If Kaunas is your thing: 5 best EuroLeague destinations

Want to go watch a EuroLeague game, but are tired of always going to Kaunas? Don’t worry, because there are several cities in the Old World’s strongest league that will gladly welcome you and offer a great experience.

The popularity of the EuroLeague is on the rise in every way. The league is being followed more and more on social media and television, and more and more fans are also going to see the games. While in football, it has become a problem in some places that tourists coming from abroad spoil the atmosphere, in basketball, this problem has not reared its head.

From the perspective of a basketball fan, the EuroLeague offers a pleasant dilemma, because there are quite a few places where a lot of spectators host a lot of teams. And since Europe is so well connected, with a little planning, you don’t have to worry about overspending: with budgeting a bit, it’s entirely possible to visit even the most popular destinations for around €500, which includes accommodation, the game itself and flight tickets, and a couple of days worth of food and drink.

The following destinations – Kaunas has been left out because every Estonian knows it’s a great place! – are ranked arbitrarily, but one thing is clear: each one is worth a visit!

Munich

No, you didn’t read that wrong. No, this is not a football tourism recommendation.

Basketball has gained considerable popularity in Germany thanks to the success of the national team. For example, Berlin’s ALBA is at the bottom of the EuroLeague table, but they have no problem attracting an audience and there is always a nice atmosphere.

Bayern Munich, however, has been among the cream of the crop in the first half of the season. They have a warm arena, as the SAP Garden – the domestic league matches are still played in BMW Park – only opened this September, but the fans have welcomed the new venue well: practically every game has been sold out, and Bayern has responded to the support with eight wins out of eight matches.

Although Germans are not the most emotional people in the world, they enjoy cheering for their own. Another fact that speaks in Munich’s favor as a destination is that Bayern scores an average of 96.8 points at home, hitting the mark with 44.1% of their threes. While their defense is not commendable, going to SAP Garden guarantees one thing: you will see a match with an attacking game-style and high-scores!

Paris

Strange as it may be, one of Europe’s biggest cities only got on the EuroLeague map this fall. Their club’s debut season has gone perfectly, surprisingly holding on to the lead after the 15th round.

Like Munich, Paris has also opened a venue this year, albeit slightly smaller than SAP Garden. Since Paris Basketball is a relatively new club, they don’t have the fan base of Partizan Belgrade, but the capital’s team doesn’t have the “library atmosphere” of ASVEL in Villeurbanne or Monaco either. Far from it!

Another thing that has stood out this season is that the Paris players are much more emotional in front of their home crowd than they are away. They draw energy from the fans and give it back.

Plus, going to Paris means you get to see for yourself how great a man T. J. Shorts is. The 175 cm tall guard has averaged 19.3 points and 7.9 assists this season, meaning if Tiago Splitter’s team continues its good momentum, the American with a North Macedonian passport is a candidate for MVP.

Bologna

Oh, those were the days! In the 20th century, Italian clubs set the tone in the EurolLague the most, and although there are still two of them in the series today, it has been over 20 years since their glory days.

This has left its mark on the excitement in the games, but fortunately this only applies to Milan. In Bologna, Virtus’ hometown, basketball is so revered and the club so beloved that EuroLeague television broadcasts are sometimes disturbed, as the fans make the stands tremble.

It is true that Virtus has had a bad season this season, but now is a good time to travel there. Duško Ivanovic, who was hired as the new head coach, is known for raising the team’s winning streak, and this gives the Bologna fans, who had already lost hope, a reason to riot like last year!

Belgrade

Every football fan knows that when it comes to Belgrade, words about the atmosphere are superfluous. Just watch this video and feel the goosebumps:

So, let’s turn our attention elsewhere when it comes to Belgrade. There is no doubt that of all the cities listed, the Serbian capital is the cheapest. Unfortunately, there is no direct flight between Tallinn and Belgrade, but one transfer in Central Europe won’t break anyone’s bones, right?

Perhaps the biggest disadvantage of going to Belgrade is the fact that purchasing tickets can be difficult. Most of the passes go to season ticket holders, and the few thousand left are very hot commodities.

But those in the know have said that if you follow Partizan or Crvena Zvezda’s social media and buy your tickets online at the right time, redeeming a game ticket is easy.

Europe’s most coveted basketball trip probably only requires a little planning and money.

Athens

It’s basically the same as Belgrade. True, Athens is more expensive than the Serbian capital, but the climate is better, the sea is closer, and Greek cuisine was recently named the best in the world.

Another advantage of Athens is that, unlike Belgrade, they have two absolute top teams in the EuroLeague: defending champion Panathinaikos and Olympiacos, which have always been fighting for the coveted trophy in recent years. The latter are located in the Athens suburb of Piraeus.