If you’re a football fan, you’ll already know that the hottest tickets this summer are for the women’s European football championships which will be held in the Netherlands between 16th July and 6th August 2017. 16 nations from across Europe will be heading to the Netherlands to compete, and if you’re thinking about following your favourite team or taking in some football matches on your European holiday this summer, here’s what you need to know.

Euro 2017 – the basics

The format of the women’s Euros will be very familiar to any football fan as it closely follows the structure of the men’s competition. The initial stages have four groups of 16, with the top two teams in each group progressing to the knock out stages. England and Scotland are both in group D, with Spain and Portugal. Northern Ireland and Wales did not qualify for the competition. England and Scotland meet on 19th July in Utrecht. The knock out stage of the competition begins on 29th July, and culminates with the final in Enschede on 6th August. Will either Scotland or England be there?

Tickets and Attending Matches

Tickets for all matches in the group stages are still available, and can be bought online from the tournament organisers. Compared with the men’s championships the tickets represent extremely good value for money; group stage game tickets are between 10 and 30 euros for adults and 5 and 10 euros for children under the age of 15. Final tickets will cost more, but only a maximum of 50 euros for the best seats in the house. Matches are being played at a range of venues across the Netherlands, including Rotterdam, Tilburg and Deventer. Getting around the Netherlands between venues is relatively simple as the country has an excellent public transport network and distances between cities is not great.

Other Things to Do in the Netherlands

Not everyone wants to spend their whole holiday going from one football match to the next, so plan some other sightseeing while in the Netherlands. Amsterdam is a must-see, with outstanding museums and picturesque streets and canals. Kids will love the Efteling theme park in the south of the country, and there are any number of country parks, pretty castles and in such a flat country – biking and hiking trails.

Practicalities

It’s very easy to get to the Netherlands from the UK. Amsterdam is just over three hours by car from Calais, or take a Eurostar train from London and change in Brussels for a journey which takes around 5 hours in total, including check in at London and transfer in Belgium. Fly into Schiphol airport, or take advantage of good transport links by flying to Brussels, Dusseldorf or smaller airports like Dortmund or Eindhoven. Travel insurance is a must for any European holiday, and this is no exception. Take your EHIC cover with you and if you fall ill in the Netherlands, Belgium or Germany you’ll be able to access state healthcare on the same basis as a resident.