I'd give at least an hour to get to the stadium from the city centre, and would advise you avoid the 'fan fest' altogether. There's a better atmosphere in bars in the centre of town.

Can recommend a good bar just beside the HauptBahnhof, called Hibernia. They serve Gruben Pils there and the stuff is like amber nectar. The big screen is quite good too.

We had three Gelsenkirchen games, and stayed in Cologne or Dusseldorf for each of them. Would recommend either place ahead of Gelsenkirchen. (Dusseldorf is a little closer to Gelsenkirchen, but isn't a host city.)

Hibernia Brauhaus: Bahnhofsvorplatz 2, Gelsenkircen;
tel: 02 09 20 8531;
www.brauhaus-hibernia.de

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Don't be disappointed if your beer comes in a small glass; this is not Bavaria. It just means you can drink more of them doesn't it? You will also have to be patient as it takes a few minutes to pull a perfect Pils, experts say 20 minutes, so order your next one well in advance! For every beer you drink , the barman will put a pencil mark on your beer mat and you pay before you go.

Try the many different sorts of Pils. Any bar will serve you a decent beer.

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