As mentioned on the main Group C page, Frankfurt would make a good base for this group if you want to stay in one of the host cities. However, accommodation prices in the host cities are sure to be higher than elsewhere, so I've also looked for alternative potential bases for each group that are geographically fairly central and offer good transport links to every venue.

Genreally, for Group C, I suggest looking at Mannheim, as described below. For England fans specifically, I suggest Wuppertal.

Mannheim

Mannheim is located at the confluence of the Rhine and Neckar in southwest Germany. It is south of Dortmund, Cologne and Frankfurt, and north of Stuttgart and Munich (see map on Group C page). It is the second-largest city of the State of Baden-Württemberg and, for me, was the neighbouring town when I spent 6 months in 1977 working on the other side of the Rhine in the huge BASF plant in Ludwigshafen. It's a popular university city, home to SV Waldhof Mannheim (currently playing in Germany's third tier) and also where I saw my first ever ice hockey game, at an outdoor stadium no longer used by what are now called Adler Mannheim (back then: MERC), the country's record ice hockey champions.

Mannheim's sights (many post-war reconstructions) include a huge Baroque palace, a landmark Romaesque water tower and two major museums (more here on the germany.travel website). For nearby excursions there's picturesque Heidelberg just down the road, and Bad Dürkheim, a town famous for its wine, where I remember trying a drop or two many years ago sat in the 'Riesenfass', a giant barrel of a bar/restaurant. There's more information in English about Mannheim here on wikivoyage. You'll also find ideas for things to see and do, plus details of guided tours, over at GetYourGuide.

To give you an idea of what it will be like getting around to the Group C venues if you decide to base yourself in Mannheim, I've checked out the travel connections and times by train and coach.

By train there are direct connections to every venue (bar Gelsenkirchen), as shown below (all are main station to main station):

Rail connections

All with Deutsche Bahn from Mannheim Hauptbahnhof (main station). Click the 'Mannheim to...' links for fares.

Mannheim to Gelsenkirchen
Changes: 1
Time: 2hrs 37mins

Mannheim to Cologne
Changes: None
Time: 1hr 29mins

Mannheim to Frankfurt
Changes: None
Time: 36mins

Mannheim to Stuttgart
Changes: None
Time: 36mins

Mannheim to Munich
Changes: None
Time: 2hrs 43mins

Depending on how many train journeys you're going to be making, rather than buying train tickets separately for each one, it may work out cheaper for you to get an Interrail pass, which you could also use for your travel to and from Germany.

As an alternative to Deutsche Bahn trains, also take a look at Flixtrain, whose rail network covers Mannheim and links to all Group C venues except Munich. Many of their fares are less than €10.

For fans travelling on a very tight budget, I've also looked at coach travel, which can be really cheap. At the time of writing, for instance (October 2023), you can travel all the way from Mannheim to Munich for under €14, Here are the journey times:

Coach connections

Unless stated otherwise, all are by FlixBus coach from Mannheim central coach station (adjacent to the main railway station). Click the 'Mannheim to...' links for fares.

Mannheim to Gelsenkirchen
Changes: None
Time: 4hrs
Note: Goes to Düsseldorf, from which your match ticket will get you to Gelesenkirchen by train in 35 minutes.

Mannheim to Cologne
Changes: None
Time: 3hrs 45mins
Note: Goes to Cologne-Bonn Airport, from which your match ticket will get into central Cologne by rail in 30 minutes.

Mannheim to Frankfurt
Changes: None
Time: 1hr 15mins
Note: Goes to the central coach station, which is beside the main railway station.

Mannheim to Stuttgart
Changes: None
Time: 1hr
Note: Goes to Stuttgart Airport, from which your match ticket will get you into central Stuttgart by metro in 28 minutes.

Mannheim to Munich
Changes: None
Time: 4hrs 55mins
Note: Goes to the central coach station, which is right by the Allianz Arena.

Accommodation

Hotels 

Hotel Kurpfalzstuben
Just 4 minutes on foot to the main station. Close to the sights. Free WiFi.

Hotel Luise Mannheim - by SuperFly Hotels
20 minutes on foot from the station. In the heart of the central pedestrian zone. Satellite TV and free Wi-Fi.

Hotel-an-den-Planken
1100m from the main station. 3-star hotel with restaurant. Satellite TV.

For more options, see the Booking.com Mannheim page and/or Germany's two biggest hotel booking portals Hotel.de and HRS.de

Holiday flats

Apartment in Mannheim
Sleeps up to 4. 100m from the main station. Bedroon, living room and kitchen units. Free Wi-Fi.

Luxuriöse Wohnung in guter Lage
Well-located luxury flat. Sleeps 3 in two bedrooms. Kitchen units. Terrace. Free Wi-Fi.

Mood contemporary living
24sqm studio. Sleeps 2. Not far from the station. Air-con. Free Wi-Fi. 

Hostels

Hostel Mannheim
1400m from the main station. Single rooms to 6-bed dorms. Free breakfast and free Wi-Fi.

Jugendherberge Mannheim International
A 10-minute walk from the main station. 73 rooms and a total of 258 beds. Breakfast included.

Campsites
As I've said elsewhere, I've not slept on a campsite for many years, so this isn't my area of expertise. What I've done, therefore, is look for sites with good public transport links to Mannheim, from where you could take the coach or train to the match venue as shown above. On that basis, here are a couple of suggestions:

Camping Wiesensee
A 20-minute walk to the local station, then 25 minutes by train to Mannheim main station. Beside a small lake. On-site restaurant.

Camping Walldorf Astoria
A 4-minute walk to the bus stop, then 43 minutes on the bus and train to Mannheim main station. Fresh bread each morning. Snack bar / restaurant on site.

For other campsites in the Mannheim area, see Eurocampings and for the wider area see Camping Info.

So, that's Mannheim - one option as a base for Group C. If you do, however, prefer to base yourself in one of the host cities, then, as mentioned above, for this group the city to look at is probably Frankfurt.