EURO 2024
Euro 2024 city guide: Dortmund
With Dortmund’s Signal Iduna Park set to host games at UEFA Euro 2024 in Germany, get clued up on the stadium and the city in our guides.
Stadium: Signal Iduna Park
One of the wonders of the modern world, Borussia Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park is a footballing cathedral, and a place all fans should visit at least once in their life. Packed to its 81,365 capacity almost every game, it is Germany's largest stadium and has the largest single terrace for standing supporters in Europe, with 24,454 filling its world-famous Südtribüne (south stand) to create the awe-inspiring 'Yellow Wall.' Deafeningly loud and utterly awe-inspiring, the stadium is a Mecca for thousands of visitors from Germany and beyond.
Opened for the FIFA World Cup in 1974, the stadium - originally known as the Westfalenstadion - has been BVB's home ever since the club outgrew their previous Rote Erde stadium, which still lies adjacent to the Signal Iduna. The arena hosted the 2001 UEFA Cup final and a further six matches at the 2006 FIFA World Cup. The ground is an unmissable landmark of the Dortmund skyline and the distinctive 62-metre-high yellow pylons atop the stadium can be seen for miles around, serving as a beacon for the masses making the pilgrimage.
Watch: Inside Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park
Matches to be played there:
15 June: Italy 2-1 Albania (Group B)
18 June: Turkey 3-1 Georgia (Group F)
22 June: Turkey 0-3 Portugal (Group F)
25 June: France 1-1 Poland (Group D)
29 June: Germany 2-0 Denmark (Round of 16)
10 July (9pm): Netherlands vs. England (Semi-final)
>>> See the full fixture list here!
How to get to Dortmund:
Dortmund airport is served by low-cost airlines with services mainly to holiday destinations but also across Germany, to London and many areas of Eastern Europe. However, for a greater range of airlines and destinations, Dusseldorf and Cologne-Bonn airport are the two major air hubs in the region with daily flights across Europe and further, and are within an hour of Dortmund by regional train, or even less with the high-speed ICE, with Dortmund Hauptbahnhof serving as a major rail hub in the German rail network.
For an even greater variety of flights from North America, Frankfurt airport is Germany’s busiest and only two hours away from Dortmund thanks to frequent, direct high-speed train services.
How to get to the Signal Iduna Park:
Situated just south of the city centre, the Signal Iduna Park is served by numerous local rail lines. The U42 (Theodor-Fliedner-Heim station), U45 (Stadion) and U46 (Westfallenhallen and Stadion) all travel to the stadium with the Stadion station only open on matchdays. Deutsche Bahn services on mainline tracks also serve the Dortmund Signal-Iduna-Park station with scheduled and special matchday trains serving Dortmund Hauptbahnhof and the greater Ruhr area. Bus 450 also stops at Westfallenhallen.
Once in Dortmund…
Things to see and do (apart from the football!):
The largest city in the Ruhr region of North Rhine-Westphalia with a population of more than half a million people, Dortmund has been shaped by its production-centred past, focused primarily on steel, coal and – equally vital – beer. Football is now a firm element of that mix as the coal and steel industries declined. As well as BVB’s Signal Iduna Park and accompanying Borusseum, the city is also home to the German Football Museum, funded by profits from the 2006 FIFA World Cup to present the history of German football.
Largely decimated during World War II, modern Dortmund is an open and green city with spacious parks and numerous waterways crossing the city. You can catch a beautiful view over the city rooftops from St. Reinoldi’s tower, whilst you can also visit the famous Dortmunder U – the former site of the Union brewery and now home to several museums. And there’s Borsigplatz, jokingly referred to as Germany’s most famous roundabout, where BVB celebrate their titles. Think back to Jürgen Klopp in an open-top bus… However, its central location in the Ruhr means Dortmund is only a stone’s throw away from several other cities. Just don’t mention Gelsenkirchen…
Watch: Dortmund stadium experience
The local cuisine:
Pfefferpotthast (a traditional meat stew, typically served with pumpernickel bread) and Himmel und Äd (black pudding with stewed apples and mashed potatoes) are both proud symbols of Dortmund cuisine. A Bratwurst (fried sausage) and Currywurst (sausage in spicey ketchup sauce) are also staples of a matchday diet. Nieheimer cheese – slightly sour with a hint of carraway – is another proud local dish. DAB and Brinkhoffs are the beers of choice. If you prefer something stronger, try the juniper-flavored spirit, Steinhäger.
Check out the rest of our Euro 2024 city guides: