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Footballbreak.co.uk will also arrange your football trip to the German top match between Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. This spectacle is known as ‘Der Klassiker’. Der Rekordmeister from Munich has ruled the Bundesliga for over 10 years already. Still, Borussia Dortmund is a strong competitor. The Schwarzgelben managed to break the rule of Bayern in 2011 and 2023. Since then, there has been a fierce rivalry between the two largest clubs of the Bundesliga. This means that this top match ensures you of cutting-edge football of the highest level in the electrifying atmosphere of the Allianz Arena.
All of the information you need regarding your football trip to Der Klassiker can be found on this page. We have collected the details about:
Historically speaking, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are not each other’s rivals. The distance between both cities is over 600 kilometres, so there is no regional rivalry. Bayern Munich mainly had a conflict with 1. FC Nürnberg and fellow city club 1860 Munich. In Dortmund, it was all about the Revier derby against arch-rival Schalke 04. It was not until the 90s that Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund grew into competitors. Both clubs fought each other fiercely for the prizes. Dortmund managed to win the national title both in 1995 and 1996. After a financial crisis during the start of this century, Dortmund repeated this feat in 2011 and 2012.
In terms of their numbers of supporters and their budget too, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are the two largest clubs of Germany. Their relationship has deteriorated significantly during the last decade. To BVB supporters’ anger, public favourites Mario Götze and Robert Lewandowski moved to the rival from Munich. Since then, the respective supporters’ groups want nothing more than to inflict defeat on the other at Der Klassiker. This means the matches between the two clubs guarantee offensive play, lots of fighting spirit and a considerable goal count.
The German Clásico has a history full of spectacular encounters. We have listed a few legendary meetings for you.
November 27th, 1971 Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund 11 – 1
The season of 1971-1972 marked the start of Bayern Munich as a European top club. With the actions of a young Franz Beckenbauer, the club claimed the national title. The highlight of this season has to be the spectacular 11-1 victory against Borussia Dortmund. It was also the last encounter at the old Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße. Half a year later, Bayern moved to the new Olympiastadion.
17,000 spectators watched how Bayern was in the lead by 4-0 at half-time. Thanks to three goals during the last six minutes, they even managed to move into double figures. With four goals and an assist, Gerd Müller was the man of the hour at the FCB. The final score of 11-1 remains the biggest victory of Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga.
The dramatic defeat turned out not even to be the lowest point for Borussia Dortmund. At the end of the season, the club was demoted to the Second Bundesliga. It took them until 1976 to get back to the highest level.
May 25th, 2013 Bayern Munich – Borussia Dortmund 2 – 1
For the first time in the history of the Champions League, two German teams faced each other in the final. After years of Spanish domination, Bayern Munich managed to finish off FC Barcelona with ease in the semi-final, while Borussia Dortmund put Real Madrid in their place.
Tension reached its boiling point several weeks before the final. At that moment, news got out that Mario Götze would move from Borussia Dortmund to Bayern Munich after the season. The outrage was great and Götze was even given a police escort during training sessions. On a side note, the offensive midfielder was absent during the final due to an injury.
Dortmund was clearly the better team at Wembley during the first half. Manuel Neuer managed a few ‘glanzparaden’ and Ribéry escaped a red card after elbowing Lewandowski. The roles were reversed after half-time. Bayern got stronger and after an hour of play, Mandžukić hit a ball into the goal after Robben lined it up for him: 1-0. The euphoria did not last long, because İlkay Gündoğan scored an equalizing goal eight minutes later. Just when everyone was preparing for overtime, it was Arjen Robben who concluded the game with a goal in the 89th minute. This settled the most important confrontation between the two in favour of Bayern Munich.
March 31st, 2018 Bayern Munich –Borussia Dortmund 6 –0
This edition of Der Klassiker started with a minor disappointment for the home audience. Bayern Munich had taken a big lead on the competition in the Bundesliga. On that day, Der Rekordmeister even had the opportunity to claim the title. And in the 900th home match of the competition, no less. But alas… When the supporters reached the Allianz Arena in a festive mood, news arrived that Schalke, which was hot on their trail, had won their match. This meant the celebrations had to be postponed for a week. A charged-up Bayern did ensure an amazing mood in the stadium. Borussia Dortmund was played off the field completely. The score even got to 5-0 after 45 minutes! After half-time, Bayern Munich slowed down a little because they still had a midweek European Match to play. The top scorer was Robert Lewandowski, who scored three goals against his ex-colleagues.
Although Borussia Dortmund has a well-stocked prize cabinet with 23 won trophies, it can clearly not compete with the successes of Bayern Munich. *
For instance, Die Bayern have claimed no fewer than 32 national titles, 16 of which have been won since the year 2000. Borussia Dortmund became German champion eight times. Bayern Munich also won the national cup tournament more often (20 versus 5) as well as the German Supercup (9 versus 7).
Internationally, Borussia Dortmund managed to win a prize before Bayern did. The club won the Europacup II in 1966. A victory in the Champions League followed in 1997.
Bayern only managed to claim European prizes starting in the 70s, but they were unstoppable from that moment on. The club is one of the few teams to win the Champions League (six times), the Europacup II (once) and the Europa League (once). Bayern also won the European Supercup twice as well as the World Cup for club teams.
* Prizes have been updated up to and including the season of 2021-2022
The Allianz Arena is one of the most modern stadiums in Europe. With a capacity of 75,024, it is the largest stadium in Germany after the Signal Iduna Park. Nonetheless, it is very tricky to obtain tickets as a private individual. Top matches are sold out instantly, partly because of the relatively low price of the tickets. Luckily, Voetbaltravel makes sure you get entry tickets.
