Are you heading to Germany for Euro 2024? If so, you’ll be aware of each of the 10 host cities, from the country’s capital, Berlin, to Düsseldorf and Leipzig. But one thing’s for sure: it will be the ultimate summer football fiesta.
But where is the best city for the ultimate Euro experience?
Here at SeatPick, to determine which German city is the best, we analysed a range of different factors, including accommodation options, transport accessibility, the number of pubs, and the average cost of beer. Based on this, we created our very own Euros Experience Index, awarding each host city a possible score out of 10. Let’s find out which city comes out on top.
The Results
1. Berlin, Olympiastadion: 8.28/10
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Germany’s capital, Berlin, comes out top for the ultimate Euros experience, scoring 8.28 out of 10. The city, which will host the tournament’s final, excels in a number of categories we analysed.
Not only is the city home to 514 hotels within a 20km radius of the Olympiastadion, ideal for hosting the more than 2.5 million visitors expected to visit the city for the Euros, but it also boasts an extensive public transport network. The city has 14,454 transport points, with 54 of these within 20km of the stadium, considerably more than any other German city. In fact, Berlin has 57% more transport ports than Hamburg in second place.
Berlin also has the most pubs, with a staggering 1,991 pubs in the city—1,256 more than Hamburg. So, whether you’re after a cosy pub for a quiet pint or a vast bierhalle with a booming atmosphere, the capital has you covered.
To cap it off, Berlin also has the highest number of leisure parks of all host cities, with 5,203, which is ideal for a pre-match kickabout or to soak up the sun before game day.
Taking all of this into account, it’s no surprise it’s among our top 10 best stadiums to visit in 2024.
2. Hamburg, Volksparkstadion: 8.04/10
Hamburg is ranked as the second best city in Germany to experience the 2024 Euros, with a score of 8.04 out of 10 in our Euros Experience Index. The city hosts four group stage matches as well as a quarter-final clash at the Volksparkstadion, so it is all in on the action!
One of the main reasons Hamburg ranks among the top rankings for the ultimate Euros experience is its vibrant pub scene, which provides footie fans with 735 locations to grab a pint. What’s more, the average price of a beer here is among the cheapest of all the Euro host cities, at around €4.30—a stark contrast to Stuttgart, where you’ll find the most expensive (€5.20).
Hamburg also performs strongly for its transport points. The city has 9,167 public transport points, of which 65 are within a 2km radius of the stadium, meaning fans can travel to and around the stadium with ease. The city also has a range of hotels for fans to choose from, with 317 hotels available within a 20km radius of the stadium.
An interesting fact about Hamburg is that its rivers and canals are crossed by around 2,500 bridges, more than in any other European city! So definitely make sure this city is on your visit list.
3. Leipzig, Red Bull Arena: 7.68/10
Leipzig is in third place in our Euros Experience Index, scoring 7.68 out of 10, and is a real hidden gem for football enthusiasts. Over the years, the Red Bull Arena has been handed some tantalising ties, including Netherlands vs France, Croatia vs Italy, and Portugal vs Czech Republic. Perhaps one of the Round of 16 matches, which the stadium will host, will also be added to this list?
The city has 324 hotels within a 20km radius of the Red Bull Arena, which cost an average of €148 per night—13% cheaper per night than hotels in first-place Berlin (€170). There are also 287 pubs within the city which, although less than Berlin and Hamburg, the average price of a beer is similar at €4.40, which is among the cheapest of all host cities.
If you fancy a kickaround between matches, Leipzig has 4,612 leisure grounds across the city. These are easily accessible thanks to the city’s decent transport links, with 54 transport points within 20km of the stadium, making travelling super smooth sailing for visiting fans.
Read our comprehensive guide on how to buy Euro 2024 tickets.
4. Munich, Allianz Arena: 7.54/10
Fourth in our Euros Experience Index is Munich, scoring 7.54 out of 10. Allianz Arena is set to make history in 2024 as the first stadium to host fixtures in consecutive Euros after holding three of Germany’s group stage matches in 2022. In 2024, Munich’s largest stadium has been gifted four group stage matches, including the opening game of the tournament, a last-16 tie, and a semi-final.
The city itself has 667 pubs, the third highest number of pubs among all host cities analysed, behind Berlin and Hamburg in first and second place, respectively. In these establishments, the average price of a beer will set you back €4.40, which is just under the average cost when taking into account the average price in all host cities (€4.59).
If you’re looking to stay in the city, there are 309 hotels to choose from, which will cost around €445 for three nights—or around €148 for one night. When considering public transport options, there are plenty of points available with 3,813 overall. Fans will find this helpful to navigate the city and visit one of the 1,500 leisure grounds to let off some steam between games. However, transport points within 2km of the stadium are considerably less, at just 34, the second lowest.
5. Stuttgart, Mercedes-Benz Arena: 7.04/10
In fifth place in our Euros Experience Index is Stuttgart, with a score of 7.04 out of 10. The city’s host stadium, Mercedes-Benz Arena, has been granted four group stage fixtures as well as a quarter-final clash, so it will naturally be a popular city for visiting fans.
When it comes to the number of pubs in the city, Stuttgart has a respectable 410 pubs on offer. However, the average price of a beer is the most expensive here, costing an eye-watering €5.20 (compared to the host city average of €4.59).
Although Stuttgart doesn’t have as many public transport points located across the city (2,563) compared to other cities like Berlin and Hamburg, it has the most within 2km of the host stadium (70). By comparison, Dortmund has the second most public transport points within a 2km radius of their host stadium (66).
6. Dortmund, Signal Iduna Park: 6.99/10
According to our analysis, Dortmund offers the sixth best Euros experience, scoring 6.99 out of 10 in our index. The host stadium Signal Iduna Park, home of Borussia Dortmund, is well-known for its iconic ‘Yellow Wall’ stand and ferocious atmosphere. The stadium is set to host four group stage games at the Euro 2024 tournament, as well as a last-16 tie, and a semi-final.
