The whole package was brilliant and everything ran really smoothly, the football ticket were at reception on our arrival at the hotel and both of the flights went without a hitch. Overall a great service.
We stayed approx 10 minute walk from the stadium, the main bars are a cab ride away that cost approx €15. We were over charged on our taxi from the airport to the Hotel, we paid €50 per cab, on our return to the airport we had a taxi that accommodated all 6 of our party and we paid €50 in total.
The booking process is extremely simple and straightforward with good communication and regular email updates. All documents required are sent well in time. The only tricky bit was the printing of the boarding passes on the Easyjet website. Why Easyjet insists on getting you to 'check in' online is a total mystery as you still have to check in at the airport. Long queues at the so called 'bag drop area' (check in desks really) so make sure you allow at least 45min for your 'bag drop'. Boarding is also the usual long queue and generally runs late. Flight with Easyjet need no further explanation...
We decided to use the train/metro from Malpensa Milan airport to out hotel. It is quite a long way where you have to get the (free) bus shuttle from Terminal 2 to T1 and catch the train there. The train goes via Saronno to Milan Central. From there we caught the Metro to our hotel metro station and a 10min walk. Clean and efficient trains and metro. A bit of a shock when we got to street level in the Financial District of Milan; grafiti on every building (yes really) gave the impression of a very rough neighbourhood. It wasn't until the end of the next day that we realised that every building in Milan has grafiti on some wall somewhere. Unbelievable but true. Once you get 'used' to that Milan is a truly beautiful city with friendly people and we felt pretty safe all the time.
Only in very busy places such as the Duomo Square you need to watch your purse/wallet. At those places there are also very intimidating street sellers trying to flip on wristbands with cable-ties(!). Keep your hands in your pocket and avoid them. Otherwise Milan is very enjoyable with some amazing sights, sites, shops and green spaces.
On Sunday night we watched AC Milan play at the San Ciro stadium. An amazing experience with some great Italian football. Very safe around the stadium, great atmosphere and amazing views. Instead of burger vans you get Panini vans with char-grilled peppers instead of onions. A few chip stands but very few fried food. How refreshing! Lots of AC Milan memorabilia stands of course. Hotel was superb and comfortable in a good area; some good little restaurants if you go off the beaten track. Good value too. A great experience overall and a very enjoyable weekend.
We decided to stay in a hotel as close to the San Ciro as possible and we were glad we did as the match did not finish until very late. We could walk back to the hotel and was safe to do so.
The package was brilliant as it was everything we needed, meaning all we had to worry about was printing off boarding passes and match tickets. It was very easy and something that I will look to do again, without a doubt.
We didn't really need much service from FootballBreak reps, but whenever we got it, we always got polite emails full of all the information we needed and with contact numbers in case of a problem. It was a shame to see the San Siro half full due to AC Milan fan protests/decline, but the noise generated inside was still tremendous - especially from the Sampdoria fans sitting above us. As for Milan itself, it is a very pretty city full of friendly people, and is somewhere I'd like to return to.
Be careful directly by the cathedral (Duomo) as there are people who try to take advantage of tourists by forcing wristbands on you, then trying to charge you €10 per band - they will chase you too! Best bet is to keep your hands down and if anyone grabs you, pull away. Don't be fooled by their niceness. Also, go to the river (Naviglio) if you have time. It's full of bars and restaurants, plus the view at night is remarkable.
My son and I had an absolutely fantastic trip and experience. We booked the full package of Flight, Hotel and Match ticket and I upgraded to the Level 1 Match ticket. I was then very fortunate to be upgraded to VIP Hospitality which was an added bonus. Prior to my trip, i must commend the excellent communication which was provided by the Football Breaks team, who were both courteous and extremly knowledgable & helpful. I would highly recommend the company to others and will certainly book again. Thank you
Ensure you visit the main attractions and ensure you do the Ground Tour at both Real and Atletico Madrid. The transport links are fantastic and the Metro allows you to travel everywhere required.
A great weekend in the fantastic city of Madrid, with an easy-going long weekend, which gave us plenty of time to see the many sites. A fantastic football stadium (Santiago Bernabeu) with a fantastic crowd, good atmosphere and fantastic seats. The travelling was no hassle at all, and the metro services easy to use. The Football Break representatives on the phone were first class, and was a great hotel also for a cheap price.
Make sure to use metro to and from your hotel. Easy to use, very cheap and good deals on travelling and best way to get around. Taxi's cost around £30, depending on your exact location and can be a bit time consuming in large amounts of traffic. Make sure to do the Madrid city tour on the bus.