Your 20 page guide to Rome is here!

Download it now! Get your 20-page tailor-made guide to Rome through download now.
It will give you an insight into the best sights, how to get to and from the airport, how to get to and from Rome if you're travelling by train, the best pubs and everything else you need to know to enjoy your trip.
Go to this link and, at the bottom of the web page, click on 'save file to your PC'.
Any feedback is gratefully received via redsaway@hotmail.co.uk
On the weather front, please ignore the forecast for Tuesday May 26 - it will be fine sunny weather - not thunderstorms as originally forecast.

Hull travel and pub guide

Hull City
Sunday May 24, kick off 16:00
KC Stadium
Barclays Premier League

Tickets
Out of a capacity of 25,500, United fans have got 2,450 tickets in the North Stand.

They are priced at £24.50 for adults and £14.50 for over 65s and under 16s. These have all been sold and posted out to the successful applications.

Online touting agencies like World Ticket Shop have been selling tickets for £335 in the away end. Home end tickets are sold out.

Weather
According to the BBC, perfect footballing weather awaits supporters today. It will be 19C at kick off with sunshine and clouds.

Bring a baseball cap as the sun might be in your eyes in the away end.

TV
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports 3 and Sky Sports HD3 with the show starting at 15:55 and ending at 18:00.

Travel

Car - £22
If you're driving to the game and using a satnav or an internet route planner like our favourite Greenflag one, use the destination postcode HU3 6HU.

Getting to the stadium really couldn't be simpler. It's basically 'straight for 90 minutes then three lefts'.

Join the M62 and follow it eastbound to its end. Then keep going down the A63 over the Humber Bridge (pictured above) into Hull City Centre.


After going over a flyover, you'll come to a diamond-shaped junction. Turn left onto Ferensway and drive past the train station (pictured left) on your left.

Then when you get to the junction where the Hull Daily Mail offices and the Campanile Hotel are in front of you, turn left onto Spring Bank West and then take a left onto Walton Street.

The journey takes roughly 100 minutes each way and will cost about £11 each way in petrol.

Parking - free

If you park on the stadium car parks, it can take anything up to an hour to get off it at the end of the game.

We recommend you park free nearer the town centre and take a 20-minute walk to the ground.

One good spot to park is the Netto car park. You can pretty much park there for free all day.

When you reach the Hull Daily Mail offices, keep going (onto Berveley Road) for about 500 yards and you'll see Netto on the left. Alternatively there are many free street parking places on that road.

The beauty of this spot is you can just drive straight back in the opposite direction to the way you arrived on the way home for quick access to the A63 ad M62.

Train - £25

Manchester Piccadilly to Hull

Direct trains take just over two hours.
They leave at: 09:11 and 12:02.

Manchester Piccadilly to Doncaster to Hull

This route takes about two hours and 40 minutes.
They leave Piccadilly at: 10:11, 10:18, 11:18 and 12:18.

Once you arrive at the station turn right, walk down for five minutes til you reach Spring Bank, turn left and turn left again at Walton Street.

The stadium is ahead of you in about 800 yards. The route is well signposted.


Hull to Manchester Piccadilly

Luckily, there will be no mad rush back to the train station after the game as the first train back doesn't leave until just before 7pm.

Direct trains leave Hull at: 18:58 and 19:10
A train that requires a chance at Sheffield leaves Hull at 20:30.
A train that requires a chance at Sheffield leaves Hull at 21:00.

Don't leave it any later than that else you won't make it home until 03:00.

Train tickets
If you book a return on the day, it will cost you £38.30.

If you book two singles in advance from National Rail online, it will cost you £30 (by doing this, you reserve your seat on all the direct routes listed above)

If you book two singles in advance via First Great Western, after first registering for their £5 off offer, it will cost you £25. Go here for details.

Coach
United are running coaches to this game but all tickets are sold out.

Pubs
Avoid: The Silver Cod and the Linnet and Lark, as these are home fans' only pubs where reds won't get the best welcome.

With this being one of the newer grounds, there aren't many pubs to write home about near it - and the ones that are tend to be old and not very welcoming of away fans.


So we recommend you stick to either near the train statiom or near the Beverley Road/Spring Bank area, where the best parking spots are to be had.