The Allianz Arena was opened in 2005 with the intention of being featured in the World Championship held in Germany in 2006. Both Bayern Munich and city rival 1860 Munich played their home matches there, until Die Löwen returned to the old Stadion an der Grünwalder Straße in 2017.
It is a true Arena, in which all stands are merged together without any open corners.
The fanatical supporters are found in the Süd Stand. The West Stand is the main stand where the dressing rooms, the player tunnel and the dug-outs are found. The Allianz Arena is highly recognizable thanks to its layer of foil cushions with LED lighting on the outside. This lighting allows the stadium to take on different colours. When Bayern is playing, the stadium is coloured red. However, during international matches, the stadium is lit up white.
Practical information
The Allianz Arena is situated in the Fröttmaning neighbourhood, at a distance of 12 kilometres from the centre of Munich. The stadium of Bayern Munich can be reached by the local metro, the S-Bahn. From the Marienplatz, the city’s central square, you can take metro line 6 in the direction of Garching-Forschungszentrum. After 16 minutes, you get off at Station Fröttmaning. You will be able to see the Allianz Arena from here, and you will join thousands of other supporters in walking to the stadium in about 10 minutes. If you leave from Munich’s central station, you will first take metro line 1, 3, 4 or 8 in the direction of Marienplatz and transfer to line 6 there.
Other means of public transport are not really an option. You would have to take a tram and two buses from the centre, after which you still have to walk for 10 minutes. That is why the metro is the only fast way to arrive at the Allianz Arena.
If you prefer to take a taxi, take into account a travel time of 20 minutes from the city centre and a price of around €30.
Allianz Arena Stadium tour
During your football trip to Der Klassiker, you should definitely reserve time for a visit to the Bayern Munich club museum. Spread out over more than 3000 square metres, the club’s entire history is presented. For instance, you can find all different uniforms and all of the prizes they have won. A highly impressive feature is the special display case showing off the six prizes they won during the season of 2019-2020. The national title dish, the DFB cup, the German Supercup, the Champions League, the European Supercup as well as the World Cup are all on display next to each other. In addition, temporary exhibitions are presented as well. Nearly three million visitors visited this amazing museum in a period of ten years. The FC Bayern Museum is opened every day of the week from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The fees are €12 for adults and €6 for children up to 14 years old.
You can also combine the museum visit with the Arena Stadium Tour. Led by a guide, you will visit the dressing rooms, the press room, the mixed zone, the player tunnel and the stands. The fee for the FC Bayern Museum and the Arena Tour is €19 for adults and €11 for children from 6 to 13 years of age. Tours are organised daily between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m., except on match days.
On match days, you have the option of booking a special ‘FC Bayern Spieltagstour’. This requires you to have a ticket for the match. Shortly before the match, you will go on a one-hour tour through the Allianz Arena. You will visit the sponsor lounge, the business club and the player tunnel. A visit to the club museum is included as well. The fee for the match tour is €49 for adults and €39 for children up to 13 years old. Due to the fact that a very limited number of spots are available, you will have to make a reservation well in advance.
Want to witness the German Clásico yourself?
It goes without saying that you want to experience as much of the atmosphere as you can on the day of the match. You will find various cafés and beer gardens in Munich where supporters gather to exchange the latest club news, sing and, of course, eat and drink. Because Fröttmaning is situated in a suburb of Munich, many fans prefer to visit the cafés and restaurants in the city centre. After all, that area has much more to offer. Those who still want to get a taste of the atmosphere in the area of the stadium should definitely visit the Arena Treff. This sports café, located at Bauernfeindstraße 19, is very reminiscent of an English fan pub. For many Bayern supporters, the Arena Treff is the last stop on their way to the Allianz Arena. The café has a huge terrace, part of which is covered. The quality of the food (schnitzel; currywurst) is excellent, the servings are enormous and the prices are very amicable. The waitresses dressed in traditional Bavarian outfits are an extra attraction. From the Arena Treff, you can walk to the stadium in 15 minutes.
For other classic pubs and restaurants, you will need to visit the city centre. For instance, you can find an old-fashioned beer hall at Arnulfstraße 52 which you should not miss out on: the famous Augustiner Keller. While sitting at long tables, you can enjoy excellent beer which is served straight from wooden barrels. The food is of excellent quality as well. There is an enormous beer garden outside between the chestnut trees. You can take the S-Bahn from the Marienplatz to Geletendorf, from where it is 300 metres on foot. Oh, and liking Bavarian music is a requirement.
The best sports café in the city is the Stadion an der Schleißheimerstraße. Though it should technically not be called a sports pub, because the owners label it as a football café. Lectures, panel discussions and football quizzes are frequently organised here. The café’s interior has been created to resemble a football museum with countless scarves and other memorabilia on the walls. The many screens always display three football matches at the same time. Important matches are accompanied by commentary from their own commentator. You can browse the enormous library of football books and magazines while enjoying beer and a good meal.
If you are looking for a real English pub, Kilians Irish Pub is a good location. It is situated in the shadow of the Frauenkirche in the city centre. Its patrons are somewhat more international, but many fans watch Bayern Munich’s matches here too. You can often enjoy live music in the evenings. A favourite is the very tasty hamburger, washed down with Guinness. During summer, you can take a seat at the shady terrace.
