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Planning on visiting Gelsenkirchen, nicknamed 'the City of Thousand Fires'? A city known for its coal, iron and steel industries but nevertheless it is well located near cycling and hiking trails.

Come here and post your do's and don't's, chat about where to visit, eat, go sightseeing, where to sleep etc...

news.bbc.co.uk/sport...

The home of the seven times German champions, Schalke 04 will host five games including one quarter-final tie.

And to add to this excruiatingly exciting topic, its a little known fact that Gelsenkirchen is twinned with no other than Newcastle.


I thank you

www.newcastle.gov.uk...

Does anyone know if there's a venue at Gelsenkirchen where people without tickets can watch the world cup? We will be staying near the town, didn't manage to get a ticket, but would still like to soak up some of the atmosphere. I read that Munich has a park with big screens set up for the occasion.

Thanks for the help,

Blantyre

Im going here next Thursday to watch Serbia play Argentinia, flying from Stanstead thanks for help!

Hi there, blantyre. I used to work for Tourist Info info in Gelsenkirchen, so I thought I would answer your question. Every match will be shown on a big screen on the Glueckaufkampfbahn, one of Schalke's former stadiums.

As a general thing, some advice on what to see and what not to see in Gelsenkirchen:

If you are in the town centre, then you're probably (unless the town has been totally revamped in the year since I came back to England) going to be disappointed. When I first moved to Gelsenkirchen, I couldn't believe the rubble and disrepair. But Gelsenkirchen is a really deprived area with 30% unemployment. In fact, the World Cup is going to alter their economy beyond belief.

I really recommend a trip to Zeche Zollverein. It's an old mining facility, but has been turned into a Unesco heritage site with a museum and so on. It's a huge site and a great day out. You take tram 107 from the train station in Gelsenkirchen, and it takes you out.

The zoo in Horst (tram 301) is a little grim, but it's ok if you have children, and if it's a sunny day, Park Nordstern in the north of the city and the "Skulpturwald" in the south, a trail of sculptures relating to Gelsenkirchen's industrial history (tram 302 to Ueckendorfer Platz) are a nice afternoon out.

It doesn't take long to get to Essen, Bochum, Oberhausen or even Duesseldorf from Gelsenkirchen. Why would I recommend these places? Essen has amazing cultural experiences and has a much livelier feel with bars, clubs and shops. Oberhausen has a huge shopping complex called Centro, reminsicent of Sheffield's Meadowhall, and also has a Sea Life centre aquarium. Bochum has the most famous "currywurst" (sausage in a curry sauce) house in Germany and is a lively student town.

This posting has been hidden during moderation because it broke the House Rules in some way.

glad_all_over

There is no airport in Gelsenkirchen, but you can fly to Dusseldorf or Dortmund which are only half an hour away, then you get the tram line 302 to the stadium from the train station in Gelsenkirchen, or you can fly to Paderborn (near Munster) or Cologne, which are about an hour away.

Wilfredo wants to know some details about Gelsenkirchen.

Going out to Gelsenkirchen for Friday and Saturday, not planning to get tickets just to be there. Anyone know of good places to stay, places to avoid, is it easiest just to sleep in the car etc?

Going out on Thursday night without tickets and not expecting to come across any. Staying Bochum...home of Starlight Express I believe !
Apparently Bochum's stadium is open to fans to watch games and its not an offical FIFA site so not as commercial and more choice of German beer rather than just Budweiser !! Think I will watch the German game there and head for the fan festival at Scalke's old ground on Saturday. The tram system around there puts our public transport to shame.

Hey all..

Back in the UK after seeing our dissappointing Sweden game... Back back out to Gelsenkirchen for the Portugal game... Can't wait..

Anyone interested in a fab place.. Try staying in and around dusselldorf... Not one of the footy cities, but trust me, the atmosphere was awsome. Every pub had plasmas, every cool-outdoor-italian style bistro, had a plasma, crikey, even the street vendors had plasmas..

Anyway, we stayed in Neuss, just outside dusselldorf, so if you don't mind the 20 minute drive, its handy for all the major routes to any stadiums...

Anyway, for those of you joining me this weekend on our way to Gersenkitchen, 'honk if you want to see those porto scum lose at the hands of a scolario boo boo.