper and quicker from here than from downtown.

Use the linked guides to browse Atatürk Olimpiyat Stadi as a start to browse for hotels, here for hotels near Istanbul airport, and here for hotels in central Istanbul.