NFL city guide: Berlin

Stadium: Olympiastadion

Berlin's Olympic Stadium - or Olympiastadion - was built for the 1936 Summer Olympic Games in the German capital, and Hertha Berlin have called it home since their first Bundesliga season in 1963. It has hosted the DFB Cup final every year since 1985 and was the venue for the 2006 FIFA World Cup final as Italy triumphed over France. The 2015 UEFA Champions League final between Barcelona and Juventus was also played there, while it also hosted six UEFA Euro 2024 matches, including the final between England and Spain. Now part of the wider Olympiapark Berlin, the 74,475-capacity venue is the third-largest in Germany after Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park and Munich's Allianz Arena. Following in the foosteps of the latter and Eintracht Frankfurt's Deutsche Bank Park, it will be the third stadium to provide the backdrop to a NFL regular season fixture.

Watch: Inside Berlin's historic Olympiastadion

How to get to Berlin

Germany’s capital and largest city is now home to the country’s third-busiest airport following the long-awaited 2020 opening of Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Connections within Europe are plentiful and often cheap due to the abundance of flights from low-cost airlines such as easyJet and Ryanair. Long-haul destinations include Doha, Beijing, Singapore and the New York area.

Berlin is also well connected within Germany’s rail network, with frequent high-speed ICE services to most major German cities, and also across Europe to other hubs like Amsterdam, Zurich, Warsaw and Budapest. Intercity buses are also common, with more than 10 stations serving Berlin for services across Germany and Europe.

How to get to the Olympiastadion

Berlin’s largest stadium is served by regular U-Bahn and S-Bahn train services from the city centre. The station Olympia-Stadion is served by the U2, while Olympiastadion is served by the S3 and S9. All lines cross the centre of Berlin, and extra services are provided on matchdays.

Once in Berlin…

Things to see and do (apart from the football!)

Genuinely, what isn’t there to do in Berlin? It’s a city with a bit of something for everyone. Of course, the headline acts are the monuments from a city that has seen so much, over the last century in particular. There’s the remnants of the Berlin Wall that once divided the city, the iconic Brandenburg Gate, Checkpoint Charlie, museums, palaces and levels of greenery you’d never expect from such a major city – that includes the old Tempelhof airport, the landing site of the Berlin Airlift and now a public park. And of course Berlin is famous for its nightlife, where again there’s a bit of something for everyone. Guidebooks out and take your pick to fill time between games.

The local cuisine

Berlin’s diversity is reflected in its food scene. You’ll find pretty much any type of gastronomy in Germany’s capital, including Currywurst (sausage in a spicy tomato ketchup) on almost every street corner. Locals also love a kebab (spit-roasted meat), with the now iconic Döner having originated and been popularised in Berlin. You can also sample Prussian classics such as Königsberger Klopse (meatballs in a cream sauce) and, if you're going to the football, it would be wrong not to try a Bulette, a Berlin-style burger patty that originates from the 19th century. Again, simply take your pick and dig in.