Foreign Office issues travel advice for Europa League final

The Foreign Office has issued some travel advice for football fans heading to Istanbul for the Europa League final <i>(Image: PA)</i>
The Foreign Office has issued some travel advice for football fans heading to Istanbul for the Europa League final (Image: PA)
This article is brought to you by our exclusive subscriber partnership with our sister title USA Today, and has been written by our American colleagues. It does not necessarily reflect the view of The Herald.

The Foreign Office has issued a travel warning to football fans who will be heading over to Turkey for the Europa League final.

Aston Villa will be taking on the German side Freiburg in Istanbul on Wednesday, May 20.

Istanbul will be the host city for Europe's second biggest club competition, and tens of thousands of fans will be travelling to it.

Ahead of the final, the Foreign Office has shared some advice for those who will be going.

Foreign Office issues travel advice for Europa League final

The Government website shares that British nationals travelling to Istanbul should do a few things.

This includes:

  • planning their movements around the city to arrive at the dedicated fan zone in Gezi Park, Taksim Square or the stadium well in advance of the match starting 
  • following the instructions of the local authorities 
  • taking care of their personal possessions including passports, especially in crowds and on public transport

UEFA has also shared some advice as well as instructions to get to the stadium on its website.

It shared: "Stadium gates open at 19:00 local time for a 22:00 kick-off.

"Additional security and ticket checks will be in place around the stadium.

"Arrive from 3 hours before kick-off."

In terms of travelling around the city, it said: "Istanbul has an extensive public transport network comprising of metros, trams, buses and ferries.

"Get an Istanbulkart or use your own contactless payment method to pay for public transportation.


Recommended reading:


"More information on services and routes can be found at Metro Istanbul, İETT (trams & buses) and Şehir Hatlari (ferries)."

If the game concludes in normal time, the post-match ceremony and accompanying celebrations should finish at around 12.30am local time.

However, if the match goes to extra time or penalties, it will likely finish at 1.15am.

Are you heading to the Europa League final this year? Let us know in the comments.

Get involved
with the news

Send your news & photos