For more details about the locations of the stadiums in Vienna, go to Footiemap.com to see their excellent Vienna map section.
ERNST HAPPEL STADION - CAPACITY: 49,000 ALL SEATER
About Ernst Happel Stadion The UEFA 5-Star Stadium in central Vienna is currently going through some modifications in time for the start of the 2008 European Football Championships which will see the stadium host Austria’s group matches, as well as three knock-out stage games and the Final. The stadium is certainly a favourite with UEFA – it is actually the only sub-50,000 capacity stadium to have a 5 star status and has been used on four occasions as the venue for European Champions League finals, the last time being in 1995 when Ajax beat AC Milan.
The stadium has been on its present site since 1931 when it was constructed for the Workers Olympiad. It originally had a capacity of over 70,000 and was actually expanded soon after the war to a massive 90,000. The record attendance of 92,000 came during this period in a match versus Spain. The capacity has been slowly reduced since, both for practical reasons (nobody likes playing in front of a half empty stadium) as well as for safety reasons to the current 49,844. By the time the tournament kicks off next summer it will hold just over 53,000.
The stadium is an elliptical shape, with an athletics track separating the fans from the pitch. The seats do not run down to pitch level at the moment – meaning that views are good from all places, although part of the work currently being carried out will involve constructing seating in this area. The roof was added in 1986 and is very similar in design to the AWD Arena in Hannover, or the Gottleib Daimler stadion in Stuttgart – appearing to float above the stands.
Who plays there? The stadium is used primarily by the national team as their first choice venue, although in recent years it has also been used by Fk Austria and Rapid for their Champions League matches. Derby matches between FK Austria and Rapid have also been played here over the past few seasons.
The main focus is obviously on Euro 2008 where the stadium will host seven games in the tournament – more than any other. This includes Austria’s three group games, two quarter finals, a semi-final and the final itself on Sunday 29th June.
How to get there The stadium is located on a large island which separates the River Danube and the Danube canal from the old town of Vienna. It is also an integral part of the Prater Park, and the iconic wheel can be seen from a number of the seats. The city is currently building a new U-Bahn station close to the stadium on line U2. In the meantime fans should use the U-Bahn station Wien Praterstern on U1 which is only six stops from Südbahnhof. Bus line 80a also runs to the stadium from the old town.
For more details about the locations of the stadiums in Vienna, go to Footiemap.comere to see their excellent Vienna map section.
Getting a ticket Tickets for all of the games in Euro2008 are sold out after the initial ticket sale by UEFA in March 2007. Tickets will be available on the black market in June 2008, but as the stadium is hosting the home nation, expect them to be expensive.
For other national team games, tickets are more readily available via the official site http://www.oefb.at. If you want tickets to see any club games then these will be sold via the official club websites.
Getting around Vienna has an excellent public transport network, made up of a mixture of U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Buses and trams. The network is very dense in the city centre, and services are very frequent meaning that travelling around is simple and inexpensive. The main line in the old town is the U-Bahn line 2 which rings the historical centre. A day pass is the best option for visitors to the city. These are available from all stations, and major stops from the red machines and cost €6.20.
GERHARD HANAPPI STADION - CAPACITY: 18,456 ALL SEATER
About Gerhard Hanappi Stadion The Gerhard Hanappi Stadion is the second largest stadium in Vienna, and is located in the western part of the historic city centre. Certainly for many visitors who are interested in a number of the more famous sites, the stadium is ideally located close to the Hagenpark (Zoo) and the impressive Schloss Schöbrunn complex.
The stadium is very similar in design to the Stade Gerland in Lyon – even down to the curved roof design. It has four separate stands, the side ones being two tiered, whilst the ones behind the goals are simple single tiered with 20 or so rows. Views are very good from all seats, although if you are in the Sud Tribune be prepared for the fact that the seats are very uncomfortable metal ones.
The stadium is one of the most atmospheric on matchdays in Austria despite its design. Further development work was put on hold after a decision in 2003 was made not to use the venue for any of the Euro 2008 matches. The stadium is named after the Austrian and Rapid Vienna player of the same name.
