Wikivoyage:Past events/Euro 2008

The European Football Championships of 2008 was held in Austria and Switzerland. Matches ran from June 7 – June 29.

Tickets
Tickets are on sale in March 2007. For more information ask your Nation's football association or go to the official tournament website.

Tickets are sold from 1 March till 31 March. There are several types of ticket packages. The first is by match, the second is follow your team for the first round (first 3 games), and the third and last option is following your team as long as it's in the tournament.

Ticket applications were analyzed in April 2007. As the number of applications per match exceeded the size of the stadiums and there was an overwhelming number of ticket buyers, UEFA held a random draw.

Around 20% of tickets for each game was distributed by the national football associations of the 16 countries that qualified for the tournament. This phase took place in February/March 2008 and after that the tickets are virtually sold out (i.e. they are only available from unofficial sources for a price around 20 times higher than the original one). However, it is reasonable to expect tickets to be available from touts at the stadiums right before the game as this happens on most tournaments like this. On the other hand, the price of such last-minute tickets is always impossible to predict.

Expect Emotions
"Expect Emotions" is the official tournament slogan as fans are set to experience joy, disappointment, relief and high tension up until tournament concludes on June 29. The final match will be played at the 53,000 seat capacity Ernst Happel Stadion in Vienna and will feature Enrique Iglesias performing the Euro 2008 tournament anthem "Can you hear me?" It's guaranteed you will hear the fans throughout Vienna, as 53,000 rabid footballers cheer for their favorite.Yes!! The coming of Euro 2008 is one of the major international tournaments that everyone is emotionally waiting for.

Accommodation
UEFA EURO 2008 Accommodation Agency, Route de St-Cergue 9, CH-1260 Nyon 1, Switzerland, phone: +41 22 707 22 30 (email: [mailto:info@aa-euro2008.com] fax: +41 22 707 22 31
 * Hospitality Exchange Comunities

By air
Switzerland has a few airports : Zurich (in Kloten exactly), the most important, then Basel (its airport is outside Switzerland: in France, shared with Mulhouse) and Geneva. Then some other minors as in Berne, Lausanne, Lugano & Sion. To get directly to the Zurich airport by train the station is called : Zurich Flughafen. For Berne there is no direct fly connection but you can get there by train in 1 hour flying in Zurich or Basel airport. You can find cheap fly tickets to Switzerland, mainly in Geneva in Easyjet.

Each of the four Austrian host cities has its own international airport, though depending on where you're flying from it may be easiest to arrive via Vienna and continue by train to the other host cities.

By train
You can get into Switzerland easily by train. Check your trip in the official website of Swiss railways. There you can find time, trip, cost. From north you can reach easily Basel to get into Switzerland, from south you should reach Chiasso.

Austria is also well served by trains, and all four Austrian host cities have good national and international rail connections. Vienna is the largest hub of the four. The Austrian railways site (English version) is at.

By bus
Geneva and Zurich (in Switzerland) and Salzburg and Vienna (in Austria) are on the Eurolines bus network, with services to/from other major European cities. You can also get there with a private bus.

Get around
Switzerland has a very good train network, allowing you to travel almost everywhere by train. The Swiss train fares, however, are the most expensive in the world when comparing Euro per km. More information for trips inside or into Switzerland is available in the website www.ffs.ch. Don't forget that Switzerland is an Alpine country, not flat, and traveling a few kilometers through the Alps can sometimes take hours.

All 4 Swiss venue cities have tram systems within the city, and shuttle bus connections to the stadiums will be organized for EURO 2008, Swiss efficiency.

If you drive a car, be aware that the Swiss police will fine you for driving infractions in Switzerland, even if you live outside the country.

Three of the Swiss city venues (Basel, Zurich, Berne) are connected by a triangle of train and highway connections. For Geneva it will take many hours of time to get there from the other venue cities.

Host Cities
The following eight cities will be hosting all the matches for the tournament. For information about travel, accommodation, restaurants and other activities in the cities, please see the individual city guides.

Austria



 * Vienna Ernst Happel stadium, capacity 50,000. Will host Austria's three group matches, two Quarter-Finals, Semi-Final and Final.


 * Klagenfurt Worthersee stadium, capacity 30,000. Will host three Group Matches.


 * Salzburg Wals-Seizenheim stadium, capacity 30,000. Will host three Group Matches.


 * Innsbruck Tivoli NEU stadium, capacity 30,000. Will host three Group Matches.

Switzerland

 * Basel St Jakob stadium, capacity 42,500 Will host Switzerland's three group matches (including the opening match and opening ceremony), two Quarter-Finals and a Semi-Final.


 * Berne Stade de Suisse Wankdorf stadium, capacity 32,000. Will host three Group Matches.


 * Geneva Stade de Geneve, capacity 30,000. Will host three Group Matches.


 * Zurich Letzigrund stadium, capacity 30,000. Will host three Group Matches.

Buy
Be aware that Switzerland is the most expensive country in the world. 4 of its cities - the 4 venue cities - are in the Top 10 most expensive cities in the world. So, take a lot of money with you. Don´t miss Switzerland; it is beautiful. Buy some Swiss souvenirs such as: Swiss chocolate, Swiss cheese, Swiss army knife, Swiss watch, Swiss fondue or open a new Swiss bank account.

Do
Visit the beautiful Canton Ticino in southern Switzerland. Canton Ticino is the heart of tourism in Switzerland, with Locarno and Lugano as top destinations known worldwide for their beauty. In June 2008 there will be sun; the region in the south of the Alps is the sunniest of Switzerland.

For EURO 2008, Canton Ticino will host the National Teams of Germany and Sweden. Germany will stay in Ascona, close to Locarno, in a top hotel, and training in the national Sport Center in Tenero-Contra. Sweden will stay in Lugano, in Villa Sassa Hotel, and training in Cornaredo Stadium, home of AC Lugano. For the month of May, Lugano will host the National team of Switzerland. Ticino will also host all the referees for the competition.

Ticino has good train and highway connection to Zurich, Basel and Berne. The official language in the canton is Italian.

Stay safe
Switzerland is one of the safest countries in the world, with the lowest crime rate in the world. There you will be safe.

Go next
Switzerland shares borders with Germany, France, Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein. Transportation from North and South are easy by Highway from Basel (North) or Chiasso (South). There are also good train connections inside Switzerland. Geography Switzerland, EU and Euro08 CC by nc Photos Switzerland