There are two decent Wetherspoons pubs worth a mention.
The Three John Scotts, at Alfred Gelder Street, Lowgate, in the city centre (the second pub down pictured), which has a good atmosphere though it tries to be a bit too upmarket.

It's open from 9am and does a good breakfast and, as with all JD Wetherspoons joints, 99p bottles of San Miguel.

To get there from the train station, walk straight up onto Paragon Street or Carr Lane and follow the road round til to the right, then turn left onto Lowgate.

Nearer the best (free) parking spots, there is another Wetherspoons bar, the Zachariah Pearson, at 386 Beverley Road (the first pub down pictured), near Netto. It's open from 9am. Remember,

Wetherspoons don't let you in with team colours on matchdays.

Further down Beverley Road towards Ferensway and towards the stadium is Lamp (the third pub down pictured) tucked in next to the Campanile Hotel.

It's a perfect bar if you want somewhere out of the way to enjoy a quiet pint minus the crowds.

Nearer still to the ground is the Spring Bank Tavern at 29 Spring Bank (pictured right), just off Ferensway. Home fans do drink here, but are generally tolerant of away supporters.

Wherever you drink in the city, it's a fairly cheap pint compared to Manchester. Expect to pay between £1.80 and £2.50 for a pint of lager.

Later today...

A full travel and pub guide to Hull.

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Rome Metro will run til 1.30am

The Football Supporters' Federation has said the Rome Metro will keep running until 1.30am after Wednesday's match.

Some fans may be disappointed by that news as there aren't Metro station near to the stadium and they could be hard to find - given that the Rome authorities have advised supporters to travel to the stadium by provided buses.

It will also be a setback to those fans who are hoping to catch trains to other Italian towns in time for flights home on Thursday.

For ticketless fans, the Rome authorities have confirmed there will be no big screens put up around the city showing the game, so we recommend watching at Fergie's Fields, given that, technically, no alcohol can be sold on the day of the match.

For a full 20-page guide to the Rome final, including a comprehensive transport guide, go here.

Champion Sports Travel ticket pick up info

Champion Sports Travel have released details of when customers can collect their Rome flight tickets from the office, and when others can expect to receive them.

The office, on Sir Matt Busy Way, will be open on Saturday from 09:00 to 13:00 on Sunday and Monday from 10:00 to 14:00 and on Tuesday from 09:00 to 18:00.

Collection times are as follows.

Gatwick – Flight tickets will be posted to your address (posting 1st class Fri 22nd May)
Birmingham – Flight tickets will be posted out to your address (posting 1st class Fri 22nd May )
Luton – Flight tickets you will be contacted to meet your rep at the airport
Luton two-night stay - Flight tickets are being posted out (posting 1st class Fri 22nd May)
All Manchester Airport (pictured) day stops – Office collection available from Saturday
All Manchester two-night stays – Office collection available from Saturday

If anybody is unable to collect their tickets from the office, tickets will be at t he check-in desk on the day of departure.
Customers are advised to check http://www.mufctravel.com/ on Monday for contact details of reps who will be distributing flight tickets at airports on the day of departure.

People with queries should email Debbie@mufctravel.co.uk

More Rome tickets on sale tomorrow

Season ticket holders with one European away credit who were turned down in the ballot can buy tickets for the Champions League final tomorrow.

From 8am to in-person callers only, "a small number" of tickets will go on sale at Old Trafford.

A club spokesman said: "A small number of supporters have cancelled tickets which have now been released for resale.

"Tickets will only be allocated to supporters who were unsuccessful in the ballot and have at least 1 European away application (credit) from this season.

"These will be allocated to personal callers at the Ticketing & Membership Services building from 8am on Wednesday 20th May

"If supporters are buying tickets for other people with the relevant criteria they must have the actual passport for all other supporters as well as their own."

Last-minute minder - save £5 by checking in before midnight!

Reds who have booked with Ryanair for part of their journey to and from Rome should check in online before midnight to avoid a £5 each-way fee.

Passengers with or without bags can check in online 15 days before flights leave and print off their boarding passes at home.

Those with bags can simply drop them off at the old check-in desk before going to the departure lounge, while those without luggage can go straight to the departure lounge.

From midnight, the airline is starting to charge £5 per online check in in a bit to speed up passenger's journey through to the departure lounge on arrival at the airport, and to make savings in its own costs.

