Four legendary clay-court tournaments, four wonderful European cities. Here's everything you need to plan your trip from the UK.
| Tournament | Level | Dates 2026/27 | Location | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barcelona Open | ATP 500 | Apr 11–19, 2026 | Barcelona, Spain | ✅ On sale |
| Mutua Madrid Open | Masters 1000 | Apr 20–May 3, 2026 | Madrid, Spain | ✅ On sale |
| Italian Open (Rome) | Masters 1000 | May 6–17, 2026 | Rome, Italy | ✅ On sale |
| Roland Garros | Grand Slam | May 24–Jun 7, 2026 | Paris, France | ✅ On sale |
- 01For Roland Garros, register for the public draw in December – lottery results come in late January/February. Don't skip this step even if you plan to buy from a reseller later.
- 02Barcelona and Madrid tickets are sold directly through official websites with no lottery. Book early – prices use dynamic pricing and rise with demand.
- 03Rome's official ticketing site (ticketing.internazionalibnlditalia.com) is straightforward. Central Court tickets are expensive, but Grounds passes give great value and access to dozens of matches.
- 04Avoid unofficial resellers and ticket touts for all events. Roland Garros especially warns of widespread scams – always use official channels or named authorized resellers.
- 05Consider combining two tournaments into one trip – Barcelona and Madrid follow each other closely (and Barcelona finishes just 1 day before Madrid begins in 2026).
Roland Garros
Paris, France
| Session / Court | Early Rounds | QF / SF | Finals |
|---|---|---|---|
| Outside Courts (ground pass) | From ~€179–199 | — | — |
| Simonne Mathieu (Cat. seats) | From ~€200 | Higher | — |
| Philippe Chatrier – Day | From ~€300–350 | ~€400–550 | ~€1,190+ |
| Philippe Chatrier – Night session | From ~€300 | Higher | — |
| Suzanne Lenglen – Day | From ~€250 | — | — |
| Hotel + Ticket packages (RG Travel) | From €330/person (2nd round) | From €2,000 | |
All prices approximate; secondary market tickets typically run 15–30% higher. Men's Final top category listed from €1,190 on resale.
Step 1 – The Public Draw (most important): Each December (registration opens around Dec 3–17), register for the public lottery at tickets.rolandgarros.com. This gives you a chance to buy tickets at face value. Lottery results are announced in late January; if selected, you purchase in February.
Step 2 – Open sale (from late March): From 31 March, tickets for the Opening Week (qualifying, May 18–22) and outer courts in week two go on general sale – no lottery needed.
Step 3 – Authorized resellers: If you miss the lottery, reputable resellers like GoalTickets or TennisTicketService sell verified tickets. Expect to pay a premium. Tickets are delivered via the official Roland-Garros mobile app (typically 4 weeks before the event).
Step 4 – Official resale platform: The FFT runs an official peer-to-peer resale market, which opens in April–May at face value.
Note: All tickets are fully personalised (name + date of birth required). 100% mobile – you must use the Roland-Garros app.
Italian Open
Rome, Italy
| Ticket Type | Early Rounds | Later Rounds / Final |
|---|---|---|
| Ground pass (outer courts) | From ~€15–30 | ~€30–50 |
| Grand Stand Arena | From ~€40–70 | Higher |
| Central Court – Day session | From ~€80–150 | €300–400+ (day); €1,074 finals |
| Central Court – Night session | From ~€70–157 | Higher |
| Season tickets (all sessions) | Available for Centrale & Grand Stand Arena | |
Central Court pricing has attracted criticism for being expensive (finals over €1,000). Grounds passes are excellent value and you still see world-class players on outer courts in early rounds.
Official site: ticketing.internazionalibnlditalia.com is the sole official channel. No lottery – first-come, first-served. Tickets are not personalised (they're bearer tickets, so they can be transferred).
Session structure: Central Court tickets are sold per session (day or evening). Grand Stand Arena and Grounds tickets cover all matches on that court/ground for the full day. Season tickets for the whole event are also available.
On the day: There is no re-entry allowed once you leave. Night session Central Court tickets do not grant daytime access – buy a Ground ticket too if you want to watch afternoon matches before your evening session.
Getting there from the city: Buses 32, 280, 628 stop at Foro Italico. Tram Line 2 from Flaminio (Metro A) to Piazza Mancini is convenient. Trenitalia runs a shuttle from Roma Termini during the tournament.
Mutua Madrid Open
Madrid, Spain
| Ticket Type | Early Rounds | Finals |
|---|---|---|
| Manolo Santana – Day session | From ~€30–60 | From ~€150–500+ |
| Manolo Santana – Night session | From ~€25–50 | Higher |
| Weekend / Multi-day passes | Available on official site | |
| Platinum Seats (exclusive zone) | Premium pricing | |
| VIP courtside (resale) | Up to ~€1,300+ (resale) | |
A €2 service and administration fee applies to all tickets regardless of channel. Final tickets on secondary market start at approximately €500.
