Düsseldorf

So, you've got a match ticket (or just want to be there for the party), but have no travel for the quarter-final arranged. How can you get there without breaking the bank?! 

With many UK-to-Germany flghts this coming weekend £300 or more each way, it could be a very expensive trip. So, I've been looking at a few options.

Drive
For fans in the southeast of England, Eurotunnel (Le Shuttle) is a decent option. Plugging in my own car's details on their website, I got a price of £253 return for Friday-to-Sunday. From Calais to the VRR region (the transport area covered by your match ticket), it's then no more than a 5-hour drive.

So, add petrol costs and divide the total by four (if you've got four in the car) and you come out at maybe £80 a head.

Plane/train
I can see no cheap flights available for round trips into and out of any airport anywhere near the northwest of Germany. 

OnTuesday, Ryanair put on an additional flight from Stansted to Cologne on Friday and a return from Dortmund on Sunday. The latter, however, has now sold out.

Nevertheless, with a bit of creative planning and a willingness to fly into / out of a more distant airport and then take the train, there are one of two possibilities.

Here's one or two:
 

Out of Gatwick

Friday
Depart Gatwick 08:20 with easyJet
Arrive Basel/Mulhouse Airport 11:00
Fare: £116.38

Depart airport 13:00 with Flixbus
Arrive Freiburg main station 13:55
Fare: £21.16

Depart Freiburg 14:55 with Deutsche Bahn
Arrive Düsseldorf main station 18:35
Fare: €29.90 (c. £25.30) - Assumes you have a UEFA Fan Pass

Sunday
Depart Düsseldorf main station 09:27 with Deutsche Bahn
Arrive Freiburg 13:02
Fare: €29.90 (c. £25.30) - Assumes you have a UEFA Fan Pass

Afternoon in Freiburg

Depart Freiburg station 18:15 with FlixBus
Arrive Basel/Mulhouse Airport 19:10
Fare: £21.16

Depart Basel 21:35 with easyJet
Arrive Gatwick 22:20
Fare: £130.93

Total fare: c. £340

Out of Heathrow (travel & hotel suggestions)

Friday
Depart Heathrow 19:10. Arrive Munich Airport 22:00 with Lufthansa
Fare: £99.39 (c. €117)
S-Bahn to hotel (150m from main station): €13.60
Stay on Friday night at 1st Creatif Hotel Elephant
Single room €79, triple €102. 

Saturday
Depart Munich main station 08:43. Arrive Düsseldorf main station 13:36. Deutsche Bahn
Fare: €29.90 
Local train to Essen and back (covered by match ticket)
Stay on Saturday night at City Hotel Essen
€76 single, €120 quadruple, 10 mins from main station

Sunday
Free day
Travel in area and to Düsseldorf hotel on match ticket (until 6pm)
Stay on Sunday night at Ibis Düsseldorf Hauptbahnhof, €65 single, €74 twin
Hotel is right by the main station

Monday
Depart Düsseldorf main station 09:18. Arrive Munich Airport 15:08. Deutsche Bahn
Fare: €29.90
Depart Munich Airport 17:25, Arrive Heathrow 18:25. Lufthansa
Fare: £89.90 (c. €106)

Total (travel and accommodation; based on two people in a twin): c. €400


Out of Manchester (travel & hotel suggestions)

Friday
Depart Manchester 18:10. Arrive Basel/Mulhouse Airport 21:00. easyJet 
Fare: £88.99 
Take Bus 50 to Basel Bahnhof SBB, then Tram 2 to Basel Badischer Bahnof. 29 mins 
Fare: CHF 6.60 (c. €6.78)
Stay on Friday night at easyHotel Basel City €120 for double, 3 mins from Badischer Bahnhof Station

Saturday
Deprt Basel Badischer Station 05:21. Arrive Cologne 09:04. Direct. Deutsche Bahn 
Fare €29.90
Stay on Saturday night at Smarty Cologne Dom Hotel, 1-minute from the station. €83, double.
Travel to/from Düsseldorf (30 mins) hotel on match ticket

Sunday
Depart Cologne main station 06:22. Arrive Munich Airport 12:08. Deutsche Bahn.
Fare: €29.90
Depart Munich Airport 13:50. Arrive Manchester 15:00. easyJet 
Fare: €106.52

In total, for all flights, trains and hotels (based on two in a double), c. €379 pp

If you've found a cheaper/better route, please me know.

In the meantime, I'll keep looking and will add other options on here as soon as I find any.