As a proudly working-class city, it should be no surprise that Dortmund offers the cheapest hotel prices out of all 10 host cities. Of the 73 hotels located within 20km of the host stadium, the average cost of a three-night stay is €186—around 62% less than Berlin and 67% less than Frankfurt.
Despite being cheaper for accommodation, it’s a different story for beer. The average price of a beer in Dortmund is among the most expensive, costing around €4.90—almost a euro more expensive than the cheapest found in Gelsenkirchen (€4.20).
Dortmund also has good public transport links across the city. Its tally of 3,860 is the third best across Germany, beaten only by Berlin and Hamburg. Public transport is also great near Signal Iduna Park, with 66 transport points located within 2km of the stadium, making getting around stress-free.
Read more about the stadium’s being used in the Euro 2024 tournament.
7. Cologne, Rheine Energie Arena: 6.82/10
With a score of 6.82 out of 10, Cologne is seventh in our Euros Experience Index. Cologne’s RheineEnergie Arena will host four group stage games and a Round of 16 tie. Among the matches Cologne will host are England vs Slovenia, and Scotland vs Switzerland.
One of Cologne’s big draws is that it boasts 618 pubs, which is the fourth highest of all host cities analysed. However, fans must be poised to pay €4.90 for a beer, on average, which is among the most expensive.
Booking a hotel in close to the stadium is tricky in this city thanks to just 114 hotels located within 20km of the stadium—400 less than Berlin with the most (514). Of these hotels, the average cost of a three-night stay will set fans back by around €446.
However, fans visiting the city on matchday will be pleased to hear that the city has 3,430 public transport points across the city, with 61 of these within 2km of the Rheine Energie Arena, so if fans are staying further away from the stadium or in a different city, they won’t have problems travelling to and from a match.
8. Gelsenkirchen, Veltins Arena: 6.61/10
Gelsenkirchen, a German city rich in footballing heritage, ranks in eighth place in our Euros Experience Index with a score of 6.61 out of 10. The Veltins Arena has vast experience in hosting tournaments, including World Cup fixtures, remains one of the most impressive stadiums in Germany more than two decades after it was built.
In terms of the experience for football fans travelling to the city, Gelsenkirchen is not the most captivating destination. It is home to just 38 pubs, which is just over a fifth of the number Dortmund has. In addition to this, no other host city has such a low number of public transport points, with just 1,633 versus Berlin’s 14,454 (a difference of 12,821).
If it weren’t for the city’s advantageous food and drink prices, Gelsenkirchen would likely rank lower in our index. The city’s average beer price is the cheapest of all host cities, costing €4.20 (€1 cheaper than Stuttgart’s €5.20) and so is the average price of a sausage, costing just €2.90 (€1.60 cheaper than Düsseldorf’s €4.50).
9. Düsseldorf, Merkur Spiel-Park: 5.95/10
Düsseldorf is in ninth place in our Euros Experience Index, with a score of 5.95 out of 10. The city’s host stadium, Merkur Spiel-Arena, is set to host three group stage matches, a Round of 16 clash, and a quarter-final.
The Euro 2024 fixtures are a rare treat for football fans in Düsseldorf, who aren’t typically treated to elite football, given that Fortuna Düsseldorf has only spent two seasons in the German top-flight since 2013.
One of the key reasons the city ranks so poorly is due to the lack of public transport points. Our analysis identified that there are 3,140 transport points across the city, which is considerably less than the other nine host cities. What’s more, there are just 40 transport points within 2km of the Merkur Spiel-Park, which puts it among the bottom three in this category.
The city also has fewer pubs in comparison to the other host cities, with 349. Here, a beer costs an average of €4.50, which equates to the average across the 10 host cities (€4.59).
10. Frankfurt, Deutsche Bank Park: 5.88/10
Frankfurt rounds off the 10 host cities, scoring 5.88 out of 10 in our Euros Experience Index. Host stadium Deutsche Bank Park, which has a capacity of 58,000 and is the seventh largest football stadium in Germany, will host four group stage fixtures as well as a last-16 match.
As the financial epicentre of the German economy, it is no surprise that Frankfurt is one of the more expensive cities to visit. Of the 266 hotels within a 20km radius of the host stadium, the average fan will pay €568 for a three-night stay. Frankfurt also has the highest average price of water (€4.50) and the fourth highest beer prices (€4.70). It’s not all bad though, as a beer is 10% cheaper than nearby Stuttgart, where it’ll set you back €5.20, on average.
On top of this, the city is among the worst for public transport links. Out of the 3,698 public transport points in the city, just 32 are within 2km of the stadium, making getting to and from matches less smooth compared to the other nine host cities.
Methodology:
- SeatPick.com sought to discover the best German cities to experience the UEFA Euro 2024.
- An OpenStreetMaps OSM file of Germany was imported and hosted into a postgis database for further processing.
- The OSM data was filtered for stadiums and then further filtered to only include Euros stadiums and fan zone cities.
- Hotel, pubs, beer gardens, gardens and public transport counts were obtained for the entire city.
- Note: Some variable counts were also retrieved within a 2km buffer of the fan zone official stadium for use in ranking.
- Hotel prices were obtained for the period 13-16th June 2024 for each fan zone hosting city.
- Transfermarkt links for each official fan zone stadiums were obtained and mapped to retrieve the average price of beer and sausage for said stadiums.
- All resale ticket data and matches were sourced from https://seatpick.com/uefa-euro-tickets.
- Please note all prices are in euros.
- Data was collected on 8th April 2024 and is accurate as of then.
- Please find the data here.
