Tips for your trip to Rotterdam for Bayern’s Champions League game at Feyenoord

Bayern fans travelling to the Dutch port city of Rotterdam can’t just expect an exciting football match at the iconic De Kuip but also a city full of highlights. One person who knows both the area and Bayern like few others is Dirk Luteijn. If you ask the 53-year-old about his highlights supporting the Bavarian giants, his answer is immediate. “I was at the Champions League win at Wembley in 2013 and also at Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery’s last game in 2019 against Frankfurt,” said the self-proclaimed Robben fan of the Dutch legend. “I won’t ever forget that day,” Dirk added of the title decider six years ago when Robbery bowed out after a decade of service to Bayern, who Dirk has supported for over 40 years now.

Dirk’s crossborder journey to Bayern

Dirk’s story began in the 1980s when his family lived in Germany for five years. He was 10 years old at the time, living in a small town between Bremen and Hamburg while his father worked in Stade. “It was a special time. There were only three TV channels at the time. And if you wanted to watch things, you had to learn German,” the Dutchman explained. His languages would later help him in many ways, but football was a central aspect even back then.

The first match he went to in person was at the Weserstadion as Bayern took on Werder Bremen in 1982. The visitors from Munich may have lost, but Dirk knew immediately that they were now his team, which included legends such as Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and Paul Breitner.

Special moments from Rummenigge through to Robben

Dirk was a teenager when his family moved back to the Netherlands, but his passion for Bayern never waned. He’s enjoyed many unforgettable moments with the team in the past few decades. Dirk believes that legends like Robben and also Louis van Gaal have helped improve Bayern’s standing among Dutch football fans. “Bayern used to be seen in Holland as arrogant with the likes of Matthäus and Effenberg. Nowadays kids wear Bayern kits at training,” he explains.

Dirk himself is a regular visitor to the Allianz Arena and away games – around five times a year. His family also shares his passion: “My wife Karen and our children Mats and Mette are just as crazy about Bayern as I am.” Dirk also regularly talks to his friend Marcel Timmer, chairman of the Dutch fan club ‘Officiële Nederlandse Bayern München Fanclub’, which boasts 581 members.

What you need to know about Rotterdam

Dirk has a number of recommendations for fans travelling to the game in Rotterdam. It’s the second-largest city in the Netherlands with around 700,000 people and boasts modern architecture, in contrast to Amsterdam. “Rotterdam was almost completely destroyed in the war, so the city’s now full of new and impressive buildings,” our local guide explained.

A must for all visitors is the market hall. “An architectural and culinary highlight. There’s street food from all over the world. Rotterdam is very international.” You also can’t miss out on a tour of the port – the largest in Europe. For bars he recommends Vader Kleinjan Café in Oude Haven, De witte aap and Dutch Dukes in Witte de Withstraat and Café’t Fust in Stadhuisplein, as well as the restaurants The Iron Lady at Pannekoekstraat 22A, De Matroos en het Meisje at Delistraat 52, Kyatcha Rotterdam at Leuvehaven 70 and Kapsalon. Dirk insists that the best beer is from Oranjeboom. For fans without tickets for the game, they can watch it at Panenka at Eendrachtsweg 25 or at Proeflokaal Reijngoud at Schiedamsevest 148.

Dirk advises Munich supporters to try out the Oude Haven area to the north, since it’s further away from the stadium to the south. He wouldn’t wear club colours too openly around De Kuip either. “Things are a bit different in Germany compared to the Netherlands. Running around in a Bayern shirt might not be too clever.”

How to get to De Kuip

Take the metro from Rotterdam Central Stadion to Maashaven, then take tram 2, 12 or 25 to Breeplein. It’s then a 10-minute walk to the stadium. Dirk also has a special tip: “You can ride the bus, tram and metro for free around Rotterdam for three hours before and after the game if you have a ticket for the match.”

A historic ground

Fans can look forward to a special experience inside De Kuip. “The stadium is iconic and literally shakes when the crowd get going. It was built in 1937 and holds over 50,000 people. The atmosphere is unique,” enthuses Dirk, who supports Feyenoord in domestic action. He’ll be there with his son on Wednesday as well and is excited about the number of Bayern fans who will be in the crowd too. “Enjoy the atmosphere. Rotterdam has so much to offer, not just with football but also in culture and good.”

Dirk, it’s great to have you as a Bayern fan, and thank you for the insider tips. See you in Rotterdam!

Find out more about the stadium and Feyenoord as a team from Roy Makaay: