Football in Europe by train

[smoky_bacon]

I am looking for someone interested in travelling by train to see some football matches abroad.
I would like to go from time to time, say once every few months, to see 2-3 good games in one weekend, have some local food and drinks, bit of sightseeing etc. and make a good use of my coupons and FIP facilities.
Places like Belgium, France, Holland or western parts of Germany are quite good for trips like that. Some could even be done on a day return journey.
I have to add that events on the pitch are not the most important for me as I love football for its atmosphere, chanting, rivalries and ultras' displays in stadiums so instead of Juve, Barca, Bayern and other "money factories" I'd rather choose a lower division high tension derby
Anyone here with a similar "hobby"?

 

[johnnychips]

I can't help that much, but I would recommend local derbies - the problem may be getting a ticket though. Rather out of your range, I've watched quite a few Barcelona games against poor teams where the atmosphere has been terrible, with only 30 000 people in a 100 000 seater stadium, but of course getting tickets vs Madrid or Valencia is well nigh impossible.

When interrailing in 1980 we went to a match Servette Geneva (now defunct, I think) vs St Gallen - as far apart from a local derby as is possible in Switzerland. There was fighting, beer cans thrown on the pitch...while everyone was moaning about West Ham and Leeds at the time. I hope you will find things still exciting but less eventful.

 

[Gemz91]

Have you seen the Weekend Football magazine? Plenty of good ideas for "ground hopping" across Europe in that. In theory its something I'd be interested in, depends if I decide to get an England membership again or not though as to whether its something I can actually do.

 

[Capybara]

I've done a fair bit of German football in the last few years. There's plenty in NRW and I did four in a weekend once based in Mönchengladbach quite easily. Aachen is also quite a good base with Dutch and Belgian football nearby. I like to travel alone so am not volunteering (no offence!) but I'm happy to pass on any tips.

 

[smoky_bacon]

Thanks for your input, everyone.

@johnnychips - what you said about Barcelona is exactly the reason why I am not planning to see top teams.

@Gemz - I have seen it and indeed it gives good ideas of interesting places, especially about unknown teams with beautifully located stadiums. When I have some plans in the new season I will let you know.

@Capybara - when you travelled, have you ever managed to do the last games early on Sunday and still be back in London on Sunday evening?

 

[Zamracene749]

I know nowt about football, but I'm told by those that do that St Pauli is unmissable, and that Dortmund and Bremen are good places to enjoy the atmosphere?

 

[anme]

It's a shame you missed this tournament: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/jun/03/world-cup-unrecognized-states-football

Would it be possible to get to Abkhazia by train?

 

[NicholasNCE]

Absolutely, direct trains run from Moscow to Sukhumi daily ( https://reiseauskunft.bahn.de/bin/t...010&station_type=dep&currentReferrer=tp&rt=1& ), a mere 39 hour trip! Though you will need a double entry Russian visa as you cannot exit Abkhazia via Georgia if you entered via Russia...

So theoretically from London it could be done with only 2 changes: Eurostar to Paris then Paris-Moscow express and then Moscow-Sukhumi

 

[Capybara]

@Capybara - when you travelled, have you ever managed to do the last games early on Sunday and still be back in London on Sunday evening?

I've never tried, to be honest. I've always made a long weekend out of it. Though I think it would be pushing it. By early kick-offs I assume you mean the second division ones that start at 13:30? There's only really Fortuna Düsseldorf within any sort of rail travelling range. I think there's a Thalys at about 16:15 which connects to London. That would be just about doable but risky.

 

[61653 HTAFC]

As a teenager my family were holidaying in Malta and we want to see a UEFA Cup (as was) final qualification round tie between Sliema Wanderers and Omonia Nicosia. The atmosphere was surprisingly good despite the ground (Malta National Stadium, Ta'Qali) being less than half full, and the home side being 0-3 down from the first leg in Cyprus. Omonia went on to be humbled by Lazio in the first round, I did wonder what quality the Maltese domestic league was- probably on a par with the Conference North/South I'd guess.

