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Allianz Arena Tours
Of
all the football stadiums that were built or refurbished for the 2006 World Cup
in Germany, the Allianz Arena in Munich is probably the most spectacular.
The soccer stadium, designed by
world-renowned architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron of Basel,
Switzerland, has a skin of 1,056 fire-resistant membrane "cushions" that are
illuminated from behind by 25,344 lights. At night, the entire stadium glows
white, red, blue, or in three alternating colors, depending on whether a match
is taking place and which of the two home teams is playing: FC München (red) or TSV
1860 (blue). The arena is nearly as impressive
inside, with 69,901 seats arranged in steep banks to bring spectators as close
as possible to the action. Seats are protected from the weather by a partial
roof that admits sunlight and leaves the natural-grass pitch open to the sky.
On days when no matches are scheduled, you can take a 75-minute
Arena View tour (with admission to the FCB
Museum) for a modest fee. The tour includes a film about the construction of
the arena, followed by visits to the players' dressing rooms, the player
tunnel, the press club, commentators' positions, seating areas, and private
boxes. If you wish, you can buy FC Bayern merchandise at the team's
fan shop after the tour. The tour schedule varies, and published tour times aren't always
observed, so check the Tours
& Museum page at the Allianz
Arena Web site and book a tour online to avoid a wasted trip to the city's
outskirts. Tip: On your way back into town, get
off at the Münchner Freiheit U-Bahn station to explore the lively
neighborhood of Schwabing and the English Garden, which is
Munich's version of Central Park or Hyde Park. Afterwards, you can continue
on foot to the city center. How to reach the Allianz Arena by U-Bahn:
Motorists: For driving directions from Google Maps, click here. About the author: Durant Imboden is a professional travel writer, book author, and editor who focuses on European cities and transportation. After 4-1/2 years of covering European travel topics for About.com, Durant and Cheryl Imboden co-founded Europe for Visitors (now including Germany for Visitors) in 2001. The site has earned "Best of the Web" honors from Forbes and The Washington Post. For more information, see About Europe for Visitors, press clippings, and reader testimonials. |
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