Since Arsenal's Premier League triumph last week, fans have been scrambling to reach Budapest for Saturday's Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain. With flights and hotels selling out and prices soaring, supporters are resorting to creative travel plans involving trains, planes, and automobiles.
Darren Cornish, a 53-year-old IT manager from Hemel Hempstead, secured return flights to Linz, Austria, for £150, followed by a three-and-a-half-hour train to Budapest. 'A very minimal amount of people I know are going direct,' he said. Many fans are travelling via Vienna, Bratislava, or even Rome to avoid the high cost of direct flights, which have reached £407 one-way on Skyscanner.
Ben Boxhall, Adam Wares, and Ollie Laurence, all 23, are flying to Kraków for £170 return and then taking a bus to Budapest. They have no hotel booked and plan to stay up all night after watching the match at the Uefa meeting point. 'We were looking at flying to Budapest but it was about £500 to £600 on Wizz Air,' said Wares.
Sonny Living, a 21-year-old graduate from Hertfordshire, paid just under £200 for return flights to Linz. He has not yet secured a match ticket but is willing to pay around £2,500. 'They're floating around for about £2,500,' he said. Despite the costs, fans remain optimistic. Cornish described the final as 'a free hit', adding: 'If we lose, we've still got the premiership. If we win, it'll be the best thing ever.'
Neil Roberts, a 43-year-old season ticket holder of 25 years, summed up the mood: 'When you haven't had success for so long, when it does come around it's magical.' The last time Arsenal reached the Champions League final was 20 years ago, and fans are determined to be part of history, whatever the cost.
