Klagenfurt
Stadium: Worthersee
Capacity: 30,000
Built: 2007
Matches:
8th June: Germany v Poland
12th June: Croatia v Germany
16th June: Poland v Croatia
The Worthersee Stadium was designed and built specifically for the tournament.
Modelled on Basel's St-Jakob Park, the 30,000-seat arena also houses a centre of sports excellence.
After the tournament the capacity will be reduced to 12,500, with the top tier removed and the roof lowered, and the stadium will be the home of Austria Karnten, a club formed only a year ago.
The City
Klagenfurt is the provincial capital of the region of Carinthia (Karnten) and is Austria's sixth largest city.
Set on the shores of the idyllic Worthersee, a popular summer holiday destination, it is home to FC Karnten and FC Austria Karnten, neither of whom are very good at football.
A stone's throw from Slovenia and a little further to Alpine Italy, it's a lovely part of the world. Three group matches will be played here.
Transport
Klagenfurt is not a big place so for the most part you'll be able to get around on foot.
Shuttle buses link the main car parks with the stadium and the city centre - there are also buses to take you from the station to the stadium, which is about a half hour walk away.
Parking is very limited in the city, so follow the signs from the Klagenfurt Ost junction on the A2 to the official car parks.
Inter-city trains, which will run through the night after matches, take around four hours to Vienna, or three to Salzburg.
What to Visit
The Worthersee is, erm, worth a see. As the warmest lake in the Alps it's understandably over-run by Austrian and German tourists in the summer months, particularly in the beautiful beach-front village of Velden, 20 minutes out of Klagenfurt by train.
If you have plenty of time on your hands, there are no fewer than 23 castles and mansions in the vicinity, while you just may be tempted by Happ's Reptile Zoo.
You may prefer, though, the splendid surroundings of the Alterplatz or the nearby Neuerplatz, where you'll find the smaller of the two Fan Zones - the larger is at the Exhibitions Ground and promises "clubbings and parties" on non-match days. You have been warned.
This being Austria, there's an arty feel to the city's preparations and alongside several exhibitions in Kardinerplatz (directly east of the Neuerplatz fan zone) there will be daily jazz concerts to entertain the more highbrow visitors.
Food & Drink
There will be few surprises food-wise, but alongside the usual schnitzel and sauerkraut you'll find a couple of Carinthian specialities.
'Kasnudeln' are noodle pouches filled with cheese and mint, or you could get your snout into a bowl of 'Klachlsuppe' (pig trotter soup).
Fish, fresh from the region's lakes, is also popular.
Aside from the Fan Zones, the best places to grab a beer are a short stroll north-west of the Alterplatz on Pfarrplatz and Herrengasse, which is also the place to go if you're intent on dancing the night away, as you might say if this was the 70s.
Phrasebook
How do I get to the Worthersee Stadium?
Wie komme ich zum Worthersee Stadion?
Do you have a food menu?
Haben Sie eine Speisekarte?
