Now with the Euros finished, the footy season will be kicking off fairly soon and normal service shall resume. Fancy a trip to watch some top football abroad? Get planning now. Having already featured Eindhoven, Barcelona and Paris in this blog, this time it’s Frankfurt‘s turn to show what it can offer for fans of the beautiful game.
How do I get in? Aer Lingus fly from Dublin to Frankfurt every day and reasonably priced, while Ryanair fly from Dublin to Hahn. Be careful as Hahn is 120km away from the city despite Ryanair advertising it as Frankfurt Hahn.
What teams can I watch? Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt would be the city’s biggest team. They ply their trade in the world-class Commerzbank Arena. FSV Frankfurt and FCC Frankfurt play in Germany’s 2nd and 3rd tiers respectively. The Bundesliga is one of the few top European leagues that actively have standing terraces in their stadia which creates a unique atmosphere. Standing on a terrace with a pint in hand seems to be a thing of the past in football – not in Germany.
How do I get to the stadiums? You can get to the Commerzbank Arena via car or taxi in just a few short minutes from the city centre. It is also only one stop on the commuter trains from the central station. The easiest way to FSV’s Volksbank Stadion is by Frankfurt’s subway system. The stadium is serviced by the yellow line from right in the heart of the city centre.
How do I get tickets? Now that Eintracht Frankfurt are back in the Bundesliga, games against Bayern Munich or Borussia Dortmund might be a little more difficult, but tickets can be obtained online and printed at home via the club’s website. Tickets could range from €25-€60. FSV Frankfurt’s website also sell tickets for their club’s fixtures and to see them would cost you around €15.
What else is there to do? There are many good bars and restaurants around the central train station. Elsewhere, there is an enormous amount of retail shops around the Zeil district (I counted four – yes four shopping centres located next door to one another when I was there) while there are no shortage of museums and galleries throughout the city on both sides of the river Main.