Who plays there? The Stadium has been home to Sporklub Rapid Wien (more popularly known as SK Rapid Wien) since 1977, although the club first came into existence in 1898 as the Erster Wiener Arbeiter Fussball Club (First Worker’s Football Club of Vienna), although they renamed as Rapid less than a year later. The club also have a distinct honour of having actually won League titles in two countries – they won the 1941 German Championship when they beat Schalke 04.
The club have gone on to be the most successful Austrian club side with 31 League titles, and 14 Austrian cups to date, the last of these honours was in 2005 when they broke a ten year barren spell by winning the league.
The club have also had more success in Europe than any other Austrian team, finishing runners up in the European Cup Winners Cup twice – first in 1985 to Everton in Rotterdam, and then again ten years later to Paris Saint Germain. In terms of appearances in the Champions League the club have had moderate success. In 1996 they finished bottom in a group containing Juventus, Manchester United and Fenerbahçe, picking up two points, and in 2005 they lost all six group games when placed with Juventus again, Club Brugge and Bayern Munich.
2006/07 was always going to be a hard season for the club, trying to compete with the cash-rich Red Bull Salzburg. With a couple of games left in the season there was still a chance of a 2nd place finish. However, the club in the end failed to win a game at relegation threatened Altach which in the end coasted them a place in Europe.
2007/08 was a much better season as the club finally returned to the Champions status and will be back in the Champions League in 2008.
How to get there The stadium is located in the western part of the city centre and is almost opposite Hütteldorf S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations. From the city centre you will need to get a U-Bahn to Westbahnof before changing onto S-Bahn line 45. If you are coming from the old town then U-Bahn Line 4 terminates at Hütteldorf, although it is not the most direct route. Allow yourself 25 minutes if coming on U4. If you are arriving in town at the SudBahnhof then Catch U1 north two stops where it intersects with U4 and then head westwards. A one day travel pass for all public transport in Vienna costs €6.20 and can be purchased from the red machines at any station.
For more details about the locations of the stadiums in Vienna, go to Footiemap.com to see their excellent Vienna map section.
Getting a ticket Attendances for Austrian football are not great, and if it wasn’t for the recent Red-Bull fuelled marketing activity in Salzburg, Rapid would have the honour of the best supported team in the league. Attendances still average over 13,000 (last season it was as high as 14,572) which is quite impressive considering the most capacity of the ground. Tickets are therefore quite easy to pick up on the day of the game from the windows along Keisslergasse.
Alternatively you are able to buy tickets online from the club’s website at http://www.skrapid.at or by phone on +43 1 544 5440. Tickets for the most expensive seats in the Süd Tribune start from €22. For a more neutral view then get a seat in the upper tier of the Nord Tribune for €18.
Getting around Vienna has an excellent public transport network, made up of a mixture of U-Bahn, S-Bahn, Buses and trams. The network is very dense in the city centre, and services are very frequent meaning that travelling around is simple and inexpensive. The main line in the old town is the U-Bahn line 2 which rings the historical centre.
A day pass is the best option for visitors to the city. These are available from all stations, and major stops from the red machines and cost €6.20.
Vienna airport is located around 10 miles south east of the city centre. The airport has recently opened its third terminal which is almost exclusively for budget airlines, although currently no budget airlines fly from the UK to Vienna. Currently the airport serves London Heathrow with Austrian Airways and British Airways. The easiest way to reach the city centre from the airport is via train from the airport to WienMitte. Trains run every 30 minutes and costs €3 each way. There is also a fast train running from Mitte, although tickets are more expensive. A taxi should take around 15 minutes and cost less than €20.
An alternative airport is located in Bratislava in neighbouring Slovakia some 45 miles away. Both Sky Europe and Ryanair fly from London Stansted here on a daily basis. A bus run by Terrorvision meets all inbound flights and transfers customers into Vienna in around 45 minutes.
