Invitation to Part 2 of Our EURO 2024 Overview
Welcome to the second part of our EURO 2024 overview. Below, we discussed the remaining stadiums and shared some additional top tips on how to make the most of your time away.
If you missed it, be sure to check out Part 1 of the blog.
Frankfurt Stadium
The stadium was a 20-minute S-Bahn ride from the city center and a 25-minute tram ride from the Mainufer fan zone (the northern bank of the main river).
Staying in Frankfurt would have cost around $102 per night. While there, you could visit numerous historical sites, such as Römer. This was where the town hall had stood since 1405 and should have been high on your list of places to visit. In Römer, there were many German restaurants where you could try authentic food in the heart of the old town. Frankfurt had many specialty dishes, such as apple wine or Frankfurter Kranz (butter-cream cake), so you definitely should have sampled some of these local treats.
If you were looking for a place to take iconic pictures, you could have visited the Eiserner Steg footbridge. This iron and concrete bridge was perfect for capturing Frankfurt’s skyline and was sometimes called the “love lock bridge” due to the thousands of locks left by visitors. Alternatively, you could have gone up the Main Tower to see the view from its observation deck, giving you that perfect vacation photo.
Stuttgart Stadium
Stuttgart was known for the phrase “the whole city is an arena,” as the fan zones offered something for everyone.
The games were shown at Schlossplatz, while Marktplatz hosted new activities such as obstacle courses or yoga. Karlsplatz fan zone provided music and relaxation, and Schillerplatz offered various local food and beverage options.
You could stay near the EURO 2024 football village for $97 per night, putting you right in the center of the action. From there, it was a 25-minute bus ride to the stadium. It was important to leave plenty of time on match day, as it was sure to be busy.
A great place to grab some food before the game was at the bars next to the Stuttgart stadium. Most of them showed the pre-match buildup, making them the perfect place to prepare for kick-off. Alternatively, there were several bars just a 15-minute walk from the stadium. They also showed the pre-match buildup and featured football memorabilia, giving them a more authentic feel.
Olympiastadion Berlin
The Olympiastadion Berlin hosted the EURO 2024 final, so if you booked early enough, you would have experienced an incredible atmosphere. Even if you didn’t secure tickets for the final, the nearby fan zone in Reichstag was worth visiting.
You could stay in central Berlin, near the Brandenburg Gate, for $146 per night. You would have been just 40 minutes from the stadium and a 20-minute walk from the fan zone. This placed you close to many tourist sites, such as Berlin Cathedral and the Berlin Wall Memorial. The Berlin Cathedral was easily recognizable because of its magnificent dome and was one of the main attractions in Berlin, often compared to St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. The Berlin Wall Memorial was also a must-see. What had once been a dividing line was now a place of remembrance, marking 35 years since the wall fell.
A good place to catch some EURO highlights while enjoying traditional bar food was near Scheunenviertel, a short 20-minute U-Bahn ride from the Brandenburg Gate. It was important to remember to book a table at these bars in advance, as they were sure to get busy!
Düsseldorf Stadium
You could have stayed in hotels around the stadium in Düsseldorf, but this would have cost around $270 per night. Alternatively, you could have stayed in central Düsseldorf for just $72 per night, just a 27-minute U-Bahn journey from the stadium.
In Düsseldorf, you could have visited Königsallee, a shopping street with restaurants set along a picturesque river. This was right next to the River Rhine, one of Europe’s largest rivers. It was worth visiting, and you could even go on river cruises to make the most of the experience.
The EURO 2024 fan zone in Düsseldorf was held outside the Schauspielhaus (state theatre). This iconic venue made an excellent backdrop for the festivities. Located in the city center, it was easily accessible if you stayed centrally. As the fan zones were free to enter, you could have headed there to see what was happening.
Leipzig Stadium
Finally, Leipzig’s stadium, a popular performance venue, also hosted some of the EURO 2024 games. If you wanted to stay somewhere not quite in the heart of the city, Plagwitz was worth considering. A hotel there would have cost around $112 per night, or you could have stayed in central Leipzig, where hostels started at $51 per night. Hostels typically had dormitory-style accommodations, so you’d need to check what suited your needs best.
The fan zone in Leipzig was located at Augustusplatz, just an 8-minute walk from the city center. The stadium was a 25-minute tram ride away, making everything conveniently compact. There were numerous restaurants and bars nearby, all just a short walk from each other, serving a variety of food and drinks. For example, you could have tried Gose Beer, named after the nearby town of Goslar. It was still brewed in Leipzig today and available in about 100 local bars, so it was definitely worth trying when you visited!
Top Tips for the EURO 2024
At all the stadiums, tickets were digital, so it was worth bringing a small mobile charger in case your battery ran low. As mentioned in Part 1, ticket holders were entitled to a 36-hour travel pass for the train, bus, tram, and metro services in Cologne, Düsseldorf, Dortmund, and Gelsenkirchen areas.
It was also important to remember that all the fan zones were free to enter, so wherever you went, they were worth a visit! This allowed you to enjoy the live football atmosphere without needing to spend money on tickets.
If you were planning a trip to Germany that summer for the EUROs, it was essential to do some research on what you wanted to do during your trip. Whether you wanted to spend your time in the fan zones or at the stadiums, there was something for everyone.