Official site: mutuamadridopen.com is the primary channel. Tickets also available at the Caja Mágica box office from 6 April 2026 onwards. Payment by card online; cash and card at box office.
No lottery: Straightforward first-come, first-served purchase. Tickets are sold per session (day OR night). If you want both a daytime and evening session for the same court on the same day, you must buy two separate tickets.
No personalisation: Tickets are not named, so you can pass them to someone else if your plans change. No re-entry once you leave the venue.
Important: You cannot know in advance which specific players will be playing on a given day, as the draw is a knockout format and order of play is only announced the night before.
Getting there: The Caja Mágica is easily accessible by metro (it has its own stop on Line 12, or nearby stops on other lines) – Madrid's metro is excellent and affordable.
Barcelona Open Banc Sabadell
Barcelona, Spain
| Category | Early Rounds | QF / SF / Final |
|---|---|---|
| Premium (rows closest to court) | Highest category | Higher |
| Category 1 (lower bowl) | From ~€80–120 | Higher |
| Category 2 (mid-level) | From ~€50–80 | Higher |
| Category 3 / 4 (upper) | From ~€30–50 | Higher |
| Thursday evening session | Separate evening ticket (new for 2026) | |
Barcelona uses dynamic pricing – buy early for the best rates, as prices increase as availability drops. US resellers list early-round tickets from ~$195.
Official site only: barcelonaopenbancsabadell.com is the ONLY official channel for general tickets. The tournament strongly warns against third-party sites, which often have counterfeit or duplicate tickets.
New 2026 ticket structure: Multiple price categories introduced (Premium through Cat. 4). Thursday now has two separate sessions – day and evening – with their own tickets.
Getting there: Close to central Barcelona – Metro Line 3 (María Cristina), Tram Line (Pius XII), or several bus routes. Very walkable from uptown Barcelona.
Customer service: +34 935 59 59 59, Mon–Fri 10:00–22:00.
All four destinations have excellent direct connections from London. Here's how to get to each.
| Destination | Best Method | Journey Time | Approx. Return Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | Eurostar | 2h 16m (door-to-door ~3h) | £80–150 |
| Rome | Flight | ~2h 35m flying | £80–200 |
| Madrid | Flight | ~2h 27m flying | £80–200 |
| Barcelona | Flight | ~2h 14m flying | £70–180 |
A side-by-side comparison of all four tournaments to help you decide.
| Factor | Roland Garros 🇫🇷 | Italian Open 🇮🇹 | Madrid 🇪🇸 | Barcelona 🇪🇸 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tournament level | Grand Slam | Masters 1000 | Masters 1000 | ATP 500 |
| Entry-level ticket | ~€179 (outer courts) | ~€15–30 (grounds) | ~€30–60 (day session) | ~€30–50 (upper tier) |
| Finals ticket | €1,190–2,000+ | €1,074 | €150–500+ | €80–200+ |
| Ticket buying | Lottery (Dec) + resellers | Official site, direct | Official site, direct | Official site only |
| Ticket difficulty | ★★★★★ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★★☆☆ | ★★☆☆☆ |
| Personalised tickets | Yes (name + DOB) | No (bearer) | No (bearer) | No |
| From London | Eurostar 2h16m | Flight ~2h35m | Flight ~2h27m | Flight ~2h14m |
| Travel cost return | £80–150 | £80–200 | £80–200 | £70–180 |
| Best for | Ultimate prestige; the pinnacle of clay tennis | Atmosphere, Roman setting, value grounds pass | Big city, combined ATP + WTA, modern venue | Easiest trip; beautiful city; intimate club feel |
| Watch out for | Lottery complexity; scam sites; very expensive finals | Expensive Central Court; confusing session rules | Can't choose specific players; no re-entry | Dynamic pricing rises fast; officials site only |
- 🎾First-time clay trip / easiest option: Barcelona. Tickets are simple to buy, the city is wonderful, and the intimate club venue gives you brilliant access to world-class players. Combine with Madrid for a great Spain doubles trip.
- 🏆Best atmosphere and prestige: Roland Garros. There's nothing quite like the French Open on clay – but start the lottery registration process in December and be patient.
- 💶Best value for money: Rome or Madrid. A grounds pass in Rome gives you access to loads of matches with the Foro Italico as a backdrop. Madrid's early-round day tickets are accessible and you get to enjoy one of Europe's greatest cities.
- ✈️Best combined trip: Barcelona + Madrid. They sit back-to-back in the calendar (Barcelona ends April 19, Madrid starts April 20 in 2026). Fly into Barcelona, take the AVE high-speed train to Madrid, fly home.