Get £5 off your next train journey

First Great Western is giving people £5 off their next online train booking on any route with any company - perfect for the last-day trip to Hull.

Go here and enter your email address. First will email you a pin code which can then be used once to get £5 off a train fare.

In theory, you can use it as many times as you like with different email addresses. The offer closes on 30th June or when 200,000 seats have been discounted.

Ryanair travellers - check in now for Rome and save £10

Reds who have booked with Ryanair for part of their journey to and from Rome should check in online before Wednesday to avoid a £5 each-way fee.

Passengers with or without bags can check in online 15 days before flights leave and print off their boarding passes at home.

Those with bags can simply drop them off at the old check-in desk before going to the departure lounge, while those without luggage can go straight to the departure lounge.

Grab yourself a Rome apartment for £67

Leon Holiday Apartments has three central apartments on offer for the week of the final starting at £67 per person per night.

All three places have kitchens, living rooms and terraces.

They offer a great value-for-money option for anyone yet to book accommodation for the Champions League final.

Go here for booking details.

Big boost for Rome travellers

The Italian authorities have revealed that anyone with a ticket for the Champions League final will get free publick transport for the day of the final and the day before and after it.

Anyone with a ticket card for the match can catch buses, trams and Metro services for free.

They can also get free Musei Capitolini Italian History Museum and the Ara Pacis, a famous Roman landmark.

The announced was made on the Foreign Office travel advice website here.

You can find out about more sights to see, the best bars to drink in and a wealth of other information about Rome and the Champions League final by downloading our 16-page guide from this blog on Wednesday.

If you would like a printed copy, email your address to us at redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

Get a Champions League final programme now

If you're not travelling to Rome, you can order your UEFA Champions League final programme for £9 plus £2 postage.

It has 116 pages (though not all of them will be in English) and can be delivered to your door courtesy of themagazineshop.com
Click here for details.

Also, unlike last year, the Manchester Evening News Arena will not host a screening event for the final as there is already another event taking place there on the night of the final.

But MUST has organised five screening events at Manchester city centre bars.

Tickets cost £3 per person and are due to go on sale soon. Go here for more information.

Red Issue is also holding a screening night at Scu2 bar in Chester Street, Manchester. Tickets cost £4 per person and are available here.

One of the organisers said: "The capacity is about 650, so we are going to have 500 tickets which can be bought online, and then I will have 150 on the door, first come first served.

"We will be having a barbecue, which is included in the price of your ticket.

"Any money left over will be split and donated to both Ethan’s charity and MUST.

"The pub is brilliant, lots of TVs dotted about the place as well as two big screens. There’s also a courtyard which has two TVs."

Rome flight of the day - there and back in three days for £179.08

Tuesday May 26

06:55 Leave London Stanstead

09:22 Arrive Memmingen, Germany.

(Fly, Ryanair - £2.25 one way)

13:55 Leave Memmingen

15:30 Arrive Naples

(Fly Tulfly - £71.80 one way)

17:24 Leave Napoli

19:33 Arrive Rome

(Train - £17 one way. Book here)

Thursday May 28
09:27 Leave Rome

11:36 Arrive Naples

(Train - £14 one way. Book here)

12:55 Leave Naples

14:50 Arrive Memmingen

(Fly Tulfly - £71.80 one way)

15:55 Leave Memmingen

16:15 Arrive London Stansted

(Fly, Ryanair - £2.23 one way)

Total price: £179.08.

Ensure you book Ryanair flights with a Visa Electron

Entertainment event announced for Rome

Pete Boyle, Primal Scream's Mani and red legends are inviting you to join the red party in Rome at a special two-day party.

FergieFields, which will run on Tuesday May 26 and Wednesday May 27, has camping room for 1,000 tents in a fenced off enclosure manned by a security firm.

As well as showing the match on two big screens, there will be lots of other entertainment as part of the event to mark the 10th anniversary of the UEFA Champions League success in Barcelona and it being 100 years since the birth of Sir Matt Busby.

There will good food, pints of lager for e3, hot showers and three huge tents just in case it rains.

It all takes place at Spazio Roma, Viale Tor di Quinto 57, which is a 20-minute walk to the stadium and a brief stroll from the nearest Metro, Tor di Quinto.

