Tottenham fans face travel hell for RB Leipzig Champions League tie with no direct flights to east Germany
TOTTENHAM fans were probably chuffed to bits to get RB Leipzig in the Champions League last 16 but their journey to Germany will be far from simple.
Fans may no longer have to suffer the days of Europa League trips to far-flung corners of the continent and yet this tie is also not ideal travel-wise.
There are no direct flights from London airports to the eastern German city, requiring either an additional plane or train journey.
This has created a conundrum for those hoping to watch the second leg after the sides were drawn together on Monday.
Skyscanner recommends catching the 12.15pm flight from Heathrow on the day of the game, Tuesday March 10.
Travelling via Dusseldorf over three hours, passengers land in Leipzig at 4.45pm – in time for the 9pm kick-off at Red Bull Arena, and can fly back the same way for £248.
For the cheaper £158, a return via Cologne can be sorted that leaves at 5.35pm on the Wednesday and takes just over four hours.
Such a lack of direct flights might compel supporters to fly into the nearby cities of Berlin or Dresden and complete their journey via train.
Several flights from England land in the German capital every day and cost around £99 return, at time of writing.
A train hop over to Leipzig will take less than 90 minutes, in addition to the one hour 50 minute flight and the connection to the train station.
That will set you back around £20 per journey with a coach at just under £10 – but taking two-and-a-half hours.
The historic city of Dresden is even closer, taking just over an hour on the train for the same price.
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But while flying over on the day of the game is an option costing as little as £80 on current rates, there are no direct returns to London until Thursday.
In any case, unless the club lay on their own charter flights, travelling supporters will need to wait until the Wednesday to return.
Finally, completing the journey from Tottenham to Leipzig via car will take at least ten hours but will take fans on a sightseeing tour through scenic locales such as Gent, Antwerp and Dortmund.