Taylor Swift in Germany
In July of 2024 we were fortunate to attend a Taylor Swift concert in Gelsenkirchen, Germany at VELTINS Arena. We selected Germany, as laws there prevent huge price markups and the use of bots to bulk-purchase tickets. We ended up with great seats that cost 25% of the price of resale tickets in the USA. A few things to keep in mind:
- You must download StubHub International, the USA version will not work at the concert
- The tickets are not released until a day or two before the concert, which was stressful. I said a lot of prayers that our tickets were real.
- The arena was cashless, which most these days are, but I didn't expect that in Germany
- Beers were small, but mighty and sneak up on you fast😄
- Your ticket will state which door to enter at the stadium. Germans are rule followers, so don't try a different door, it won't work!
We stayed at the Adina Apartment Hotel in Dusseldorf, which was steps from the Hauptbanhof (main train station in German). I cannot say enough great things about this hotel. The hotel was new, clean, rooms were spacious with a washer/dryer, and the staff was friendly and accommodating. My only complaint was the air conditioning. It does not go lower than 75 degrees Fahrenheit, however they had fans upon request.
Getting to and from the concert by train was simple. If you are attending a popular event, trains will be full, so be sure to give yourself plenty of time to get there and plenty of time to get home. We waited at least 4 trains before we were able to get back to Dusseldorf.
Almost all Germans speak English, it has been mandatory at schools for decades, which is one more reason it has become my favorite European destination.