If you've never been to a German match before, Bayer Leverkusen is a fun trip to start with. It's easy accessible, a nice stadium, a real German top team. and tickets are not hard to get.
For years the BayArena was a cheerless right-angled stadium with ugly green seats. That has been changed with the renovations in 2009, which has turned the BayArena overnight in a quite nice stadium. The seats were replaced by red ones and at 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. It makes that you can see the BayArena from far away, especially when the stadium is lit up at night.
In the current Neulandpark, not far from the Rhine, Bayer Leverkusen found its first home more than 100 years ago. The stadium was called the Dhünn Platz, to the small river close to the stadium. A big part of the pitch had disappeared under the current A1 motorway, but in the Neulandpark is a small monument placed. On 30 meters from the Chinese pavillion there's a plaquette and a corner circle, which marks the corner of the former pitch.
In the 30s of last century Bayer Leverkusen played its home games in the Stadtpark, not far from the current BayArena. Here did die Werkself play until 1960, except for some years after World War 2: the American soldiers weren't particularly fan of soccer and changed the pitch into a baseball place. In 1960, Bayer moved to the place where the BayArena is now. Close to the corner Am Stadtpark-Walter Nernst Straße is the spot where once the old stadium was, and the former stadium gates are rebuilt to mark where the main entrance once was.
On the corner of the Nobelstraße and the Dhünnstraße stands 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 an own club building with dressing rooms close to the pitch. So the Erholungshaus was used as dressing room, and after getting changed the teams walked to one of the pitches to play the match.
When you want to stay the night after a game and don't like walking, this is your hotel. The hotel is integrated in the Nordkurve of the BayArena, and several spots in the hotel offer you views of the pitch.
In the Osttribune of the BayArena is 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 favorite: the team photo before the Champions League Final of 2002 with Michael Ballack, Lucio and good old Oliver Neuville.
Even though Bayer Leverkusen has built quite a reputation on the pitch, it's not a club with gigantic numbers of spectators. As a suburb of Cologne, the competition of FC Köln with very big and other big clubs aren't far away either. The 30.000 seater BayArena is then also big enough, and getting tickets is usually easy. It can be a unique chance to see a European top team in the Champions League. You buy the 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 in walking distance of the BayArena.
Images: Shutterstock, BSR Agency
