World Cup anyone? (& a few questions about Eurailpass, too)

Parent Cafe
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<p>S will be spending this summer in Germany, which we already know is soccer crazed :slight_smile: . He wants to travel a bit in his free time and has purchased a Eurail Selectpass for Germany and some neighboring countries.</p>

<p>Any hope of snagging a ticket to a match? What about safety, in Germany specifically, for spectators attending matches?</p>

<p>How difficult can he expect traveling to be in light of the increased tourism? Would it be harder to book a couchette on an overnight train to, say, Vienna or Zurich? How about room in youth hostels should he need to stay somewhere overnight?</p>

<p>About high-speed rail (he won’t be in France, so no info needed about their bullet trains)… is there a surcharge for ICE with the Eurailpass? (The brochure is short on specific discount and surcharge info…)</p>

<p>Any info much appreciated! TIA.</p>

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<p>I also would love some information. My son and 2 friends were able to get tickets to one game through the lottery. It is my understanding that tickets are not available at the games as each ticket has the name and SS# of the purchaser printed on them; so no scalping! Do not quote me on that as I may be really wrong! My son mentioned that he will need to keep his passport with him during the games.</p>

<p>I know the boys (all 22 year olds) are staying at hostels and have made reservation ahead of time. They are flying into Munich and out of Amsterdam.</p>

<p>This will be my son’s first trip to Europe, but one of his friends is a seasoned traveler. He is very excited about his first Europe trip!</p>

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<p>It will be ver hard to get tickets to any of the games, especially the ones involving the bigger teams.</p>

<p>But sometimes it can be just as fun watching the games with all the other fans in a bar or on a big screen outside the stadium.</p>

<p>I’m travelling to Germany too, without tickets just to be there for the experience.</p>

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<p>

I kind of figured as much, Natoar23. I was holding out some hope as the team from Togo (wonder how many of their fanatic-over-soccer countrymen will show up) will be playing near his city. If the tickets are sold by lottery though, as pokey318’s S and friends were lucky enough to be able to purchase, I guess there’s little chance of buying any last minute.</p>

<p>I like your bar/big screen suggestion, too. My H and I have watched some soccer games in pubs and taverns while traveling overseas. I wouldn’t know the Togo team from the German team, but the atmosphere and excitement is infectious and definitely a lot of fun. Have a great trip! </p>

<p>Pokey, your S’s trip sounds wonderful! From your post, it sounds like if mine is going to stay in hostels, he’d better reserve a space far in advance. Thanks and good luck to your S and his friends!</p>

<p>Putting out another call for Eurail info… (TIA again.)</p>

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<p>Not sure how much has changed - but this was my experience -</p>

<p>For ICE there was usually a surcharge (I think in summer months only) and it is also a good idea to make reservations because it really is annoying when you get to the station and there is no room on the train and that is another fee</p>

<p>With the Selectpass it is 2nd class seating only - which is not bad at all except that means if you want to do an overnight to Zurich you would have to pay extra for couchette. </p>

<p>For me it was worth the savings to spend the extra money now and then on surcharge. </p>

<p>Also, if possible make hostel reservations now - but remember that sometimes people no show so even if a place is booked up it often has last minute availability.</p>

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<p>Oh, forgot to say - Pokey318 - please tell your S to stay at the Flying Pig hostel in Amsterdam. It is great - I still stay in contact with people I met there years ago -</p>

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<p>MagsMom, I just IMed my son with your suggestion. I don’t know where they plan to stay at each location as this is a guy trip with no parent involvement!</p>

<p>I forgot to mention that while the boys were able to get game tickets through the lottery, it wasn’t a game on the top of their list-they are seeing Saudi Arabia vs Tunesia. I think that they will be more than happy to watch the USA game in a bar if they can’t attend the game in person.</p>

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<p>There are to be big screens outdoors, with seating, cafes and bars. So fans without tickets are encouraged to go and watch these screens rather than hang around outside the venues. It’s been on the news in England (who have 100,000 travelling fans without tickets at least they think) to try to discourage fans from buying tickets from touts (illegally) in the street, at vastly inflated prices.</p>

