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England's close proximity to Germany means travel to the World Cup will be easy and affordable, and with host cities promising to hold "volksfeste", or people's festivals, where fans can watch matches on big screens, lack of a ticket will not exclude you from the thrill of viewing the action from the thick of the crowds.

Tickets for England matches are being sold online from non-official sources but buyers are being told to beware of the black market. Official World Cup tickets do not exist yet and will only be dispatched six to eight weeks before the tournament, so you will, in effect, be paying a tout for a promise.

If you do obtain a ticket this way then you still could be refused access to the stadium, as each ticket will have the official ticket holders' name on it and ID will be required to verify that you are the ticketholder. With tickets being sold online at close to £900 the risks involved are too great.

Our travel guide should ease your journey to Germany and help you soak up an atmosphere that can only be found once every four years.

Travel deals

Expedia (www.expedia.co.uk) offers combination flight and hotel deals but prices, accommodation types and flight times can vary drastically. Two nights in Frankfurt for England's opening match against Paraguay (June 10-12) start from £386pp. Eleven nights in Frankfurt to watch all of England's group matches (June 10-21) start from £1076 pp.

Moswin Tours (www.moswin.com) offers a full range of tailor-made transport and accommodation packages. You can book either self-drive (Eurotunnel or ferry), fly-drive (flight and car hire) or a flight and hotel package. You can choose between a hotel or self-catering accommodation and also whether to base yourself in one central point or arrange a multi-centre package to follow the England games. Twelve nights bed and breakfast multi-centre package (June 9-21) staying in three or four-star hotels in Frankfurt, Würzburg, Nuremberg and Cologne cost £1,249pp based on two sharing. Price includes train travel between centres and is subject to availability.

Tours

The German-based World Cup Trips offers golfing or cycling adventure tours based around the Sweden v England match being played in Cologne on June 20. The golf tour costs £537 (€790) for luxury accommodation and £463 for traditional accommodation, whereas the cycling adventure tour costs £504 for luxury accommodation and £401 for traditional accommodation. All prices are based on two people sharing and include transfers to and from the airport or train station, three nights bed and breakfast in exclusive historical hotels or traditional hotels (including luxurious castles), three evening meals in excellent restaurants and transfer to and from the World Cup game.

Soccerphile is the perfect site for the DIY traveller, with links to hotels in all host cities, airport and overland transport links, culture guides, fan guides and links to tour companies covering the Cup.

Accommodation

An excellent port of call is The 2006 FIFA World Cup <a href="Accommodation Services. The service is tailored specifically to the needs of a travelling football fan and allows you to book directly online.

Fan Project 2006 offers the budget-conscious supporter the opportunity to locate themselves in a tent city in northern, central or southern Germany. You can bring your own tent or rent one already at the site, and there are shuttle buses to all the host cities. All matches will be broadcast on huge screens inside the tent cities and parties, live concerts and other activities are also planned. The price of a "fan-ticket" is £12.25 (€18) pp per night, whilethe price of a "VIP ticket", which allows you access to all three tent cities through the duration of the tournament costs £200.

Hotelbook.com has a variety of independent hotels on its World Cup database that can be booked online. The hotels range from reasonably priced economy hotels, to luxury five-star accommodation.

Hotel.de has an online booking facility and an assortment of hotels in each of the host cities.

Walking in Germany has a list of hotels, which need to be booked over the phone.

It is even possible to rent a room in a private house through Immobilien Scout 24.

And, finally, you can search for hotels in Cologne and find information on attractions in the city at bookings.de.

Getting there

By rail: You can travel to Germany by rail using a combination Eurostar train plus a DB NachtZug. This can be booked through www.deutsche-bahn.co.uk and the cost per-person for a one-way ticket is £93 to Berlin and £69 to Stuttgart. Prices are subject to availability and reservation is compulsory.

The rail network within Germany is excellent compared to that in the UK. The InterCity Express (ICE) trains are among the fastest in Europe reaching speeds of 174mph and run between most large and medium-sized German cities. They leave every hour and come complete with their own bars, lounges and dining rooms.

A special Weltmeister-Ticket (World Cup) has been made available during the tournament, offering cheaper, more convenient travel. The tickets cost €54 (£37) for journeys up to 200km (124 miles), €74 (£50) for journeys 201-350km (125-217 miles), and £61 (€90) for journeys over 351km (218 miles). Alternatively, a 30-day unlimited travel ticket will cost you £373 (€549) in first class or £237 (€349) in second class.

By car: It is possible to travel to Germany using a car by taking the Eurotunnel from Folkestone to Calais and then motoring from France on to Germany. Eurotunnel prices start from £60 return. Alternatively, you can take the ferry, which depending on whom you book with and when you book will cost £70 upwards.

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