Euro 2024: England fans in scramble to reach Berlin for final

England Fans Rush To Reach Berlin For Final

Written by Ido Vock, Ruth Comerford, and Katy Austin for BBC News

England fans are rejoicing in the success of their team.

The victory of England in Euro 2024 has led to a surge of supporters trying to quickly travel to Berlin for the final match against Spain on Sunday.

However, after the semi-final, ticket prices have soared and many fans are struggling to secure tickets for the trip to Germany. The challenge for determined fans is definitely not an easy one.

Harry Kane and Ollie Watkins share a joyful embrace after their victory in the game.

For those wanting to attend Sunday's match in person, the main challenge is getting a ticket. The game is completely sold out on Uefa's website. The Football Association (FA) will release their tickets to members of the England Supporters Travel Club who have a history of attending games and earning loyalty points on Friday, through a ballot system.

Supporters eager to attend the last match in person are being advised that tickets purchased from unauthorized resellers might be invalidated. Some agencies are reselling tickets starting at £1,300 for the less expensive seats, with VIP packages going for as much as £67,000. However, Uefa is cautioning that tickets bought through secondary markets could possibly be deceptive.

According to UEFA's website, tickets bought from unauthorized third parties, websites, or agencies, as well as from scalpers or on social media platforms, may be voided by UEFA at any point. Fans may also be denied entry or removed from the stadium.

If you're unable to enter the stadium but happen to be in Berlin, you could consider visiting the authorized Uefa fan areas located near the parliament building and the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of the city.

The game will be shown on big screens, and there is no need for tickets to attend.

After that comes the important task of traveling to Berlin. The usual choice would be a two-hour plane ride from the UK, but the price increased significantly after England's victory in the semi-final.

A KLM flight from Manchester to Berlin Brandenburg with a layover in Amsterdam was priced at £954 on July 13th. However, just a week later, the price dropped significantly to £223.

Some choices were still reasonably priced, like a Scandinavian Airlines trip from Heathrow to Berlin through Copenhagen, priced at £268.

Stephen, a fan of England, mentioned that the cost of flights to Germany was too high. He was thinking about flying to Poland instead.

"We checked out nearby countries and found that the most affordable option was a flight to Poznan, Poland. This means we will have a six-hour flight with a layover in Warsaw," he explained.

Once we arrive in Poznan, we will board a train that will take us directly to Berlin.

Both Ryanair and Eurowings airlines announced that they have included two additional flights to Berlin in preparation for the final event.

British Airways announced that they are considering adding more flights and switching to larger planes to accommodate all the fans in the upcoming days.

However, EasyJet informed the BBC that they do not have any intention to schedule additional flights to Berlin for the final.

Scott Hatley, who lives in Southend-on-Sea, said he decided to take a risk by booking flights for the final before the tournament started, hoping that England would make it.

The tickets were priced at £84, which he said seemed like a great deal when compared to current prices.

If you have the funds, you can rent a private jet for four passengers from Farnborough airport in Hampshire for around £11,220 when reserved through PrivateFly. Just casually dropping that info.

You can also consider taking the train as an alternative.

According to Mark Smith of The Man in Seat 61, fans have various choices available to them. One option is taking a Eurostar from London to Brussels, then transferring to a German ICE train to Cologne, and finally switching to another ICE train to Berlin.

However, Mr. Smith suggested that the most advantageous choice would probably be taking the ferry from Harwich to Hoek van Holland, close to The Hague in the Netherlands, and then catching a train to Berlin. The cost of the ferry ride for a single passenger without a car is approximately £83, while the train ticket amounts to around £112.

"On short notice, Harwich-Hoek is pretty decent," he told the BBC, mentioning that there may also be some last-minute availability on sleeper trains from the Netherlands to Berlin.

For supporters who are up for a long journey of 13-15 hours from the UK to Germany, driving might be a dependable choice.

Boats leave from Harwich, Newcastle, and Hull to go to places in the Netherlands, where fans can then travel to Berlin. The cost for a two-person crossing on a ferry with a Ford Fiesta this weekend ranges from £200 to £500.

People living in southern England have the option of either taking the ferry or Channel Tunnel shuttle from Dover to Calais, located in northern France. After arriving in Calais, it is roughly a 10-hour drive to reach Berlin. As of Thursday, the cost for the shuttle, which can transport cars, was approximately £130.

If you are very dedicated and don't have a problem spending almost a day on a bus, you can take a Flixbus from Stratford in east London to Berlin Central Station for £150 one way. The bus is almost at full capacity, and the company anticipates selling out before the trip.

The company also runs services from Liverpool, Leeds, Sheffield, Manchester, and Bristol. Buses are available on weekends to various destinations, such as Alexanderplatz, which is 30 minutes away from the stadium. Prices range from £150 to £250.

Supporters looking to attend the game in Berlin will also require accommodation. Prices for hotels in the city are much higher than usual this weekend. For example, a room for Sunday night at a hotel in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, near the stadium, was priced at £252, a significant increase from £63 just a week later.

If you can't afford a pricey hotel room, you can explore Berlin's famous bar scene instead. Bars in Berlin often stay open later than those in the UK, sometimes even all night.

There are three bars in Berlin that are open all day and night for those who want to keep the party going: Bierbörse, AM to PM, and Bei Schlawinchen. So, England fans won't have to worry about finding a place to continue their festivities or drown their sorrows after the game on Sunday night.