Frankfurt (England v Paraguay, June 10)
A favourite dish is potatoes ladled with grüne sosse - a creamy, herby sauce. Another speciality is the dubiously named Handkäs (literally "hand cheese") mit Musik - curd cheese mixed with onions, oil and vinegar, on bread. Find these dishes at Zum Feuerrädchen (24 Textorstrasse, Sachsenhausen, 0049 69 621313).
No visit to Frankfurt is complete without a Frankfurter Worscht (the local Hesse dialect for wurst), the style of smoked sausage which has become the international hot dog standard. The Best Worscht In Town snack point on Grüneburgweg lives up to its billing.
Wash it down with apfelwein, a strong, flat scrumpy served in grey clay pots.
Nuremberg (England v Trinidad & Tobago, June 15)
Nuremberg is the capital of Franconia, one of Germany's wine regions - noted for riesling and silvaner whites - and that'll be reflected in the Fan Fest, where there'll be a wine tent as well as a beer tent. Soak up the alcohol with bread smeared with dripping and red onion (defibrillators at the ready).
On the healthier side, fish is widely available - notably carp from the river Aisch. The touristy but impressive Heilig Geist Spital restaurant (Spitalgasse 16) serves regional specialities. Nuremberg's sausage is the spicy "keyhole" Bratwurst - made small in times of draconian licensing laws, making them easy to slip through the keyhole when restaurants were forced to be closed. Eat them with sauerkraut, warm potato salad or horseradish. Try the Bratwursthäusle restaurant in the Rathausplatz.
Cologne (England v Sweden, June 20)
The highlight of the Cologne culinary experience is the local Kölsch beer, a flavoursome, biscuity variation on pils - more fruity, less bitter. So here's a chance to try Dom, Früh and Küppers.
The preferred snack is a Halve Hahn, a rye bread roll with a Gouda-style cheese and mustard. Those and regulation bratwurst are found at stands beneath the 72m masts of the stadium; and in the Fan Mile beneath the twin towers of the Dom.
A popular speciality restaurant is Em Kölsche Boor (121 Eigelstein, near Turinerstrasse, +221 135227).
Munich (Semi-final, July 5)
Bavaria's "national dish" is Schweinshaxe - roast pork knuckle served with dumplings, or potato, and sauerkraut, topped with crackling.
Munich's beers are rightly renowned - from the slightly malty basic Helles bier to the wheaty cloudiness of Weissbier, via various even more malty Dunkelbiers. There are many brands to try - Hofbräu, Löwenbräu, Franziskaner, Spaten and Paulaner. The latter has a great bierkeller/garten and restaurant, the Paulaner Bräuhaus on Kapuzinerplatz (+89 544611).
Weisswurst is a smooth veal and pork sausage with nutmeg and lemon zest, similar to a boudin blanc. Traditionally eaten with Weissbier and Brezen (a full-sized pretzel), never after midday, and it is supposed to be sucked from the skin. Some say it's disgusting; others flock to the stands on Viktualienmarkt.
Berlin (Final, 9 July)
If England get this far, a new drink trend will be born in the UK - Berliner Weise mit Schoss. This summer's favourite is the local version of the wheat beer served with either a shot of raspberry syrup or a green shot of sweet woodruff. It slips down dangerously easily.
Berlin's sausage of choice is the Currywurst, a Frankfurter covered in ketchup , curry sauce and paprika. There is debate over the best: Krasselt's (22 Steglitzer Damm) has a secret recipe rumoured to contain homemade tomato sauce, sweet red peppers and Lea & Perrins; Konnopke's (44 Schönhauser Allee) is under the subway, open late, pretty hardcore; Kudamm 195 (195 Kurfürstendamm) serve theirs with Sekt, sparkling wine.
· Inghams Eurobreak (020-8780 8809, eurobreak.co.uk) offers short breaks to Berlin from £171pp including three nights' B&B and flights. German Railways offer combined Eurostar+sleeper fares from London to Berlin, from £79 each way with couchette breakfast included. German National Tourist Office, 020-7317 0908, germany-tourism.co.uk.
