We are staying in Lucerne, Switzerland which is one hour from Zurich and 1.5 hours from Bern. On Tuesday night, Zurich was hosting Italy vs. France and and Bern was hosting the Netherlands vs. Romania. By looking at the game only, one may decide to drive to Zurich (a shorter distance and a better matchup). However, after looking at ticket prices, the Ultimate Sports Wife and I decided to drive to Bern (about $300 less per ticket).

We did not have tickets to either match, but wanted to visit Bern at some point during our trip. We chose Tuesday because of the match. We arrived to Bern and parking in a parking lot in the city center since we knew there would be no way to park by the stadium. It cost 25.10 Swiss Francs (equivalent to $25).

We took the “walking tour” of Bern. The Dutch and Romania fans were all over the town. As we walked towards the FanZone (a Euro Cup sponsored area where fans eat and drink before the game), we found scalpers with tickets. The first guy had two singles (200 and 160 euros) each. I considered it, since they were the first tickets we found, but Nicole said why would we spend that much to sit along (good point I thought). Next, we found a scalper with two together. He wanted 300 euros for the pair. I asked for 200 but he said no. 250 I asked. No he said. I walked away knowing full well I would pay 300. He asked,”How about 280?” Hesitating, I said ok but I only have Swiss Francs. Immediately he said 450. I asked 440 (remember everything is negotiable), but we agreed on 450. Nicole and I made sure the tickets looked legit and made the transaction.

Afterwards, Nicole and I continued touring Bern before walking to the stadium. 40,000 Dutch fans had shown up to Bern. The Netherlands won the match 2-0. After the match, we had to walk the “long” way back since so many fans were mingling in the area from the stadium to the city center.