The draw for Euro 2024 takes place on Saturday, December 2, in Hamburg and tickets will go on sale on the same day. The best way to purchase them is via the official website (uefa.com) for the 21 teams who have qualified. The third, and final, ticket sale will take place during March and April 2024. Note that host venues for the Euro 2024 championships are widely spread, not just in the likes of Berlin and Munich, but in Leipzig and Gelsenkirchen too. And a word of warning: German stadiums sell naming rights — the Allianz Arena in Munich, the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig — but for UEFA competitions, the former becomes merely Munich Football Arena, and the latter simply the Leipzig Stadium; it’s worth knowing both names when asking for directions.
Main photo: the Olympiastadion in Westend, Berlin (Alamy)
Where are the Euro 2024 host cities?
1. Berlin
The capital’s historic Olympiastadion (group-stage matches, quarter-final and final) is the biggest of the Euro 2024 venues, out in the leafy west of the city. It was originally built for the 1936 Olympics, to showcase the Third Reich, but has since been extensively remodelled for football, recently hosting both World Cup and Champions League finals.
As for Berlin itself, this hugely popular city — with the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building — has a freewheeling, alternative-thinking mindset that is quite un-Germanic. Visitors will inevitably gravitate towards the remains of the Berlin Wall, particularly Checkpoint Charlie and the graffiti art of the East Side Gallery.
Where to stay: A distinctive hotel that is both big and stylish is the Amano Grand Central, close to the main station and with direct S-bahn connections to the stadium. Amano interiors are all velvets and chrome, and there’s a fab rooftop grill. There are several Amanos in town, so if this one is full, try another.
2. Cologne
The medium-sized Cologne Stadium (group-stage matches and last 16) was reconstructed for the 2006 World Cup. A rectangle of concrete and glass, anchored at each corner by four red-and-white towers (the colours of FC Cologne), it sits west of the city in Müngersdorf, and also hosts big concerts.
Cologne itself is a friendly, unconventional place. Aside from its soaring, sculpture-encrusted cathedral, downtown is mainly low-rise blocks from the Sixties and Seventies. In the evening, the social scene moves to the bank of the Rhine, where the Altstadt’s cobbles give a sense of the pre-war city. Look out for traditional inns like Peters Bräuhaus, which brew their own straw-coloured kölsch beer. Of all the German venues, Cologne is the most easily reachable by train from the UK, via Eurostar and Brussels.
Where to stay: Cologne’s art’otel is a newbuild in a great location on the riverside, overlooking the regenerated Rheinauhafen river port and within walking distance of the restaurant-rich riverside Altstadt. You can reach the stadium via a 20-minute tram; the stop is a six-minute walk away.
3. Munich
The Munich Football Arena looks like a grounded zeppelin with the top sliced off, and has a skin that changes colour depending on who is playing. For Euro 2024 that means the group-stage matches, the last 16, plus a semi-final. It’s the homeground of Bayern Munich (and Harry Kane) and sits out in the northern suburbs between the city centre and the airport.
Munich itself regularly tops the list of most liveable cities in Germany. Its southern location means it both basks in summer sun and has easy access to the snowy Alps. Traffic-free squares, pavement cafés and Italianate architecture give it a touch of the dolce vita, although fans may prefer its multiple beer gardens and celebrated beer halls such as the Hofbräuhaus.
Where to stay: The Ruby Lilly, close to the main station, is a designer hotel with an ironic 1980s twist to its interiors, but without a big price tag attached. It’s a 12-minute taxi to the arena and there’s a 24-hour bar for celebrations, and a neat roof terrace with views across town.
4. Frankfurt
The Frankfurt Arena (group-stage matches and the last 16) has been a mainstay in German sport since 1925, hosting the opening ceremony of the 1974 World Cup. It is the focal point of a sporting oasis set in the middle of a surprisingly green belt of parkland and woodland that runs south of the Main river, mid-way between the airport and downtown.
The arena has its own railway station, from where it is just a couple of stops to Sachsenhausen, the working-class district that is the focus of lively nightlife thanks to its unique apple-wine bars. From Sachsenhausen, downtown Frankfurt — with all its shopping and eating — is a short walk across the river. The other key focus for lively after-dark entertainment is around the main station, also the location of several decent and competitively priced hotels.
Where to stay: Stay central at the Hamburger Hof, opposite Frankfurt train station and a 25-minute walk from the Frankfurt Arena. It’s got a great, buzzy bar where you can soak up the atmosphere after matches.
5. Hamburg
When it was originally built in 1953, the Volksparkstadion was comprised of war-reclaimed materials. It was recently reconstructed to look like a giant marquee, and for Euro 2024 will host group-stage matches and a quarter-final. Handily located on the edge of the urban Volkspark in the northwestern district of Altona, the stadium is home to Hamburger SV and currently also Ukrainian club Shakhtar Donetsk.
It is not the only piece of post-war transformation this maritime city has witnessed. The former docklands have been reborn, with the magnificent Elbphilharmonie concert hall, topped with glass waves, leading the way. Meanwhile, the Reeperbahn, the infamous street where the merchant navy used to do its R&R, is well adapted to entertaining football fans.
Where to stay: The area around the railway station provides a wide range of hotels, and the modern, sophisticated 290-room Moxy Hamburg City is close enough to the station for convenience but not disruption. For fans, the Moxy’s 24/7 pick-ups offer sandwiches and wine at any hour, any time of day.
6. Dortmund
One of the largest arenas at Euro 2024, BVB Stadion Dortmund will host group-stage and last-16 matches, plus a semi-final. Set among trade fair halls south of the centre, its famous “Yellow Wall” stand (the colour of Borussia Dortmund) can take 25,000 home fans all at once, an intimidating force when in full cry.
