Whether your country has qualified for the UEFA European Championship in 2012, or you simply love the beautiful game, a trip to the UEFA EURO 2012™ finals in Poland and Ukraine could be the experience of a lifetime.
The football tournament is scheduled to begin on June 8th, eight months after the qualification round finishes in November 2011. This is the last time that only 16 of the 51 European teams are heading to the tournament. From 2016 onwards, the event is being expanded to include 24 countries. The final will be taking place on July 1st.
The hosts of UEFA EURO 2012™
It has become a bit of a trend in recent years for countries to co-bid for large football events. Belgium and the Netherlands were the first countries to co-host the 2000 UEFA European Championship, while the 2008 EURO was held in both Switzerland and Austria.
UEFA EURO 2012™ will be hosted by both Poland and Ukraine. Matches will take place in four cities in each country: Gdansk, Poznan, Warsaw and Wroclaw in Poland and Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Donetsk in Ukraine.
What to do while you're there
When you travel to the UEFA EURO 2012™ tournament, you may well want to consider some of the other things that the local city has to offer. After all, most of the locations are popular tourist destinations, with a range of attractions and activities, not to mention wonderful places to eat and enjoy the nightlife.
Kyiv is the capital of Ukraine and the country's largest city - it's also where the final game of the UEFA European Championship 2012 will be held. It is believed to have been named after Kyiv, a Slavic tribe leader who helped found the city in 482. Since then, the city has seen centuries of history and vestiges of the past can be spotted wherever you look.
Getting around Kyiv is easy and there's a reliable Metro system. Visitors who have come to the city to see a UEFA EURO 2012™ game may also want to take some time to see St Sophia Cathedral and the Monastery of the Caves. Both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Lviv is located near the western border of Ukraine and visitors should be sure to check out the historical centre, which features some very old buildings and charming cobblestone streets. Kharkiv is Ukraine's second-largest city and is a major centre with plenty of fantastic places to enjoy yourself. Meanwhile, Donetsk has an intriguing mix of places to go and things to do - be sure to check out Artema Street; it's generally considered the best place for tourists to start.
As the capital of Poland, Warsaw has seen its fair share of history - in fact, it was almost completely destroyed during the second world war. This means that many of the buildings are quite modern, but there are also a number of historic sites that survived.
Those travelling to Warsaw for UEFA EURO 2012™ may also want to take some time from their frivolity to pay a sobering visit to the Warsaw Uprising Museum, which tells the story of some of the darkest days in the city's past.
Gdansk is located on the Baltic coast of Poland and is proud of its maritime culture, so why not make the most of it with a river cruise, or a relaxing drink on the waterfront in the run-up to the big game? Wroclaw is located on a river and is a picturesque location. Poznan is a vibrant and intriguing town in Poland, with plenty of historic sites for visitors who have come for the football and stayed for the atmosphere.
Want to go to the UEFA European Championship 2012?
If you want to get up close to the UEFA EURO 2012™ action - and maybe even make a bit of a holiday out of your trip, here at Thomson Sport, we can help you to start making travel plans.
As a Licensed Tour Operator for UEFA EURO 2012™, we offer excellent hotel and ticket packages that can put you right in the middle of the excitement. We've been helping holidaymakers and football fans make fabulous travel arrangements for many years, and you're sure to love our high-level of service and wide range of options.