One night's sleeping costs £25 per person. Two night's costs £35 per person. That includes entertainment.

Entertainment-only passes costs £12. Book here.

Fans' group publishes Rome guide

Independent fans group the Football Supporters' Federation has published a handy guide for fans for Rome.

You can visit it here or click on the link in the left-hand menu of this blog.

The FSF have also said they hope to have a fans' embassy in Rome should reds get into any difficulties during their trip. Negotiations are ongoing with the Italian authorities with a view to setting one up.

The exact location has yet to be announced, but the FSF said you will be able to contact them 24 hours a day on +44 7956 12131 if you need their urgent help while in Rome.

Wigan away travel and pub guide

Wigan
JJB Stadium
Barclays Premier League
Wednesday May 13
Kick off 20:00

Tickets

Out of a capacity of 25,135, United have got 4,000 tickets in the North Stand. This stand holds 5,378 supporters.

Tickets are priced at £27.50 for adults and £19.75 for over 65s and under 16s.
All tickets have been sold and posted out.

There are still tickets left for the home end, but Wigan have said they will only be on sale to people who have a history of buying tickets in the Wigan home end. They are priced between £27.50 and £29.50.

TV
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 and Sky Sports 1HD. The programme started at 19:30 and ends at 22:15.

Weather
There will probably be some light rain during the match. The temperature will be around 10C (50F).



Travel

Car
If you are driving to the game and using a satnav or an internet routeplanner like the Greenflag one, use the destination postcode WN5 0UH.

The basic route from Manchester is the M62 to junction 10 and the M6 to Junction 25. Continue along the A49. The stadium is well sign posted from the motorway.

Parking - £5
There is an away fans' car park a two-minute walk from the away end. Only fans with match tickets can use it though. It costs £5 per car.

Access is via Stadium Way (turn right off Scott Lane once you've passed the leisure complex and Asda on your right).

There are many free parking spots on side streets close to the town centre. but you're looking at a 20-minute walk to the stadium.

Train - £3.20
The journey between Manchester Victoria and Wigan Wallgate (pictured left and below) takes about 38 minutes and is direct.

You'll have absolutely no problem getting to the game, as trains run every 10 to 15 minutes throughout the day.

But on the way back there are only three trains back to Manchester.

Option 1:
Leave Wigan Wallgate: 21:55
Arrive Manchester Victoria: 22:34

Option 2:
Leave Wigan Wallgate: 22:27
Arrive Manchester Victoria: 23:13

Option 3:
Leave Wigan Wallgate: 22:55
Arrive Manchester Victoria: 23:37

It is a 20-minute walk from the train station to the stadium.

Turn right out of Wigan Wallgate station and keep walking for 10 minutes or so, passing the Seven Stars Hotel.

After that, you'll pass under a railway bridge and the Robin Park leisure complex will come into view. You will be able to see the stadium from there.

Pubs
The most obvious choice - especially for a midweek game - the JJB Soccerdome bar which is right in between the away-end entrance and the away fans' car park.

It holds about 150 people and you can get served pretty quickly. It's about £2.60 a pint and they do pretty decent pies for £2 - again, perfect for a night game.

But if you're catching the train, you might want a pint in the town centre. Definitely avoid The Brunels, which is next door to Wigan Wallgate station.

Police (unsurprisingly) hang around outside and the staff have been known to frown on away supporters and singing of any kind.

Instead, walk down Wallgate 20 yards and call into the Swan and Railway (pictured above), where you'll get a warm welcome and a pint for £2.30.

If you want to be nearer to the ground, call into Wigan Pier where you'll find The Orwell (pictured above right).

If you've got time to grab a bite to eat, they do some cracking food.

Foreign office creates Rome travel advice page

The Government is aiming to keep reds travelling to Rome updated with useful information ahead of their trip.

They have created this web page and are urging supporters to check it regularly.

If you don't want to, we'll do it for you and pick out the best bits and publish them here.

Meanwhile, the Football Supporters' Federation has said it will set up a fans' embassy in Rome to help United fans with problems or questions during their visit.

Its website has lots of useful information about Rome and the stadium.

However, we will bring you a 16-page colour guide tailor made for United fans going to Rome, available to download in a PDF file seven days before the match.

