The UEFA Euro football competition is one of the biggest in the European sporting calendar. If you try to travel in Europe for these games, whether you are traveling to a game or not, you need to know how best to move around the host cities successfully. Here are some of the things you should know about travelling during the Euros.
When Will the Matches Be?
You need to make sure that you know when the matches are taking place. Checking out a site like William Hill or other betting websites will give you the info on when the matches will be played; you can even check out the odds if you are so inclined.
The matches are going to take place at certain stadiums so you might want to try to avoid the neighbourhoods around them in the run-up to the matches. It can be a good idea to try to find out where the football fans are going to congregate too. Certain teams are going to have bars or areas where they arrange to meet up to get into the mood of the games. If you want to stay out of their way, you should try to find out where they are so you can try to go in the opposite direction.
Remember – you are still likely to bump into fans! These are big national teams, and the Euros attract a lot of interest. Even if you try to grab some lunch in what you think is an out-of-the-way restaurant, they might still have a match showing the game!
Don’t Travel the Day Before or the Day After
This one might be a little difficult depending on your schedule, but you should try to avoid travelling on the day before or the day after a major match. All that will happen then is that you are going to be swept up in a massive wave of supporters either coming in or leaving with you. No matter whether you are flying, taking a train, or getting on a bus, you can expect things to be incredibly busy.
If your plans don’t quite match up with the ideal travel schedule, take it as an opportunity to explore the city a little more. Who knows what you might discover!
Head Off the Beaten Path
If you are determined to get away from the revelry of the football fans, it might be worth looking up some of the best quiet spots in the city where you are visiting. Whether it is the perfect boutique hotel you can rest in, a café where you can stop with a good book, or even just a quiet park, there will be a corner somewhere that you can go.
This is also a fantastic opportunity to get to know the city as a local. There will be plenty of chances for you to get around the more touristy areas when things have died down a little. Instead, you can take this as a chance to get to know the city on a more intimate level, and you might fall in love with it even more.
Just because football is in town doesn’t mean that you can’t have a great city break! Being able to see the football fans revel in their country’s performance is always amazing to see. Europeans really love football, and this is a chance for you to see exactly why. Make sure that you check out the match as it plays out – even if you are just sitting in your own hotel room watching it on your own! This is football at its finest!