<p>Germany is a very safe country. Obviously there being such an influx of people will probably increase the number of pick-pockets, petty theft etc etc. Football related violence is in no way as common as Americans believe it is. This is 2006, not 1986. I have been to dozens of football games in England and they have all been fine (I’ve never been to an international game between countries though. Only English leagues and UEFA cup, which is Europe-wide clubs). See this article in The Guardian.
<a href=“Whatever happened to ... football hooliganism? | Soccer | The Guardian”>Whatever happened to ... football hooliganism? | Soccer | The Guardian;

<p>The country which seems to have endless football related violence (even when they played little neutral Switzerland. Who can cause a riot there?) is Turkey and the Swiss put them out of the competition long ago. There are also problems in Italy but that is organised mafia-type gangs (known as “Ultras”) who fight each other, not the average person on the street. I have heard on the news that the Germans are most worried about violent fans from Poland, as this country is so close, and border controls relaxed since Poland’s entry into the EU, so many of them could travel. See BBC article here</p>

<p><a href=“http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4860986.stm[/url]”>http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/world_cup_2006/4860986.stm&lt;/a&gt;
However, Poland played England twice in qualifying for the tournament and managed not to decend into a riot even here, so really this is all speculation as the Poles’ record is good overall.</p>

<p>I personally would say avoid large groups of drunks, don’t hang around right outside the stadium but join other fans watching the games in organised places. Don’t buy tickets (or anything) from people in the street and don’t walk into a huge group of opposition fans wearing a USA flag anywhere on your body! But really, Germany is a nice country and very organised. I am sure they will do their very best to have a peaceful and friendly tournament.</p>

<p>I bet every hostel/hotel/camp site in Germany has been fully booked for months, if not years.</p>

<p>You will have to pay extra for couchettes. The inter-rail pass excludes them. In some countries (definitely French TGV) seats must be reserved in advance on long distance trains. Others you can just get on, but if it is full and all seats reserved, the traveller may have to stand.</p>

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<p>MagsMom, back in the day, when I used the youth Eurailpass (in the Pleistocene era), it was 1st class unlimited travel without supplemental charges for any train. A couchette was only 7 Fr fr (about $1.40 at the time) extra. How times have changed! Sigh. Thanks for your input.</p>

<p>Cupcake, I appreciate the time you took to give such detailed info! I’ll be passing on your great advice to S. I’m sorry if I gave the impression that I was worried about personal safety in general in Germany; I’ve been there a number of times and never felt unsafe. We Americans don’t really understand the “other” football and the seemingly high emotions it can arouse. I just wasn’t sure how the World Cup might change things, if at all. Your post was very reassuring. Thanks for the links, too!</p>

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<p>Mudder’s Mudder, you may have checked this before, but there is a wealth of information on a couple of the websites describing the Eurail passes:</p>

<p><a href=“http://eurail.rs.teaw.de/index.php?view=cms_728&gclid=CMmEm9_9ioUCFQFzNAodzhfyIA[/url]”>http://eurail.rs.teaw.de/index.php?view=cms_728&gclid=CMmEm9_9ioUCFQFzNAodzhfyIA&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/about_train_travel/index.htm[/url]”>http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/about_train_travel/index.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>German Rail information:
<a href=“http://eurail.rs.teaw.de/index.php?view=cms_425[/url]”>http://eurail.rs.teaw.de/index.php?view=cms_425&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Rail Accommodations
<a href=“http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/about_train_travel/rail_accommodations.htm[/url]”>http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/about_train_travel/rail_accommodations.htm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Reservations
With a pass or a ticket you may board the train, but you are not guaranteed a seat. It is always necessary to make a reservation if you want to guarantee a seat for a specific train at a specific time/date. It is also essential to make a reservation for any sleeper or couchette accommodations. And reservations are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, so you should reserve in advance. Reservations can generally be made up to 60 days in advance (120 days in advance for Eurostar; 90 days in advance for Thalys).</p>

<p>Reservations Required: </p>

<p>** Couchettes or sleepers on all night trains
** All Premier trains, certain InterCity and EuroCity trains, and Swiss scenic trains</p>

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<p>I totally understand your concerns. This world cup is very important to Germany. It is the first major sporting event organised by a united Germany (both east and west) since Hitler’s 1936 Olympics. They desperately want it to be a success and are hence very organised with security. There is a huge “hearts and minds” type of advertising campaign to encourage England fans to go there and it’s probably the same in other countries. Football fans can be very tribal but in my experience it’s usually good natured. I doubt there will be many US fans there (which is sad because they’re a good team) but I am sure other fans will adopt a team when their own teams go out.</p>