Dortmund is in the Ruhr industrial region, where football is almost a religion, and it is home to the Germany Football Museum. Walking distance from the museum is the landmark U Tower, once part of a brewery and now a thriving arts centre. And if you’re interested in industrial heritage, there’s the spectacular Skywalk through the tangle of steel at Dortmund’s former ironworks. The congress hall hinterland by the Dortmund stadium has several accommodation options.
Where to stay: One of your best bets for availability will be the big Radisson Blu. It’s got a swimming pool, sauna and fitness centre and you can picnic post-matches in the adjoining Westfalenpark.
7. Leipzig
Back when it was the Zentralstadion, this was the biggest stadium in East Germany, but reunification put paid to that. Eventually reconstructed as the Leipzig Stadium, looking like a cross between a circus tent and a turtle, it was the first venue in the former east to host international games, and for Euro 2024 that means group-stage matches and the last 16. Located on a riverbank walking distance west of downtown, RB Leipzig’s home also features a state-of-the-art roof for superior acoustics, making it a popular venue for concerts.
Leipzig itself, whose popular Peaceful Revolution was integral in the demise of communism in 1989, is emerging from Berlin’s shadow as an alternative centre for arts and music. Its hipster Plagwitz district is the home of shopping, although it still has a traditional market square with a beautiful Renaissance-era old town hall.
Where to stay: INNSiDE by Melia Leipzig is well placed on the stadium side of the city centre, by the gothic St Thomas’s Church, where JS Bach was once the director of music. The hotel is elegantly neoclassical on the outside, but modern on the inside, and it has Leipzig’s most charismatic rooftop terrace.
8. Gelsenkirchen
Probably the least known of all the venues — apart from when Wayne Rooney was sent off here in the 2006 World Cup — Gelsenkirchen’s state-of-the-art Arena AufSchalke makes up for that obscurity by having a retractable roof and a slide-out pitch. From the outside, FC Schalke’s home looks a bit like an airport terminal, and it will be hosting group-stage and last-16 fixtures for Euro 2024.
The stadium is situated in a central location in Gelsenkirchen, which like Dortmund is part of the football-mad Ruhr industrial region. Also like Dortmund, that means its attractions are unconventional, for example the Nordsternpark, a leisure park created around a former coal mine, and the Stairway to Heaven, a sculpture on top of a giant slag heap. Although it officially belongs to Essen, the Zeche Zollverein Unesco site is another conversion of a coal mine close to Gelsenkirchen.
Where to stay: You’ll get a good night’s sleep at Heiner’s Parkhotel on the edge of Nordsternpark. It’s in one of the quietest corners of the city and is also, handily, just a ten-minute taxi ride away from the centre where the stadium is located.
9. Stuttgart
Once known as the Neckarstadion, the Stuttgart Arena sits across the Neckar river east of the city centre, right next to the Mercedes-Benz museum, with the Neckar vineyards within hailing distance. This swirl of a stadium with a tent-like roof is home to VfB Stuttgart, and will host a quarter-final as well as group-stage matches for Euro 2024.
Like many cities, Stuttgart was heavily bombed in the Second World War, but some of its pre-war pomp is still visible in Schlossplatz, where new and old palaces gather around a square often busy with live music. Also here is Königstrasse, Stuttgart’s pedestrianised shopping street, whose outlets include Breuninger, Stuttgart’s equivalent of Harrods. The motorcar was invented in this city, by Karl Benz, and Porsche has a big installation here too, not far from Mercedes.
Where to stay: The Hilton Garden Inn Stuttgart NeckarPark is the obvious hotel choice for fans. Not only is it right across from the stadium, it is also walking distance to Mercedes and Porsche. It also has Mike’s Urban Pub, which should make Brits feel at home.
10. Düsseldorf
The Düsseldorf Arena was built 20 years ago on the site of the old Rheinstadion, on the bank of the Rhine, where it will be hosting group-stage and last-16 fixtures for Euro 2024. It’s a boxy-looking building that, beside having a retractable roof, is actually heated, so it has hosted a wide variety of events, including the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest.
The arena’s hinterland is mostly trade fair halls — big business in a city where a lot of the Ruhr’s manufacturing is headquartered. That also means ostentatious architecture, particularly in the new downtown Kö-Bogen shopping centre, and the ostentatious designer boutiques along the Königsallee. Fans will prefer the Altstadt, closer to the river: 260 pubs, restaurants and bars squeezed into a couple of blocks, many of which serve local Alt-bier, akin to traditional British ale.
Where to stay: Friendly, trendy, inexpensive Hotel Me And All is in the heart of Düsseldorf’s Little Tokyo and is an 18-minute walk to the stadium. It’s surrounded by Asian food outlets and a stone’s throw from downtown. A great breakfast is served right up on the 11th floor, and they’ll loan you bikes for free so you can explore.
When is Euro 2024?
The tournament runs from June 14 to July 14, 2024.
Can I still get tickets?
The initial ticket portal closed in late October, but when the group-stage fixtures are known, following the December 2 draw, a new sales window will open. There will also be further opportunities later in 2024. Visit uefa.com for details.
How much do tickets cost?
That varies enormously, from €30 (£26) for a cheap seat in a group-stage match, to €1,000 (£871) for one of the best seats in the final.
How should I get around Germany?
Ideally, by train. The Deutschland Ticket is ideal for stadium-hopping. It grants unlimited travel for a month for €49 (£43), on all services excluding inter-city expresses. See int.bahn.de for more.
Take me there
Inspired to visit Germany for Euro 2024 but yet to book your trip? Here are the best places to stay from Airbnb and Expedia.
