Hello, I will be in Zurich this SAT and SUN (NOV 6 and 7). Is the grasshopper game relatively easy to get tickets to? Any advice on travel to the stadium? Can I get tickets at the stadium or somewhere else in the city as a walk-up? Thanks, Mike
Grasshoppers are doing terrible this season (7th out of 10 teams in the Super League) so you won't have to worry about tickets. Just go to the stadium and get your tickets there before the game. I expect about 8,000 for this match... To get to the Hardturm stadium is very easy. Just take Tram #4 (purple) from the Zurich mainstation and you will be there in about 20 minutes (make sure you take the #4 that is going in the right direction.) Here is the Hardturm seating: http://www.gcz.ch/index.php?id=173 The East side is for the home side while the West side is for the visitors. I recommend any of the Tribune seating. Avoid the Estrade seating as the view is not that great (I usually sit in the Tribune Ost above the hardcore fans.) Pictures: http://www.sengers.ch/izueri/hardturm/hardturm.asp The stadium is old (was used in the 54 WC) and has been around in one shape or another since the 30's. We are planning a new one but the project is currently stuck in court due to opposition from the neighbourhood. What else, the game is on Sunday at 16:00 and the opponent is FC St.Gallen (last in the league.) So you basically get to watch two of the poorest teams in Switzerland this year... We are traditionally the strongest team in Switzerland (27 Championships & 18 Cuptitles) but these last two seasons have been the very definition of bad. Enjoy your stay and give us a lil' post here about your experience later. Hopp GC!
SwissGCZ, thanks so much for the information. I try tog et to a game each time I get over to Europe. I'll post a perspective when I get back. Mike
Well I got back from the GCZ-St Gallen game. It was wet and cold. That about sums it up. LOL... Through relatively poor german linquistic skills plus not desiring to pay 45 chf per ticket, my girlfriend and I bought tickets in the Estrade Ost section sitting in general admission with all the hard core fans. Was amazed to see the female ref out there but she seemed to keep up with the game alright even though there must have been a half dozen cautions and one red card before I left around the 80th minute. I wish there was a little more scoring (nil nil final) but at least the second half was a bit more exciting then the first. Hopp GC!
I probably should've been more specific - Tribune Ost (above of where you sat) is only CHF 30. Regardless, unfortunatly it appears to have been a rather poor game, so a better view might not have been to your advantage...haha. As for the ref, that's Nicole Petignat - the girlfriend of the infamous (amongst Brits) Urs Meier, and probably the most famous female ref in the world. She sometimes even gets to ref Uefa Cup games... How did you like the City? I hope you had an enjoyable stay (...despite the weather)
That was Urs Meirs girlfriend!?!? No way, saw him do a game at EURO 2004. I enjoyed Zurich quite a bit although its a bit pricey. I did the typical touristy stuff (i.e. Bahnhofstrasse and old town). I did take the #3 tram out to Klus Plats to check out FIFA (naturally it wasn't open). I think I'll have to come out during the summer the next time. People told me to take a cruise around the lake but with the overcast clouds we put a nix on that. I also need to figure out the closest ski resorts. Since I work for an airline, getting over there is pretty easy. We were dissappointed that we couldn't take a tour of the Lindt Chocolate factory but oh well. The hotel we stayed at (Hotel Sofitel) was very nice indeed and the staff was very friendly. I forget which pub we went to but it wasn't Nelson or the Dubliner (which were both reccommended in the tourist book) Next time I get out there, we'll have to hook up so I can buy you a beer to thank you for helping me out! Mike
Number 6 in the world actually... Ski resorts are fairly close to Zurich, and other cities like Lucerne are also worth a visit. All in all Switzerland has incredibly much to offer, and the distances are very short - so it's ideal. Trust me, you've only scratched the surface. Cheers - Nathan