Visit Dortmund, watch Euro 2024

Euro 2024 has begun, and many Vietnamese tourists will undoubtedly travel to Germany to participate in Europe's biggest football event. The ten German cities chosen to host the matches each possess their own unique charm. Among them, Dortmund stands out as a unique destination for tourists and fans alike to experience the football atmosphere.

Signal Iduna Park stadium, where several Euro 2024 matches were held.

Interesting destinations

Dortmund is renowned as the "heart" of the Ruhr mining region. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the city has truly transformed into a famous tourist destination. This success is largely due to Borussia Dortmund, the team that recently reached the Champions League final. Their home stadium, Signal Iduna Park (formerly Westfalenstadion), is also a major tourist attraction. Daily tours of Signal Iduna Park take visitors to explore every corner of the stadium. This is in addition to experiential activities, such as a virtual reality game that guides players through the journey of becoming a professional footballer, from the football academy to the stadium.

Signal Iduna Park stadium will host six Euro 2024 matches, including four group stage matches (B, D, and F), one round of 16 match, and one semi-final. Tourists will have plenty of time to explore Dortmund. A common first stop for many football fans is the German Football Museum. This museum was built with the profits Germany earned from the 2006 World Cup. It houses numerous valuable artifacts related to German football clubs and the national team, such as the four World Cup trophies won by the German national team. Located next to Hauptbahnhof train station, the German Football Museum is often the first place many visitors see when arriving in Dortmund.

Of course, Dortmund is more than just football. From being an industrial city, Dortmund has transformed itself into a nature-loving metropolis with numerous parks and green spaces. The most famous is Westfalenpark, covering 70 hectares (among the largest parks in Europe). The park offers many attractions for visitors, such as the Deutsches Rosarium – a garden with 3,000 different varieties of roses, and the Kaiserhain swan lake. The Dortmund TV Tower in the north of the park offers the best panoramic views of the city. In addition, music and cultural festivals are held almost year-round in Westfalenpark.

Much of Dortmund was destroyed by bombing during World War II, but fortunately, the old town (Viertel) remains relatively intact. It boasts 13th-century buildings such as Bodelschwingh Castle and the Adlerturm watchtower (now the Children's Museum). The area around the old city walls is home to many historical monuments. Old streets like Moltke are also famous for their cherry blossom trees. If you visit in April, when the streets are awash in pink, you can't help but take photos or simply choose a cafe to enjoy the scenery.

Enjoy without limits.

Compared to many cities in western Germany, Dortmund has a more developed commercial sector. It boasts two famous shopping streets, Westenhellweg and Ostenhellweg, dating back to the Middle Ages. From local produce to specialized equipment, everything can be found on these two streets. Some popular souvenirs for tourists visiting Dortmund include cuckoo clocks, incense burners, and toy soldiers. If you love fashion, visit Brückstraßenviertel and Kleppingstraße, which are home to numerous fashion boutiques, fabric shops, and tailor shops.

After parkour (an extreme sport based on the fast and precise movements of the military) spread to Germany, Dortmund became one of the places where this sport flourished most. The city offers no shortage of challenges for parkour enthusiasts, from the old town with its densely packed houses to abandoned factories with mountains of machinery wreckage. The area around the Westphalia Industrial Museum is particularly attractive to parkour athletes because it was formerly a mining and coal mine area. Authorities have also established a dedicated parkour zone in Fredenbaumpark.

When it comes to Dortmund's cuisine, nothing compares to beer. Dortmunder beer (full name: Dortmunder Export) is the pride of the city, but there are hundreds of different breweries, large and small, in Dortmund. Dortmund residents drink beer in 2-liter glasses, and they drink whenever they feel thirsty. If it's beer before a meal, they drink a cocktail made with beer, rum, licorice, nutmeg powder, etc., which is said to be good for digestion. Tourists should buy one or two bottles of this cocktail (called Dortmunder Tropfen Schnaps).

Dortmund was once a city of miners, so its cuisine is simple yet nutritious. Notable dishes include pfefferpotthast (beef stew), himmel un ääd (mashed potatoes and stewed apples), and griebenschmalz (pork fat spread on dark bread, pumpernickel, and served with currywurst sausage). In the summer, there's Dortmunder Salzkuchen, a sandwich made with bagels, smoked meat, onions, salt, and caraway seeds. The best place to enjoy these local delicacies is the old market, Alter Markt. The square in the middle of the market, which also houses a beer garden, is always packed with football fans whenever a match is taking place.

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/tham-dortmund-xem-euro-2024-669344.html