Printed copies will also be made available. Email redsaway@hotmail.co.uk with a postal address if you want one.

Rome ticket cards will hold personal data

Today, United said: "Tickets for the game will be access cards which will be linked to the details that are provided in the travel report.

"The in-design tickets will be similar to the season ticket access cards and will contain [the personal details] of the supporter.

"According to UEFA, entry to the stadium will only be permitted on production of the ticket and a valid identity document with photograph.

"Supporters are advised to have their passport with them at the game as proof of identity.

"It is imperative that supporters quote the details of the travelling supporter’s passport when completing the travel report."

Our reaction:

Don't panic.

It is naive to think that 70,000 people using the tickets will be the ones who bought them.

Even out of the 19,500 United end tickets, there will be thousands of people with genuine reasons why the ticket is being held by the person other than the one referred to in the travel report.

Following this system of rigorous checks would require hours and would impractical in the run up to kick off.

Besides, many hotels hold on to your passport for security reasons or for safe keeping during your stay. Supporters may not feel comfortable carrying them around town.

And also, supporters were told beforehand they would not get access to the San Siro stadium when United played Inter Milan earlier this season. That never materialised.

Fans were also warned of strict security in Moscow, which was much more relaxed than stated.

As above - don't panic.

Keep checking our travel guide below for updates and feel to send in your questions to redsaway@hotmail.co.uk

Rome travel guide

Note: this page will be continously updated for the rest of the week. Please check back for updates.

United v Barcelona
Olympic Stadium, Rome
Champions League final
Wednesday May 27, kick off 8.45pm CET

Tickets

Stadium capacity: 66,044
Public ballot: 10,000. These have already been distributed.
Barcelona allocation: 19,544
UEFA football family: 17,000
United allocation: 19,500. These cost £65, £83, £128 or £183, depending on the seat location

United fans will occupy the north side of the stadium, better known as Curva Nord.

People can apply from 8am on Wednesday until 8am on May 12.

Executive members and season ticket holders who have been to all domestic and European home cup games this season can apply online.


The more Champions League away games you applied for, the higher your chance of getting a ticket.

Payment will be taken from May 12 to May 14 and ballot results will be announced from 8am on May 15.

Those with tickets must send a travel report to United by 8am on May 17

All tickets must be collected in person from Old Trafford from May 18.

Travel

Rome has two airports. Fiumicino (FCO) and Ciampino (CIA)

The Rome police are likely to sanction one airport for United and the other for Barcelona.

Both will be hurrendously busy on the day of the game, and so some organised tours may instead fly to Pescara Airport, which is two hours by coach to Rome.

Organised trips to game

These will be offered by: Travelcare Sports on behalf of Manchester United, Champion Sport Travel, Miss Ellies Travel, Low Cost Sport

Travelcare Sports

On behalf of United, they are running seven trips. They are inviting fans to register interest in three of them now. They are:

An executive two-day trip
A two-day trip
An executive day stop.

One United members can now book places on four other trips. They are:

A day trip
A two-day trip
A three-day trip
A four-day trip.

Prices are unclear at this stage.

Miss Ellie Travel
They are offering day stops and a two-day stop.

Day trip Option One - £495
Fly from either Luton or Birmingham to Rome
Transfers to and from the stadium

Day trip Option Two - £529
Fly from Manchester to Rome
Transfers to and from the stadium

Two-day trip - £669
Fly from Manchester to Rome
Two nights' accommodation
Transfers to and from the stadium

Book here or by calling 0161 228 7263


Champion Sport Tours

They are offering a day trip, three seperate two-day trips and one three-day trip.

Day trip - £450

Flights will leave Manchester. Luton and Birmingham between 04:00-07:00
Latest match ending 23:30
Flights will leave FCO/CIA/Pescara between 02:30 and 06:00.

Two-day trip Option One - £689

Tuesday May 26
AM: Fly from Manchester to FCO/CIA/Pescara
PM: Check in to three and four-star hotel in central Rome, stay for two nights

Thursday May 28
PM: Fly from FCO/CIA/Pescara to Manchester

Two-day trip Option Two - £639

Tuesday May 26
AM: Fly from Manchester to FCO/CIA/Pescara
PM: Check in to three and four-star hotel in suburbs of Rome - six miles out of the centre - stay for two nights
There are occasional free coach transfers into the centre. Taxis cost e25 each way, though the hotel will be close to a Metro stop.

