The decision to make Poland a co-host of Euro 2012 was greeted with surprise both inside and outside Poland as well as by jubilation that Michel Platini and his UEFA committee had the foresight and courage to bring such a successful tournament here. Once the hangovers wore off however it became clear what a huge task the country had taken on. The country was already trying to repair the damage of 50 years of Communist rule and decades of under-investment. Progress was being made and EU entry 3 years previously promised huge inward investment via the EU’s Structural Funds - - Poland was modernising already. The award of EURO 2012 meant that this process would have to be accelerated and a few new stadiums would have to be built while they were at it.

Despite getting off to a potentially disastrous start when UEFA threatened to suspend Poland and withdraw the tournament after the government of current Prime Minister Donald Tusk tried to impose change on the Polish FA (PZPN), disagreements were settled and work began in earnest. The task has been nothing short of huge. Motorways have had to be built from scratch; an aged railway network and rolling stock needed to be modernised; and the small issue of 3 brand new (and 1 updated) stadia had to be addressed.

Although the whole thing hasn’t gone entirely without a hitch (the road and rail networks will not be completed although the stadia are ready) there is still plenty to be excited about: the best summertime weather (temperatures in the 20s Celsius); prices for food and beer are a competitive steal when compared to western Europe; and the traditionally hospitable people of Poland are well prepared to show their hosting capabilities for Europe’s biggest football event.

Football fans who draw Poland’s capital city are in for a treat. Warsaw comes alive in the summer, with Old Town streets filled with restaurant gardens that keep the food and booze flowing long after the sun goes down. The city has taken its hosting duties seriously and is creating the largest Fan Zone in history (we’re talking room for 120,000 revellers), which will sit in the shadow of Warsaw’s most recognisable landmark from its Communist past, the gothic Palace of Culture.

It’s hard not to notice the most exciting new addition to Warsaw that sits on the banks of the Vistula: the new National Stadium. Easily spotted from across the river in Old Town there is space for 58,000 fans and 860 journalists, while the construction itself, with its red and white covering, was built using hundreds of 45-metre support pillars driven into the ground to stabilise the 25 metres of war rubble the stadium finds itself atop. Priced at 1.2 billion PLN history buffs will note that the Socialist era ‘Relay’ statue at the entrance has been preserved in a nod to the site’s past heritage – it was here that stood the Stadion Dziesięciolecia (10th Anniversary Stadium), built in the 1950s to mark the anniversary of the end of WWII. This was also the site where, on September 8, 1968 in front of 100,000 people, Ryszard Siwiec set himself alight in protest at the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia.

Nearly 50 years on this new National Stadium is a shining example of how far Poland has come since those dark days and the nation will be hoping to mark a more positive moment in its history when the tournament kicks off here on June 8. Before then take the opportunity to go on a remarkable virtual tour of the stadium by clicking on the link found at stadionnarodowy.org.pl

While much of the news coming out of Poland is good at the moment – especially compared with other countries in the Eurozone - - there are still a number of issues the country has had to tackle. As you might imagine from a country of over 300,000 square kilometres that is attempting a complete overhaul of its dated infrastructure, there are plenty of issues that fans should be aware of in advance.

Getting here

While getting to Poland will be a far simpler affair than getting to Ukraine, navigating your travel to the country requires some forethought. For example, Ryanair does not fly to Warsaw from anywhere while until recently domestic flights in Poland could only be booked with LOT Polish Airlines and meant always being routed through its Warsaw hub. All things considered your best bet is to book flights to Poland well in advance. While Ryanair do fly to Wroclaw, Gdansk and Poznan amongst others you will also find budget carrier Wizzair, who serve all four Polish host cities from various cities around Europe. Poland’s national carrier, the aforementioned LOT, has a number of direct routes to Poland from major European cities and is also a member of Star Alliance, which adds to your potential flight options. We recommend looking at the game schedules and searching for flights between host cities for the easiest transport. Eurolot and OLT Express now also fly some domestic routes direct, with new routes being introduced all the time. Fans are advised to look at the various carriers in the coming months to book flights as a timesaving transport plan for getting between cities for the games.

Warsaw itself

Football fans who draw Poland’s capital city are in for a treat. It's a city that loves the game, and after a long, cold winter Warsaw comes alive in the summer, with the Old Town streets filled with restaurant gardens that keep the food and booze flowing long after the sun goes down. The city has taken its hosting duties seriously and is creating the largest Fan Zone in history (we’re talking room for 120,000 revellers), which will sit in the shadow of Warsaw’s most recognisable landmark from its Communist past, the gothic Palace of Culture. When not cheering on your favourite team the city has plenty of sights to keep you busy, from the spellbinding Warsaw Uprising Museum (which will explain why the city had to be reconstructed from ruins after World War II) to the up-and-coming bohemian district of Praga across the Vistula River.

Speaking of the Vistula, it’s hard not to notice the most exciting new addition to Warsaw that sits on its banks: the new National Stadium. The most important of all the projects connected to the tournament was the construction of 3 new stadia and the upgrade of Lech Poznan’s existing stadium. While the Wroclaw, Poznan and Gdansk stadiums have all been completed and hosted major events – the €130 million Wroclaw stadium saw the Vitaly Klitschko vs. Tomasz Adamek fight last September – Warsaw’s National Stadium fell woefully behind schedule. Despite employing over 1,300 workers around the clock and setting a comfortable June 30, 2011 completion date (nearly a full year before the tournament’s start) little of the stadium’s construction has gone according to plan. Word that fifteen of the eighteen flights of evacuation stairs from the upper tiers may not have been properly secured surfaced and was promptly followed by news that the electrical system installed was not capable of powering the whole stadium. Additional work to address these and other issues added time (the stadium was considered completed in December) and money (to the tune of 8 million PLN) to the much-anticipated project.

