Planning a Football Trip to Dortmund? Here’s What You Need to Know
Whether you’re football mad or not, seeing a live Bundesliga match needs to be on your bucket list. There’s a real draw to the German league, as it’s famed for producing young new talent and is widely known across Europe as being all about the fans. This is a stark difference from the cash cow that is the Premier League, but we won’t go there.
So if you’re into your football, you probably know of Borussia Dortmund. Not quite as famous as their Munich counterparts, Bayern Munich, Dortmund have a reputation around the world for having the best fans and biggest crowds in the whole of club football.
We’re here to focus on the travel and logistics of planning a football trip to Dortmund to attend a match, something we’ve done a few times. There’s so much more to the city than just Signal Iduna Park and we’ll also share these highlights in this post.
Booking Dortmund Flights… We’re going DIY
There are football trip firms promising to take care of everything for you and will sell you the dream about how much easier this is. The reality is that you’ll end up paying more than twice the cost for something that is really simple to do yourself.
So firstly we’re booking flights. Dortmund has its own airport, which is the best option to take. That said, it’s not very widely serviced from the UK, and your options will be very limited. We opted for the direct flight from Luton on Easyjet – it took 1hr 15 and cost £50 return in April. These costs will, of course, depend on time of the year, popularity of the match you’re flying out for and other factors.
Your other options are Dusseldorf Airport (64km away) or Cologne (79km away), both of which are the closest to Dortmund and will have more flight options available to you. Just remember that if you go down this route, you will need to book transfers or price up the cost of cabs or car hire.
Buying Bundesliga Tickets
Buying tickets to a German football game is much easier than doing so for the popular UK leagues. They are more readily available and also more affordable, and you can buy directly from the club itself.
In regards to planning a football trip to Dortmund specifically, your tickets can be purchased from their official ticket shop. The team draw in huge crowds, though, so you will need to be fast.
There is also the option of using a reseller, and we have done this before when we’ve been desperate to see a particular game, but it should be a last resort. Don’t line the pockets of ticket touts unless you absolutely have to.
Where to Stay in Dortmund
If you’re visiting for the football, don’t make the mistake of thinking you need to stay right next to Signal Iduna Park (Westfalenstadion). There isn’t a lot going on immediately around the stadium, and Dortmund is a small place.
We recommend focusing your hotel search around the area of Dortmund Central Train Station. It’s a beautiful area with plenty of bars and restaurants within a 10-minute walk and is also where the German Football Museum is located (which is a must-see!).
On match day this area is absolutely packed with fans, and the buzz of the city can really be felt before you head to the stadium. So when it comes to picking your Dortmund hotel, make your search radius within a short distance of the train station and you won’t be far from the action.
Watching a Live Bundesliga Game – One Hell of an Experience
For a football fan, watching a game in Germany is an absolute must. If you think England is football mad, you’ve not experienced anything like the famous Yellow Wall of Signal Iduna Park.
The city of Dortmund is a great short-stay location for a game – the likes of Munich would make for a longer and more action-packed city break, but here’s something unique and intimate about choosing a less obvious team to watch.