[Bigdog]

City, stadium locations, things to do & see, people, bier gardens, parks, off the beaten path, etc.
thanks................

[Monarch Bay Beachbum]

....and hopefully Dortmund!

[bob272]

I have been to Gelsenkirchen and its environs four time in the last six years. It is in the heart of the Ruhrgabeit; the most heavily industrialized and densely populated part of Germany.

You will be within 3-4 hours drive of Amsterdam and about an hours drive from the cities of Cologne (Koln) and Dusseldorf. You will also be very close to the venue at Dortmund and the city of Bochum, where I believe, one Eric Wynalda once played.

The Arena AufSchalke is arguably the most modern football stadium in Europe; it has a retractable roof and concessions are usually paid for with smartcards.

Fortunately, I was there visiting a friend who knew his way around. Gelsenkirchen isn't located in a tourist type area. There are museums to the industries of the area, such as coal mining and many of the area's attractions are based on the areas industrial and agricultural achievements. Suprisingly, the area is quite scenic; you may be suprised by how green everything is, even though your view may be interrupted by smokestacks and towers occasionally. The Arena is probably the biggest attraction in the area.

The transportation infrastructure is pretty good; you can take the local trains to nearby municipalities and the proximity of major cities such as Dusseldorf and Cologne via train can satisify the biergarten experiences you are looking for; otherwise, there are plenty of local gausthaus type places in the local towns.

If you want a surreal American experience near Gelsenkirchen, visit the Warner Brothers World theme park in Bottrop; you can see an American style theme park with a weird twist; most of the rides and attractions are based on movies and tv shows from the 80's and 90's, giving you a time warp sensation that doesn't quite feel right; my favorite: the combine Gremlins & Alf ride - it defies any logical explanation, you just have to ride it!!!!

Best of luck, I wish I was going myself!!!

Oh, and one more thing, if you feel like you're missing home, they even have a WalMart nearby!!! woo hoo!!!

[depordave]

Hey folks.

My name is Dave and I work at ESPN. I enjoy reading Big Soccer (mostly for entertainment purposes). I especially enjoy the ESPN rants. I rarely post, but I thought I could offer some insight.

We had the chance to visit Gelsenkirchen for the 2004 Champions League final. Simply put, there is very little in Gelsenkirchen. The streets are empty during the evenings. We went to Bochum for dinner one night. Ditto.

I would stay in another town and take the train to Gelsenkirchen for the game. Train service is apparently quite convenient.

The stadium, as stated above, is fantastic. The roof is retractable, as is the grass field, which is rolled outside to grow in the sunlight. It's about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from downtown to the stadium. With the USA playing at 6pm, you can get out of town on the last train.

[Bigdog]

Originally Posted by depordave

Hey folks.

My name is Dave and I work at ESPN. I enjoy reading Big Soccer (mostly for entertainment purposes). I especially enjoy the ESPN rants. I rarely post, but I thought I could offer some insight.

We had the chance to visit Gelsenkirchen for the 2004 Champions League final. Simply put, there is very little in Gelsenkirchen. The streets are empty during the evenings. We went to Bochum for dinner one night. Ditto.

I would stay in another town and take the train to Gelsenkirchen for the game. Train service is apparently quite convenient.

The stadium, as stated above, is fantastic. The roof is retractable, as is the grass field, which is rolled outside to grow in the sunlight. It's about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from downtown to the stadium. With the USA playing at 6pm, you can get out of town on the last train.

Thank you Dave. Just a note trains will run all night during the World Cup so you dont have to rush back to the station for the last one. Tell Robert Hello.
Bd

[doogiemo]

Originally Posted by depordave

The streets are empty during the evenings.

Hey Sammers, I guess we'll have to change that huh!!

Anybody knows how far is it from RAMSTEIN AB or SPANGDAHLEM AB?

[jorge805]

Originally Posted by Bigdog

Thank you Dave. Just a note trains will run all night during the World Cup so you dont have to rush back to the station for the last one. Tell Robert Hello.
Bd

I hope you're right...as of now the train sked isn't the best, especially for the 21:00 game in K-town. speaking of which, good luck finding accomodations in K-town.

Fifa's accomodation website did have a nice little deal on an Ibis hotel right by the main rail station in Gelsenkirchen at 73 Euros.

[USAClash]

Originally Posted by jorge805

I hope you're right...as of now the train sked isn't the best, especially for the 21:00 game in K-town. speaking of which, good luck finding accomodations in K-town.

Fifa's accomodation website did have a nice little deal on an Ibis hotel right by the main rail station in Gelsenkirchen at 73 Euros.

I just booked my hotels for the 3 match days. Couldn't find availability within any of the actual cities. I'm staying in Dusseldorf for the Gelsenkirchen match, Heidelberg for the Kaiserslautern match, and in Fuerth for the Nuremberg match.

Also, hope you're right about the extended train service. There don't seem to be very many hotels in Kaiserslautern.

[T Nitty]

Originally Posted by doogiemo

Hey Sammers, I guess we'll have to change that huh!!

Anybody knows how far is it from RAMSTEIN AB or SPANGDAHLEM AB?

197 miles by car. About 3 hours. Or less if you're averaging 110 like I did last time I was there.

[jorge805]

Originally Posted by USAClash

I just booked my hotels for the 3 match days. Couldn't find availability within any of the actual cities. I'm staying in Dusseldorf for the Gelsenkirchen match, Heidelberg for the Kaiserslautern match, and in Fuerth for the Nuremberg match.

Also, hope you're right about the extended train service. There don't seem to be very many hotels in Kaiserslautern.

FYI to all...after an endless (and I do mean waaaay too many hours searching online), I found a little ray of light for those looking to stay in K town...

Kaiserslautern tourism

I contacted most of them and received 3 responses that they are sold out. So if anyone has any luck, pleeeease let me know. It will really help if you know German, as a few of those websites are all-Deutsch