If you've never been to a football match in Germany before, then Bayer Leverkusen is a good start. The stadium is nice and easily accessible and Leverkusen is a real top team. On top of that, tickets are easy to get.
For years the BayArena was a cheerless right-angled stadium with ugly green seats. That changed with the renovations in 2009, which turned the BayArena into quite a nice stadium overnight. The seats were replaced by red ones and on three sides, a new second tier was built on top of the existing construction. The biggest eye-catcher of the stadium is the roof: a giant, silver disk which seems to float above the stadium. You can spot the roof from the BayArena from miles away, especially when it's lit up at night.
In the current Neulandpark, not far from the river Rhine, Bayer Leverkusen found its first home more than 100 years ago. The stadium was called the Dhünn Platz. A big part of the pitch had disappeared under the current A1 motorway, but in Neulandpark you will still find a small monument. About 30 meters from the Chinese pavilion there's a plaque and a corner circle, which marks the corner of the former pitch.
In the 30s of the last century, Bayer Leverkusen played its home games in the Stadtpark, not far from the current BayArena. Die Werkself played here until 1960, with the exception of some years after World War 2. The American soldiers weren't particularly fans of football and changed the pitch into a baseball place. In 1960, Bayer moved to the location where the BayArena is located right now. Close to the corner of Am Stadtpark-Walter Nernst Straße is the spot where the old stadium was. The former gates have been rebuilt to mark the old main entrance.
On the corner of the Nobelstraße and the Dhünnstraße, you find the ‘Bayer Erholungshaus’, the former recreation centre of the Bayer-concern. In the early days of Bayer Leverkusen, more than 110 years ago, the club didn't have its own club building with dressing rooms close to the pitch. So the Erholungshaus was used as a dressing room.
If you want to stay the night after a game and don't like walking, this is your hotel. The hotel is integrated into the Nordkurve of the BayArena, and several spots in the hotel offer you views of the pitch.
In the Osttribune of the BayArena, you will find restaurant Schwadbus, the ideal place for a good meal or beer before or after a match. Take a look at the beautiful collection of jerseys and photos on the wall. Our favourite: the team photo before the Champions League Final of 2002 with Michael Ballack, Lucio and Oliver Neuville.
Even though Bayer Leverkusen has built quite a reputation on the pitch, it's not a club with a gigantic number of fans. As a suburb of Cologne, they can't compete with FC Köln and other big clubs in the surrounding area. The 30.000 seater BayArena is more than big enough, and getting tickets is usually easy. On top of that, this does mean that you can have the unique chance to see a European top team in the Champions League here quite easily too. You can buy tickets on the official website of the club.
The BayArena is right next to the junction of Leverkusen, where motorways A1 and A3 cross each other. No matter from which direction you come, the stadium is easy to find. Take the A3 in the direction of Frankfurt and take exit 24 (Leverkusen). From there, follow the sign in direction of the stadium or to one of the car parks. From there, take the shuttle buses to the stadium. The Parkplatz unter Stelzenbrücke at the Marienburger Straße is within walking distance of the BayArena.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