Of course, the closest a train would get you would be Sardinia where you'd then be reliant on ferries and buses!

 

[GarethJohn]

Holland is by far the best. It's little more than an hour from most UK airports. Public transport is excellent & frequent with almost all Cities within easy reach of Amsterdam Airport. Not only does it have a wealth of Clubs within easy travelling distance it's in between Belgium & Germany so you can include them in too. The atmosphere even at the small stadiums is better than the generic copycat ''singing'' you get in most UK grounds. And the football is pretty good to. There are UK only ticket sites for Ajax, Feyenoord & PSV. You can probably buy on the day for smaller clubs unless it's against the big three. Rotterdam is probably the best city for at minimum a double game weekend, with three top clubs and many close by. For the biggest contrast of Club sizes and experiences try a Feyenoord, SBV Excelsior double.

 

[Old Yard Dog]

Ticketing is often the biggest challenge but many foreign clubs have a print at home option. And many of the bigger sides now allow season ticket holders to give up their seats for individual matches, meaning you can often get into sold out fixtures if you book soon enough.

One of the more complicated venues was AS Nancy where I had to pre-order a magnetic entry card. Some Dutch teams require membership cards, particularly for games against the big three. I seem to remember NAC only let me in against Twente as I was an old man with his wife, so obviously not a hooligan.

And I understand that ticketing in Italy is now more difficult and that you need to buy in advance and have your name printed on the ticket. I remember having to queue up at 9.30 am on matchday at Chievo (Verona) with my passport to buy a ticket for a Serie B game with Bologna.

Malta is bad for ground hopping as very grounds are actually used for major games, primarily the national stadium and the Hibernians ground, with many double headers.

But in my experience, the ticket offices are most clubs are very friendly and actually want to sell you tickets. I have bought tickets on the day (or just before) at both Atletico and Real Madrid for lesser fixtures.

 

[wastedlife]

Omonia went on to be humbled by Lazio in the first round, I did wonder what quality the Maltese domestic league was- probably on a par with the Conference North/South I'd guess.

Five years ago, I went to see the Nicosia derby between Apoel (who had just won the league) and Omonia (I think). Apoel won, via a particularly dubious penalty iirc, but it wasn't exactly overflowing with quality and we came away debating the same point about the Cypriot league.

Our conclusion was probably Conference National/League 2 sort of level. Apoel then went on to qualify for the Champions league proper, finish top of their group (beating Porto and Zenit on the way), beat Lyon in the knockout stage and only go out to Real Madrid in the quarters. We had to revise our opinion of Cypriot football.

 

[Groningen]

In the Netherlands:
PSV has its own "railwaystation" directly to the stadium. Only fantrains.
Feyenoord has a real station where the stoppingtrain can stop.
FC Groningen is about 300 meters from Groningen Europapark.
FC Twente is directly next to Enschede Kennispark.
(due to financial troubles they can be still relegated next season)
Ajax is of course Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena.

All other teams have no direct station close by.

 

[GlosRail]

I travelled to Turin in Italy by train last year for the Italy v England game, which was good. It was a tram for the final bit. 6 hour Tgv train from Paris to Turin following the route Top Gear took in one of their races.

I'll also be heading to Lens by train on Thursday for England v Wales but that is a much easier journey (in theory anyway)

 

[alexjames]

One other point about North Rhine Westphalia, if you fancy some German football, is that a match ticket is also a free NRW zonal travel pass for match day through to end of service. Valid on all modes bar ICE trains. Or it is for CL games which is my sole experience in the area. I assume the same rules apply for domestic games but it would be wise to check. And, I suppose, the concession might have been withdrawn since I last ventured there about four years ago. I'd hope not but one cannot be sure without research.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

In the Netherlands:
PSV has its own "railwaystation" directly to the stadium. Only fantrains.
Feyenoord has a real station where the stoppingtrain can stop.
FC Groningen is about 300 meters from Groningen Europapark.
FC Twente is directly next to Enschede Kennispark.
(due to financial troubles they can be still relegated next season)
Ajax is of course Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena.
All other teams have no direct station close by.

I can't comment on any of the others, but I have been to the Amsterdam Bijlmer Arena (for a tour, not a match).

It has it's own dedicated station for away fans, which is used to take them direct from there into the stadium via a bridge. I was told that they use it especially for matches against Feyenoord, because there's a lot of trouble between the two clubs. Ironically, when the Netherlands play there, there's no bother at all!

 

[sheff1]

One other point about North Rhine Westphalia, if you fancy some German football, is that a match ticket is also a free NRW zonal travel pass for match day through to end of service. Valid on all modes bar ICE trains. Or it is for CL games which is my sole experience in the area. I assume the same rules apply for domestic games but it would be wise to check. And, I suppose, the concession might have been withdrawn since I last ventured there about four years ago. I'd hope not but one cannot be sure without research.

For virtually all clubs in the top three divisions in Germany the match ticket acts as a travel ticket for the local Tariff area. Some areas, such as NRW, are huge.

Some limit travel to xx hours before and after the game whereas others allow travel until end of service. If you want to travel before the match you obviously need to get the ticket in advance, but be aware that in some cases Print at Home tickets do not qualify for the free travel (presumably to stop people printing multiple copies).

 

[Capybara]

For virtually all clubs in the top three divisions in Germany the match ticket acts as a travel ticket for the local Tariff area. Some areas, such as NRW, are huge.

Some limit travel to xx hours before and after the game whereas others allow travel until end of service. If you want to travel before the match you obviously need to get the ticket in advance, but be aware that in some cases Print at Home tickets do not qualify for the free travel (presumably to stop people printing multiple copies).

Yes, I agree with that. And you don't always know until you get the print at home ticket whether you get travel or not by which time it's too late. You could enquire, of course, but it depends on how good your German is. Plus, some clubs will only send tickets within Germany otherwise you have to pick it up at the stadium which again is no good if you want travel. I've had tickets sent to me in the UK from Augsburg, Gladbach and Schalke among others.

 

[Groningen]

Between the station Rotterdam Stadion and De Kuip (home of Feyenoord) they have put (what one can say) a tube that cannot be attacked by Feyenoord supporters. Go with Google Maps to: 51.893265, 4.521088 or search for Olympiaweg in Rotterdam.

 

[03_179]

I am looking for someone interested in travelling by train to see some football matches abroad.
I would like to go from time to time, say once every few months, to see 2-3 good games in one weekend, have some local food and drinks, bit of sightseeing etc. and make a good use of my coupons and FIP facilities.
Places like Belgium, France, Holland or western parts of Germany are quite good for trips like that. Some could even be done on a day return journey.
I have to add that events on the pitch are not the most important for me as I love football for its atmosphere, chanting, rivalries and ultras' displays in stadiums so instead of Juve, Barca, Bayern and other "money factories" I'd rather choose a lower division high tension derby
Anyone here with a similar "hobby"?

I seriously doubt I could go but I can recommend Vienna for football.
First Vienna 1894 FC -2nd tier team and friendly (also at Heilengenstadt station (U-Bahn) are steam locos).
Rapid Vienna - at Huttledorf Station (trains out of Westbahnhof), the Ultras at one end produce a good atmosphere.
Austria Vienna - Not seen a game there but it's a tram ride away (cannot remember the station)

There are a number of small club in and around Vienna area including Ostbahn XI (non league team translates into East Railway).

In 1996 SWMBO and I were in Austria for two weeks and travelled around a lot and ended up visiting a lot of grounds, Salzburg, Linz, Graz. Also there is Austria Klagenfurt in a beautiful town.

