 Thursday, 28th May 2015 15:47 The official Supporters Club has compiled a travel guide for fans planning to make the trip to Fortuna Dusseldorf for the friendly on Friday 17th July (KO 5.30 BST, 6.30pm local time). If you’ve been to Germany for football before, you’ll know that you’re in for a treat. If you haven’t been, then just take our word for it! The fans are passionate and their welcome is legendary. The link between Fortuna fans and Ipswich fans has been growing ever stronger over the last decade, and it has been our dream that we’d finally get to meet over a match between the two clubs. Dusseldorf is handily located in the north-west of Germany, almost as close as you can get to Ipswich. It’s easy to get to and with loads of bars and shops, and a famous brewing heritage, it’s one of the very best places for a football trip. Fortuna currently play in the second tier of German football, finishing mid-table (after a pretty rough last three months of the season). How to Get There It’s easy, whether you go by plane, train, boat/train, boat/car or coach. The main options are explained below. Remember that times and routes are an indication only and are always subject to change (although were correct when we wrote this in late May). For Help With Bookings If you are not used to booking travel to and from Germany, then it may well be worth using a travel agent. Fred Olsen Travel have an office in Coes (and there’s free parking right behind) and can make any train, boat, plane and hotel bookings for you. It’s worth checking for discounts for Town fans, as they are a sponsor. Plane There are flights from the main London airports direct to Dusseldorf — Germanwings from Heathrow and Stansted, Easyjet from Gatwick, British Airways from Gatwick and City airports. It’s quick and easy from Dusseldorf airport into town (five miles), with a direct train from airport to main station. Website of Dusseldorf Airport: http://www.dus.com/en. If you can’t find the right flight or price to Dusseldorf, then it’s worth also trying flights to Cologne, which is nearby and very well linked by public transport. Be especially careful if you book Ryanair, as the airport they call Dusseldorf is actually at Weeze, 43 miles away. Train There are two main train options. The first is Eurostar from London St Pancras (0858/1504) to Brussels, and then change for Dusseldorf (arr 1558/2154). There are several options at other times, with additional changes, usually in Aachen. If you have a bit of extra time, you could use the frequent service from Brussels to Cologne and spend a bit of time there before travelling on to Dusseldorf. Cologne has a lot to offer, including culture, shops and a unique beer style called Kolsch, but please don’t tell our friends at Fortuna that we told you — there’s a bit of a rivalry! The second train option is covered below, in the next section. Boat and Train The obvious route is to take our local twice-a-day ferry (which nowadays is more like a cruise ship in terms of comfort), from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. From the Hook of Holland, you take a local train from the ferry terminal into Rotterdam, then you have one more change, either in Utrecht or Venlo. It takes less than four hours from the Hook of Holland to Dusseldorf. Assuming you are on the overnight ferry, you’d be on the 0811 from Hook, then 0848 from Rotterdam to Venlo, and then 1105 from Venlo, arriving into Dusseldorf at 1208. Trains can be booked via DB Bahn, the excellent German Railways site (yes, it works in English, but you’ll need to put the port station in as ‘Hoek van Holland’). The best website for general European rail info is The Man In Seat 61, which contains all you need to find out the cheapest fares and how to book them. Boat and Car There are two main options. The first is, as described above, using our local service from Harwich to the Hook. It is then around three hours’ drive to Dusseldorf. The second route is via the Kent ports to Calais. Dover and Folkestone are about a two-hour drive from Ipswich, with the Eurotunnel shuttles offering the fastest crossing (and no seasickness) and the regular ferries the cheapest option. It is about a four-hour drive to Dusseldorf through Belgium and the Netherlands, although you’ll surely want to allow some time on the way back to stock up the car in one of the hypermarkets or wine shops around Calais. The easiest way is via Harwich-Hook, the quickest is Eurotunnel, and the cheapest is most likely on the Dover-Calais ferry. Note that prices will vary enormously according to day and time of travel, especially with it being holiday season, so try to be a bit flexible! A word about parking. From previous experience, Dusseldorf is not the most car-friendly of cities. Most central hotels do not offer parking, and the city centre is pedestrianised. Unless you stay a bit out of town, you may find it easiest to park at the airport (book in advance here) and take the train into town. Coach This just might be the cheapest option unless you load a car full of people — but do check train fares out too, as there may be little difference. There is a daily Megabus from London Victoria direct to Cologne (then a short, frequent train trip to Dusseldorf). It’s slow, but you just might find a return trip for no more than £50. For example, there’s a coach from London at 0900, arriving in Cologne at 1930 (there’s also an overnight service, leaving London at 2130). The Megabus website is www.megabus.com. There is also a daily direct Eurolines coach from London Victoria to Dusseldorf, leaving London at 0800 and arriving in Dusseldorf at 2015. Hotels Dusseldorf has loads and loads of hotels to suit almost all budgets. The main beer- and nightlife is around the Old Town (Altstadt), which is about a 20-minute walk from the railway station. There are loads of hotels dotted around, just make sure you don’t pick that all-too-cheap deal that turns out to be miles out of town! Using map and search facilities via Booking.com or Expedia (or asking your friendly Fred Olsen travel agent) will reap rewards. A Bit of Culture (And Beer) Dusseldorf is a busy city with good shops and great bars and nightlife. It is home to the famous beer style ‘Altbier’ (a kind of brown ale, or at least quite different from pale lagers), produced by five local breweries, four of which are in the Altstadt, and all of which are likely to be busy with home and away fans of course. The Stadium Be careful. Fortuna have two grounds, and we’re not going to be playing at their main stadium! The second ground is called Flinger Broich (officially the Paul-Janes-Stadion), and has a capacity of around 7,000. It’s a couple of miles east of the city centre — info here. As is normal in Germany, it is well served by public transport, and it’s no more than about 30 minutes from the Altstadt. Post-Match Fans’ Party Fortuna Blues are organising a post-match party at Stahlwerk, a disco/bar set in a former steelworks on Ronsdorferstrasse, not so far from the stadium. Further info to follow. Other Fan Events We are working on a number of other fan events including — hopefully — a fans’ football match. If you’d like to take part, get in touch with Liz Edwards — details below. Contacts Email: officialitsc@btinternet.com, Twitter: @itscofficial, phone: 07968 876504, website: www.itfcsupporters.co.uk.
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