Thursday May 28
PM: Fly from FCO/CIA/Pescara to Manchester
Two-day trip Option Three

Two-day trip Option Three - £699

Tuesday May 26
AM: Fly from Manchester to FCO/CIA/Pescara
PM: Check in to a four-star hotel in Ostia on the coast - 30 miles out of the centre - stay for two nights
Trains run to Rome every 10 minutes and take 45 minutes. Taxis cost e55.

Thursday May 28
PM: Fly from FCO/CIA/Pescar to Manchester

Three-day trip - £749 for a standard room and £799 for a superior room

Bank Holiday Monday May 25
Fly from Manchester to FCO/CIA/Pescara
Check in to four-star hotel in the Bay of Naples - two-and-a-half hours away from Rome.

Tuesday May 26
Optional boat visit to the Isle of Capri, the ancient Pompeii or Sorrento.

Wednesday May 27
9am: Coach to Rome
After the match: Coach back to the hotel

Thursday May 28
Fly from FCO/CIA/Pescara to Manchester

Low Cost Sport
Is running day trips, a two-night trip, a three-night trip and a coach trip.

Coach trip - £249

Bank Holiday Monday May 25
6am: Leave Manchester. Pick up passengers at the following motorway junctions:

Knutsford, Keele and Hilton Park on the M6, Frankly on the M5, Warwich and Oxford on the M40, Junctios 12 and 7 of the M25 and Clacket Lane on the M11.

Tuesday May 26
13.50am: Arrive Rome

Homebound details not yet released.

Day trip One - £450

Leave Manchester: 08:00
Arrive Rome: 11:40
Transfers to and from stadium
Leave Rome: 02:30
Arrive Manchester: 04:00

Day trip Two - £450

Leave London Gatwick: 05:00
Arrive Rome: 08:00
Transfers to and from stadium
Leave Rome: 01:30
Arrive London Gatwick: 02:45

Day trip Three- £450

Leave London Luton: 07:10
Arrive Rome: 10:35
Transfers to and from stadium
Leave Rome: 03:45
Arrive London Luton: 05:20

Day trip Four - £450

Leave Glasgow: 05:00
Arrive Rome: 08:20
Transfers to and from stadium
Leave Rome: 03:30
Arrive Glasgow: 04:50

Two-night stay Option One - £679

Tuesday May 26
09:00 Fly from Manchester
12:45 Arrive in Rome

Check in to one of five three-star superior hotels.

Thursday May 28
16:00 Fly from Rome
17:30 Arrive in Manchester

Two-night stay Option Two - £649
Tuesday May 26
07:00 Fly from Manchester
1o:45 Arrive in Rome

Check in to one of four three-star hotels or a four-star hotel.

Thursday May 28
22:30 Fly from Rome
00:00 Arrive in Manchester

Two-night stay Option Three - £679
Tuesday May 26
07:00 Fly from London Gatwick
1o:35 Arrive in Rome

Check in to one of five three-star superior hotels.

Thursday May 28
12:50 Fly from Rome
16:25 Arrive in London Gatwick

Three-night stay - £749

Bank Holiday Monday, May 25
09:00 Fly from Manchester
12:30 Arrive Rome

Check in to one of two three-star superior hotels or a four-star superior hotel.

Wednesday May 27
Transfers to and and from the stadium

Thursday May 28
15:00 Fly from Rome
16:00 Arrive Manchester


Independent travel
There are deals on offer ranging from two-day trips to seven-day trips.
The general rule is: the longer you go for, the cheaper flights will be (but obviously, accommodation will be more expensive).
　
Car - £460
Some groups are planning to travel down to Rome from Manchester. It would take 19 hours of continuous driving each way and cost about £175 in petrol, £40 in toll costs and £18 in road tax each way.
http://www.greenflag.com/routeplanning

Hull ballot results due out today

Reds who applied for tickets for the match at Hull on Sunday May 24 can find out today if they have got them.

United have got 2,450 tickets in the North Stand for the last match of the season, priced at £24.50 for adults, £14.50 for over 65s and under 16s.
Find out online if you have a ticket.

A full travel guide will follow later today.