The celebrations following Arsenal’s Premier League triumph have barely slowed down across large parts of north London. With the club now preparing for a UEFA Champions League final showdown against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, the excitement is extending well beyond England’s borders.

That anticipation was impossible to miss at Stansted Airport on Friday morning. Arsenal shirts dominated the departure lounge as supporters prepared to begin their journeys to Budapest, where the club will contest its biggest European match in two decades.

For many fans, however, reaching the Hungarian capital has become an adventure in itself.

Creative Routes to Reach Hungary

Darren Cornish, a 53-year-old IT manager from Hemel Hempstead, expects to arrive in Budapest using a combination of different modes of transport.

“We’ll get there by train, plane and automobiles,” he joked.

Yet his description was far from exaggerated. With airfare prices surging after Arsenal secured the league title, many supporters have been forced to look for alternative routes. Overnight coaches, cross-border train journeys and connecting flights through neighboring countries have become common solutions.

Direct flights to Budapest quickly became scarce. By Friday, all 13 Wizz Air services from London to the Hungarian capital had sold out. The final available one-way fare listed on Skyscanner reached £407.

Cornish acted early after Arsenal booked their place in the final, securing return flights to Linz in Austria for £150. From there, he plans to take a train lasting around three and a half hours on Saturday morning.

Several of his friends are making similarly indirect journeys, travelling through cities such as Vienna, Bratislava and even Rome before reaching Budapest.

“Hardly anyone I know is going straight there,” he said.

Premier League Glory Has Changed the Mood

Cornish was among the thousands of supporters who gathered around Highbury after Arsenal’s final league match against Crystal Palace.

Reflecting on the scenes, he described them as unlike anything he had experienced despite witnessing title-winning moments at several iconic venues over the years, including Anfield, Old Trafford, White Hart Lane and Highbury.

According to him, the sheer number of people on the streets and the overwhelming sense of relief created an atmosphere unmatched by any other club in the capital.

With Arsenal ending a 20-year wait to reach the Champions League final and already having secured domestic success, Cornish believes the pressure has largely disappeared.

“This game feels like a bonus,” he said. “If we lose, we’ve still won the league. If we win, it becomes the greatest season imaginable. There’s no burden on the players.”

Young Fans Embrace the Challenge

Among those making the trip are three friends from Essex: Ben Boxhall, Adam Wares and Ollie Laurence.

All three were infants when Arsenal last lifted the Premier League trophy in 2004, making this season their first genuine experience of a title-winning campaign.

Boxhall, who works in marketing, said celebrating the achievement with family and friends has made the success even more meaningful.

Instead of flying directly to Budapest, the group booked return flights to Kraków before arranging onward travel. Their plan involves catching a 5am bus from the Polish city and arriving in Hungary around midday on matchday.

Accommodation is not part of the itinerary. After joining thousands of supporters expected at UEFA’s designated fan zone, they intend to stay awake through the night before boarding an early-morning bus back to Kraków.

The decision was largely financial.

“We checked flights to Budapest and they were around £500 to £600 with Wizz Air,” Wares explained.

Their alternative route cost £170 for return flights, significantly reducing expenses.

Fans Willing to Spend Big

Despite finding cheaper travel options, many Arsenal supporters have faced substantial costs to be part of the occasion.

Laurence, who works in construction, knows fellow fans who have spent more than £1,000 on flights alone.

Even so, the possibility of completing a remarkable campaign remains enough motivation.

“If we can win both trophies, it would be incredible,” he said.

Another supporter heading to Linz is 21-year-old graduate Sonny Living from Hertfordshire. He paid just under £200 for his return flights and is looking forward to enjoying the trip with fellow fans.

Living was only a few weeks old when Arsenal last won the league, making this season a landmark moment in his lifetime as a supporter.

Because Arsenal have already achieved significant success this year, he believes the pressure surrounding the final is lower than it might otherwise have been. That freedom, he feels, could allow the team to play with greater confidence.

Although he has yet to secure a match ticket, he remains hopeful. According to Living, tickets are circulating for approximately £2,500, a figure he would still consider paying.

Veteran Followers Relish the Moment

The excitement is not limited to younger supporters.

Neil Roberts, a 43-year-old landscaping business owner, has followed Arsenal home and away for a quarter of a century. For him, the club’s recent success is especially rewarding after years of waiting.

“When you go so long without winning major honours, it feels magical when it finally happens,” he said.

Although he was not wearing club colours openly at the airport, he admitted an Arsenal shirt was packed inside his luggage.

Travelling alongside Roberts was Jeff Steward, a 60-year-old electrical engineer. Steward took a gamble immediately after the first leg of Arsenal’s Champions League semi-final, booking flights to Linz for only £60.

He had attempted a similar strategy the previous year, although Arsenal ultimately failed to reach the final. Even so, he felt the risk was worthwhile.

“The only thing you can lose is the cost of the flights,” he said.

Another member of the travelling group from Aylesbury, IT manager Paul Dawson, recalled checking flight prices shortly after the final whistle of Arsenal’s decisive match.

Within just a couple of hours, he said, fares had multiplied dramatically.

An Experience Worth Every Penny

For supporters making complicated journeys across Europe, the financial burden and travel difficulties are viewed as a small price to pay for the chance to witness a potentially historic occasion.

Whether arriving through Austria, Poland, Slovakia, Italy or elsewhere, thousands of Arsenal fans are determined to be in Budapest when their team faces Paris Saint-Germain.

As Roberts summed it up, the value of the experience outweighs any expense.

“Memories are worth more than money.”