Tips on getting to the 2012 London Olympics

By Patrizia Schlosser Dec 27, 2011, 3:06 GMT

London - The run on tickets for the London Olympic Games running July 27-August 12, 2012 already began some nine months ago. So trying at this point to get a remaining ticket is in itself a high-performance challenge.

And if you don't want to pay exaggerated rates for some dump to stay in, you had better get started soon. On your marks, get set, go!

One method is to go directly to the British Olympics organizing committee. Ticket sales by this committee (the LOCOG) are offered via this homepage: www.tickets.london2012.com.

'At the moment there are still tickets left for some football matches as well as for various events of the Paralympic Games,' notes LOCOG press spokesman David Paull in London. Trying your luck that way, you have to log in on a page and then start picking and choosing for tickets yet available for the desired date, event, or sports category.

So much for the theory. In practice, things look a bit different.

'In the first sales phase that began last March, so many people applied that the tickets had to be raffled off,' said Christian Klaue, press spokesman for the German Olympics Sports Federation DOSB.

For example, more than 1 million people ordered tickets for the men's 100-metres sprint race, an event for which only 40,000 tickets were available.

'Tickets have never been sold so quickly or thoroughly,' Klaue said. 'It is the most successful ticket sale in the history of the Olympic Games.'

And if you don't get a ticket to the Olympics? A trip to London in 2012 can still be rewarding. Many events such as bicycle road racing or early-round cricket matches are free of charge. And besides which, the games will be shown on huge screens in public areas around the city so that every sports fan can join in watching the action close-up.

'There are three public areas with outdoor screens: Hyde Park, Victoria Park and Trafalgar Square,' says Andrea Hetzel of the British tourism office VisitBritain in Berlin. 'All three areas offer a mixture of sports and concert broadcasts.'

In order to secure a spot in front of a screen, people can register online at www.londonlive.uk.com. For 3.50 pounds (about 5.25 dollars) one can order up to four tickets which allow people early entry to the public viewing area.

Contrary to the ticket offerings, there is still a wide variety of available lodgings in London.

'For visitors with a small budget, staying in a hostel or on the campus of a university is a cheap alternative,' notes Ingo Frieske, managing director of the German sports travel company Vietentours.

The disadvantage is that such lodgings are not very centrally located. It is more expensive in the city centre.

Those who like things more exclusive can book overnight stays on cruise ships which will be steaming towards London next summer. One such vessel will be the 'Deutschland' anchored at the West India Docks, with berths still available via German travel agency Dertour.

The round trip, three nights' stay and an Olympics ticket can be booked for between 1,548 euros and 3,988 euros per person.

'Such all-round packages are suited for people who don't want to have to bother about arrangements,' says Torsten Schaefer, press spokesman for the German Travel Association in Berlin.

A further advantage is that all-included package offers are often less costly than trips a person organizes on his own.

'If you go about doing your own planning, then you should start to book very quickly in order to obtain favourable offers - whether by bus, train or airplane,' Schaefer advises. 'But don't be expecting super-cheap bargains at such a high-season period as the Olympics.'