Yet all can be forgiven when you see the final result, which is easily spotted from across the river in the Old Town: space for 58,000 fans and 860 journalists, with hundreds of 45-metre support pillars driven into the ground to stabilise the 25 metres of war rubble the stadium finds itself atop. Priced at 1.2 billion PLN, the stadium is quite impressive, and fans of commie history will be pleased to learn that the Socialist era ‘Relay’ statue at the entrance has been preserved in a nod to the site’s past heritage. The stadium’s official opening took place on January 29 with five hours of local bands and a fireworks display, with the first official football match – the friendly between Poland and Portugal taking place at the end of February.

Getting around

Getting around the country to catch games at more than one of these stadiums during your stay in Poland may cause some problems. Major road and rail construction is ongoing, and we can confidently say all the work won’t be completed on time. Add to that the strange composition of the groups, with Wroclaw/Poznan and Warsaw/Gdansk far more natural partners in terms of infrastructure available and distances that will have to be covered than the actual groupings of Warsaw/Wroclaw and Poznan/Gdansk. Driving in Poland, while not completely discouraged, is not as straightforward as it is in most western European countries and travel times can be outlandish. Visitors are surprised to find there is no direct motorway between Poznan and Gdansk, for instance, and the 300km haul will take at minimum 4 hours despite a stretch of 100km on the new A1 dual carriageway. On the rails the Intercity train between Warsaw and Wroclaw currently takes 5-6.5 hours and more trains are expected to be added during the tournament, hopefully shortening that journey to a solid 5 hours.

Accommodation

When hoping to ensure a comfortable and convenient night’s rest away from home, early booking is always recommended, but never more so than in this case. While the accommodation options available in every Euro 2012 host city have expanded dramatically since Poland won the right to host the tournament in 2007, many rooms, and indeed entire hotels, have already been reserved by UEFA and the ‘football family’ for the duration of the tournament, meaning availability is already limited. While accommodation prices are generally affordable in comparison to Western Europe, the high demand around match days will no doubt drive their value upwards. Rooms will likely become available again in February, so its worth keeping your eyes peeled for more accommodations.

Being the capital city Warsaw benefits from having the largest array of accommodations for fans to choose from, and with only the Russian and Polish teams from Group A choosing to stay in the city – the Russian team is based at Le Meridien Bristol and the Polish team at the Hyatt, while the Greeks are staying outside Warsaw and the Czechs in Wroclaw – that frees up even more space for you. Plenty of the reliable major chains can be found here, including the Marriott (President Barack Obama saw fit to stay here during his visit last summer), InterContinental, Hilton, Radisson, Sheraton, Westin and Novotel. If you want to dig a little deeper try Mamaison Hotel Le Regina and Polonia Palace for two cream of the crop accommodations without the corporate logos. One way fans win by staying in Warsaw is by taking advantage of the large number of mid-range hotels that call the city home – Campanile, Gromada, Golden Tulip and the Ibis hotels all provide comfortable rooms at competitive prices. Sleepwell Apartments on Nowy Swiat boasts amenities that will come in handy, including mini-fridges home theatres in rooms that are decorated in unique styles (think glittery carpeting and murals of manga assassins) while P&O Apartments can give you all the comforts of home in modern surroundings. If you’re just looking for a place to rest your weary head then a hostel can easily fulfil your basic needs. We like Emma’s eco-friendly take on accommodations while Moon hostel has one of the best locations in the city on busy Foksal street. Many industrious citizens in and around Warsaw are offering their homes for rent during the tournament, an excellent option for families or groups who want more space and amenities like kitchens and parking. AccPol.pl acts as a go-between for homeowners and fans to set up contracts for such rentals; the website is in six languages and covers all four Polish host cities. It's worth taking a look at the state produced polishguide2012.pl as well.

Euro 2012 in Warsaw

Matches to be played in Warsaw (all kickoffs CET)

Group A Fixtures

Poland vs. Greece, Friday June 8, 18:00
Poland vs. Russia, Tuesday June 12, 20:45
Greece vs. Russia, Saturday June 16, 20:45

Quarter final

Winner Grp A vs. Runner up Grp B, Thursday June 21, 20:45

Semi-final

Thursday June 28, 20:45

The Warsaw Fan Zone

We can safely say the Warsaw Fan Zone will be the Fan Zone to end all Fan Zones. The location is a brilliant choice: sitting in the shadow of the Palace of Culture, Defilad Square is centrally located, offers 120,000 square metres of space and is easily accessible by public transit. By all accounts this will be the largest Fan Zone in history, with eight screens airing matches and two stages for hosting concerts and live events. The 7,000 square metre catering zone ensures no one will go hungry, and 400 bathrooms will hopefully minimise lines. A commercial and entertainment area will offer activities outside of matches and the chance to buy all your Euro2012 gear. The entire Zone itself will be fenced in with 13 entry and exit points, and on match days you can expect to see over a thousand security personnel ensuring your safety. The Fan Zone will be open from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m., though on major match days it’s expected to bump that time to 4 a.m. Your first chance to experience the Zone will be June 7, the day before Poland and Greece square off in the tournament’s first match.

An alternative to the official UEFA fan zone is the Carlsberg Fan Camp, which springs up in each host city and offers on-site camping, live broadcasts of the matches, a Sport Zone where you can act out your best football moves, an enormous Catering Zone filled with Polish and International dishes, and even a Relax Zone that simulates a sandy beach in the middle of the city. The best part: the Camp will be green (like the beer!) and have an Eco Zone devoted to running the event in an environmentally friendly way.