Manchester United supporter Sue McGranigan is taking a different route to the final, opting instead to traverse the full length of France by road.
She set off by coach at 02:45 BST on Tuesday morning and will arrive in Bilbao around Wednesday lunchtime following a ferry from Dover to Calais, a nine-hour coach to Bordeaux, where she will stay overnight, and a final four-hour coach ride to the Spanish city on the morning of the match.
“It’s a lot cheaper. It’s cost about £350 to come on the coach whereas direct flights were £900. It’s a long journey – I’ve had about half-an-hour’s sleep,” she said, speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live from just outside London.
“But the coach is very quiet. It’s all United fans and I thought they’d be drinking and singing, but it’s really peaceful.”
Adam Paterson, meanwhile, will cover more than 2,500 miles to reach Spain. The United fan will leave Manchester with friends Dylan Heath and Will Baldwin on Tuesday afternoon and fly via Dublin, Paris, and Rome before landing in Bilbao just hours before kick-off.
“We just thought why not? It’s not every week you’re in a European final,” said Adam, explaining his “weird and wonderful” journey to BBC Radio Manchester.
“That’s not even the worst bit of it – we don’t even have a hotel. We will just have to pull an all-nighter.”
Chief constable Mark Roberts, national lead for football policing, says the Football Policing Unit, Greater Manchester Police, and the Metropolitan Police have been liaising with local police and Uefa to ensure all fans have a positive experience.
He encouraged fans without a ticket not to travel to Bilbao and said British police will be on hand to “act as a liaison” and assist with information and communication.
“Bilbao is a beautiful city and the local police and people are keen to welcome fans. But it’s not the biggest city and the biggest concern is the ability for Bilbao to soak up those additional people if they haven’t got a ticket. Our advice would be if people haven’t got a ticket, consider not travelling,” he said.
“Some police forces still have an impression of English fans based on the 1980s – it’s quite outdated. We’re keen to push the intelligence and say treat supporters from this country based on behaviour, not perception.
“[My message to fans is] go and have a great time. It’s a special event and I’m sure there’ll be a great atmosphere, whatever the result. It’s a beautiful city – just be a good guest. Everyone’s there wanting to support you to have a great time.”