EDIT:
If you can get a copy of the book "Spirit High, Passion Pure" by Charlie Connelly it gives a lovely insight to football. Also his book "Stamping Grounds" is entertaining on national football.

 

[smoky_bacon]

Long time no see Thanks everyone for your input and some really interesting ideas.

Can anyone advise about the best ticket options for the following journeys:

Friday evening - Cologne to Dusseldorf (or Cologne-Leverkusen-Dusseldorf to drop luggage in the hotel outside Leverkusen Mitte if it can be done quickly enough - have 2 hrs between arrival in Cologne and the kick off in Ddorf) / then Dusseldorf to Leverkusen Mitte about 9-10 pm.

Saturday - Leverkusen Mitte to Duisburg and back.

Sunday morning - Leverkusen to Cologne one way.

I will be using my free coupons and FIP card where I can and if it's a significant saving, but my friend pays public fares.
I can never remember on which services my coupons are valid - is it only on IC, ICE, RE & RB or S-bahn as well (surely not on U-bahn)?

Tips regarding getting tickets quickly are very welcome, we might be in a rush here or there, especially on the Friday

 

[70014IronDuke]

I seriously doubt I could go but I can recommend Vienna for football.
First Vienna 1894 FC -2nd tier team and friendly (also at Heilengenstadt station (U-Bahn) are steam locos).
Rapid Vienna - at Huttledorf Station (trains out of Westbahnhof), the Ultras at one end produce a good atmosphere.
Austria Vienna - Not seen a game there but it's a tram ride away (cannot remember the station)

There are a number of small club in and around Vienna area including Ostbahn XI (non league team translates into East Railway).

In 1996 SWMBO and I were in Austria for two weeks and travelled around a lot and ended up visiting a lot of grounds, Salzburg, Linz, Graz. Also there is Austria Klagenfurt in a beautiful town.

EDIT:
If you can get a copy of the book "Spirit High, Passion Pure" by Charlie Connelly it gives a lovely insight to football. Also his book "Stamping Grounds" is entertaining on national football.

This on-lline guide also praises Vienna's footie history, but says it's rather a shadow of its former self

http://www.liberoguide.com/category/countries/austria+city/

Quite useful for maps and stuff for the European cities it covers too.

 

[iknowyeah]

When I'm going to see City away at BMG, I'm catching Genk vs Rapid Vienna on the way home.

However, what I thought would be a short trip using local trains via Venlo, is in fact a four or five hour journey back into the centre of Belgium to do an approximately 50 mile trip

 

[30907]

Long time no see Thanks everyone for your input and some really interesting ideas.

Can anyone advise about the best ticket options for the following journeys:

Friday evening - Cologne to Dusseldorf (or Cologne-Leverkusen-Dusseldorf to drop luggage in the hotel outside Leverkusen Mitte if it can be done quickly enough - have 2 hrs between arrival in Cologne and the kick off in Ddorf) / then Dusseldorf to Leverkusen Mitte about 9-10 pm.

Saturday - Leverkusen Mitte to Duisburg and back.

Sunday morning - Leverkusen to Cologne one way.

I will be using my free coupons and FIP card where I can and if it's a significant saving, but my friend pays public fares.
I can never remember on which services my coupons are valid - is it only on IC, ICE, RE & RB or S-bahn as well (surely not on U-bahn)?

Tips regarding getting tickets quickly are very welcome, we might be in a rush here or there, especially on the Friday

Without checking, I doubt if there's anything cheaper than the standard local fare. As a general rule, day tickets in German PTAs cost 2-3 times the single. And I also doubt they take credit cards at the machines. However, you might find that your match ticket covers you - see upthread a bit.

http://www.vrr.de/en/index.html and/or https://www.vrsinfo.de/englisch/the-vrs/vrs-about-us.html
should help - you are travelling across two tariff areas, but IIRC there is sufficient overlap.