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<p>Xiggi, thanks for the links! We have looked at most but not all of the ones you cited. (He already has the pass, which comes with a brochure and schedules.) The raileurope link in your post, which I hadn’t seen before, has more detailed info than the Eurail brochure! Since I can’t seem to find it anywhere on line and it’s not in the brochure, I think I’ll assume that the supplemental charges are nominal, as in the “olden” days of my own youth. Some of it doesn’t make sense to me. For example, the ICE Sprint intra-Germany carries a surcharge (don’t know how much), but the Germany-Austria-Switzerland ICE doesn’t. I’m just hoping that, with the increased tourism, seating and overnight couchette/sleeper space will still be available on just a few days’ notice. Are you a soccer fan? Will you be following the WC or heading over to catch any of it in person (assuming, of course, that you’re an American)?</p>

<p>Cupcake, you make all this sound so exciting! I’m very glad you posted. I take it you’re a British football fan? LOL, son has a German acquaintance, normally the most staid individual imaginable, who turns uncharacteristically silly when discussing football. I like your description: tribal. Our own American-bred “football” fans can be described that way on occasion. :wink: Will you be attending or viewing any of the matches on the continent?</p>

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<p>MM, I will indeed follow the WC - it’s a tradition at home. One of our favorites teams did not make it to the WC, so rooting will be less divisive in 2006. </p>

<p>On thought regarding the surcharges … you may want to start a hypothetical reservation on the website, and check if the reservation system does not return the specific price for the planned trip. </p>

<p>When making a definitive reservation, you may want to check the schedules carefully and avoid rush hour in very populated areas. The trains are used by daily commuters and you want to avoid such trains, especially when traveling with a loaded backpack. While there are fewer trains during the weekends, they should be a lot less crowded. </p>

<p>Lastly, it helps to find a complete schedule for trains before starting the travel. Depending the stations, the trains are only announced at the last minute, and the indicators can be very confusing as trains enter and depart the station rather quickly. The locals know where the trains enter the station, but it causes a bit of anxiety for first time users. So, showing the schedule to a local traveler and pointing to the right train does help get precise directions to the exact departing section.</p>

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<p>Xiggi, thank you for the excellent suggestions on some things that didn’t even occur to me! Especially love the one about showing the schedule to a local; I’ve actually done that with pocket translation dictionaries in some countries. Don’t know why I didn’t think of the mock reservation… ::slaps forehead::</p>

<p>Good luck to your team!</p>

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<p>I bet that a lot of people from Togo will be there… this is one of the biggest events in their history!</p>

<p>As other’s have said, bars are a great place to watch the games. Different bars will probably be full of people from different countries. One of the best parts of the world cup is to see all the different cultures that come together.</p>

<p>Unfortunately I’ll be missing the world cup, but I will get nightly updates from home =)</p>

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<p>I’m a poor grad student. I will be working away at finishing my PhD all summer because I have a job offer to start in January, so I must be finished my then! No holidays for me! that said, I’m sure I will see most of the games on TV because you can’t get away from them here. It actually damages the UK economy sometimes because everyone takes time off work to watch the football. In the 1980s there were power surges which caused blackouts, as at the end of England matches 30 million people turned on electric kettles to make a cup of tea (seriously! Google it.)</p>

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<p>I realize these are invincible young people travelling here, but if any of their parents would like a “local” emergency contact, send me a PM and I’ll give you my contact info. (Posters with over a certain number of posts will actually be given accurate info. :wink: )We’re about 2 hours north of Munich, an hour east of Nürnberg in the event anybody ends up homeless. Have a couple extra beds, and a couple sofas …</p>

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<p>We are Americans living in Germany. We live near one of the host cities (Kaiserslautern) for the world cup. We are pretty excited about the world cup and all the hoopla. We were lucky enough to see an exhibition match between the US and Poland in March. </p>

<p>PM me if you need more info. and if all the beds at Binx’s house are occupied :)</p>

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<p>

:slight_smile: , soccerguy!</p>

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S has been forewarned that his workplace may be a little… distracted, depending on how Germany does. :wink: Good luck on your studies and your future job, cupcake! </p>

<p>Thanks, everyone, for all your comments. Binx and doddsmom, PM’ing you…</p>