One of the best tips we can provide fans is to travel by train to watch Premier League games in person.

The thrill and pleasure of seeing your favorite Premier League club in person in the United Kingdom should be on every English soccer fan’s bucket list. With plenty of airfare deals available to the UK, now is a better time than any to make your dreams a reality.

When planning a trip to the United Kingdom, one of the biggest questions is how to get around from Point A to Point B. You can rent a car, but it’s expensive. Plus it can be quite dangerous if you’re not used to driving on the other side of the road as well as dealing with all of the intricacies of British roads such as roundabouts, zebra crossings and motorways.

Then, there’s always the option of flying throughout the UK. The challenge is dealing with long lines at airport security, waiting in airport terminals and squeezing you into the last available seat before takeoff.

From personal experience, the most enjoyable and convenient way to travel throughout the UK, especially to Premier League matches, is by train. The rail network is expansive throughout England, Wales and Scotland. Plus, you can sit back and leave the “driving” to the train engineer. On top of that, there are far less security hassles. That means no baggage screening, body scans or the other headaches of plane travel.

Destinations

If you are planning of going to the United Kingdom, the perfect travel option is to buy a BritRail pass. The range of passes that are available are the most convenient and economical way to explore Britain where the rail network, with over 19,000 daily train departures, allows access to 2,500 destinations in England, Scotland and Wales. So whether you want to take the train to London, Manchester, Liverpool or any other city in the UK that has a Premier League football club, value is the ticket with BritRail’s range of passes that can take you to the city of your favorite team.

What the BritRail pass allows is an array of different options, which are not available in the UK. For example, you can buy a three-day pass that can be used for any train travel in Great Britain for those days. Or if you’re planning to stay longer, passes for additional days can be purchased. The important thing to remember is to buy your BritRail pass in the US before you travel, so leave enough time to allow for delivery of the passes by mail before you head across the pond.

Upon arriving in the United Kingdom, the convenience of having a BritRail pass already in your hand is immeasurable. There’s no queuing in line for tickets. You can simply hop on and hop off the trains, and come and go as you please. That may seem like a small reward to some, but when you have just enough time to catch your train or you want to relax and enjoy the experience of traveling, a BritRail pass is well worth the purchase.

Loch Lomond, Scotland

Loch Lomond, Scotland

Travel By Train to Watch Premier League

After spending the last 2 weeks in Britain traveling by train and car, here are 7 reasons why you should consider a BritRail pass when visiting the UK to watch Premier League matches in person.

1) It’s more affordable.

One of the biggest advantages of a BritRail pass is that you can save a lot of money. It’s much more affordable and convenient to buy the pass than to buy train tickets in the United Kingdom.

Remember that you can’t buy a BritRail pass in the UK. You can only do so in the USA.

2) Trains trump cars every time.

Traveling by car in Britain has never been more of a frustrating experience. The number of cars on British roads is greater than ever before, which means you’re likely to encounter traffic delays on a lot of the congested roads.

Even if the distance from Point A to Point B may seem short, car travel in the UK takes a lot longer than you’d expect because of a combination of obstacles such as (a) speed cameras on most British roads force you to slow down to 30mph or 40mph, (b) road construction (the British government has finally realized that roads need to improve, but it’s causing plenty of traffic delays), and (c) narrow roads filled with trucks (many British roads through towns and villages weren’t built to handle the size or number of trucks trying to squeeze through the narrow roads, that are made even worse by approaching traffic and cars parked along streets. As you can imagine, traffic slows to a snail’s pace and makes it a very stressful experience).

On the other hand, train travel in the UK is stress-free and will often get you from Point A to Point B much faster so you have more time to enjoy your vacation. Plus traveling on train feels like you’re still on vacation as opposed to car travel, which may remind you of your worst nightmares of your daily commute to work.

3) Flexibility.

One of the great things about having a BritRail pass is that you have an open schedule. Because the passes allow you to come and go as you please, there’s no need to rush to catch a specific train. You can relax and enjoy yourself, and catch the train that fits your schedule. You can just arrive at the railway station and take the next train to your destination.

4) Location.

Most Premier League soccer stadiums are located near railway stations, so when you arrive at your destination, you can either walk to the stadium or hotel. Or take a bus or taxi that’s located outside each station.

5) Refreshments.

Most trains in Britain have tea/coffee service as well as a café onboard to buy drinks and snacks, and even full meals sometimes. Some of the trains have WiFi service available. Rest rooms are located in each train, too.

6) Explore Britain.

The benefit of having a train pass is that you can easily combine sightseeing in addition to your trips to see Premier League matches.

With your BritRail pass, you’re able to get discounts on numerous tourist activities throughout Great Britain. Plus with your train passes, it’s easy to plan a whole day around a Premier League game so you can go sightseeing at different parts of the British Isles either before or after a game, or on non-matchdays.

With Britain being such a small island packed with so many things to do and see, it’s easy to get your money’s worth out of your BritRail pass.

7) A more social way of traveling.

One of the special bonuses of traveling by train is the opportunity to have casual conversations with strangers. From traveling throughout Britain by train, people — for the most part — are more approachable and friendly. Chances are that you’ll see supporters wearing shirts of their favorite soccer team, or leafing through newspapers for the English football news. Expect plenty of enjoyable conversations as the train travels across the British Isles.

BritRail Pass products can be purchased from ACP Rail International, BritRail’s exclusive global distributor, at www.acprail.com or 1 866 938 RAIL.