Visiting Germany/Europe

[Finance_Analyst]

brilliant! hope you'll share your thoughts when you're on your way (or when you're done).
out of curiousity, how much are flights into london for you? i've had a quick gander - and i'm not sure if it's the olympics (a bit early for that i reckon), but to london is the most expensive for me. helsinki's (finair) the cheapest followed by amsterdam (klm/airfrance). i'm using an app called 'skyscanner' (android) recommended by a friend to search for air fares.

I actually cashed in my amex points. I know London is so expensive due to taxes - hence I paid my taxes separate as it took too many points. I used 125,000 on Eithad, then paid $350 or so in tax.

[phaeton]

Travel bug is in the air

I'm planning a trip within the next month to go to Wolfsburg/Hannover/Dresden/Osnabruck/Merc Muse/Porsche Muse/Audi Muse & Switzerland (cousin) and the Netherlands (VW friend).

[nutttr]

We hired from ttcar I think it was in France. Got an Opel 1.7L TDi Meriva thingy (was in 2008??) and it cost about 880eu for ~30 days. Drove 5,500km, was brilliant!

I recommend seeing if the Porsche factory tour of their 911 assembly like still exists (it's in Stuttgart). You can ring them to chat about it but from memory you have to email to book. It is free and was awesome to see, 99.9% is put together by hand. Was by far one of my top things to do.

If you get appendicitis, visit berlin, their hospital was really good!

That said, I highly recommend Berne in Switzerland. It's, so far, my favorite place ever. Been there 4-5 times in while I was living in the UK.

Good interesting drives, the famous (by top gear) drive down the mountain to Davos from Italy, or the other way around, I forget. In Germany the black forest region is pretty cool and so is the 'romantic road' area.

One thing to remember is a lot of autobahns are not unlimited speed . But there are plenty of areas where you can still go free! Got our hire car up to ~190. Wouldn't go any faster .

Another hint if you drive to Austria or Switzerland (from memory), you need to buy a "toll pass" which allows you to use their motorways. If you don't have one, they'll bend you over a barrel

Can't think of anything else right now...

[phantomcamel]

Christian I am not sure that leasing is for You (if You still have German passport) Leasing company can't claim MwSt
so no lease for European Union Passport holders ... or there is some exemption

Never got around yet to get an Australian passport

---------- Post added at 07:38 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:27 AM ----------

Oh, forgot something.... If you have the time to drive towards Italy/France Mediterranean coast there are some breathtaking rides right on the coast. Caution: you may pee your pants when you get around some of the corners & these lorries appear in your windscreen and there is nothing but a big drop on your side of the road

[geoff_gti]

brilliant! hope you'll share your thoughts when you're on your way (or when you're done).
out of curiousity, how much are flights into london for you? i've had a quick gander - and i'm not sure if it's the olympics (a bit early for that i reckon), but to london is the most expensive for me. helsinki's (finair) the cheapest followed by amsterdam (klm/airfrance). i'm using an app called 'skyscanner' (android) recommended by a friend to search for air fares.

I've heard if you fly into somewhere other than Heathrow you'll save a stack on taxes as well.

[fuzion]

Lora and I were over in Europe for a month last year, and also previous year for a month (amongst few other times)

Heres a Thread of some of the pix to give you some inspiration. The only car factory we haven't done in Germany was the VW one as we were to far south and to lazy to drive up, always next time! Ferrari/Pagani/Lambo are next on the list.

Switzerland;
Zurich
Berne
Lauterbrunnen (Jungfrau Hoch is a must)

Germany;
Munich
Stuttgart for car factories only as its a boring City.
Berlin


Austria;
Vienna
Innsbruck
South Tyrol (Sud Tirol)

France;
North obviously Paris
South; Mont-Blanc-Charmonix
Marseille
Nice
St Tropez
Monaco (sorta france lol)

Italy; (if you want to go north as you do not want to go far)
South Tyrol (Sud Tirol) - Schenna, Bolzano and surrounding areas are incredibly nice as well and not far to drive.

I could go endlessly of where we have been/or you could go as its never ending in Europe and i am sure everyone will agree who has been there!

We did 8500kms last time to give you an idea lol.

---------- Post added at 09:46 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:29 AM ----------

A note on RENTING cars (not sure about leasing...):
There are certain countries you can't take cars such BMWs, MERCs and so forth such as Italy. So if you plan a Euro trip make sure your read the fine print as in what countries you can take your car to.
I found out the hard way - although I am German I booked here on the Internet. At time of collection I had to fill out a form as to where we were heading & BANG... there goes the idea to take a Beemer down the Autobahn & cross through Switzerland into Italy - ended up with an OPEL!!!

In terms of visiting:
Hockenheimring Baden-Württemberg
Home*- Nürburgring take the TAXI first before you attempt to drive it :Co-pilot rides*- Nürburgring
Volkswagen Start: www.autostadt.de
Mercedes Stuttgart factory tour Mercedes-Benz Classic Home - Frequently Asked Questions - Classic Customer Center
BMW Museum Freude entdecken: BMW Welt, Museum und Werk

You could pop into Austria to the kaefermuseum.at: VW Käfer: Und er läuft, und läuft, und läuft ...

For a nice drive without the stress of POLOs overtaking you on the Autobahn , try https://www.romantischestrasse.de/?lang=uk

A drive from my home town Freiburg in the Black ForrestStadt Freiburg im Breisgau: Tourism to Rothaus (Brewery!!)Brauereigasthof Rothaus · Startseite via Titisee for lunch Titisee-Neustadt / Region & Towns / Discover - HTG This a beautiful drive through the Black Forrest - lots of winding roads & different scenery!

For some more engaging driving & awesomeness you'll have to go to the Alps: Top Gear’s World’s Best Driving Road in detail at redlineblog – Indian Car Reviews

Some great info there as well.

[spiff]

Coming back to this as I'm still planning.

fuzion, what's in Sud Tirol? I'll be in Vienna (summer university), and visiting Innsbruck/Wattens (Swarovski factory).
phantomcamel, I just found out one of my friends from Perth moved to Freiburg, so I'll be visiting! haha. anything worth checking out while I'm there?
Also found out VW factories are all over the country (phaeton in dresden for example), but on the recommendation from most, I'll be adding Wolfsburg (VW) and Stuttgart (Merc, Porsche).

I'm also visiting a friend in Zurich, and was wondering if anyone has ever visited Leichtenstein. Is it worth it? Might have to rent a car or take the bus.

I have about 3 weeks in total. I think I might leave Nurburgring out if it gets too expensive or if time doesn't permit. Given a choice, should one visit Berlin or Nurburg? or skip Leichtenstein and do both?

And another thing, can anyone suggest the better ways of getting a group of 4 people from Vienna -> Innsbruck -> Wolfsburg -> Prague -> Vienna, over a period of 10 days? Would driving (particularly Innsbruck to Wolfsburg) be too much? 766km according to Google maps. Would flying or trains make more sense?

[Blitzen]

And another thing, can anyone suggest the better ways of getting a group of 4 people from Vienna -> Innsbruck -> Wolfsburg -> Prague -> Vienna, over a period of 10 days? Would driving (particularly Innsbruck to Wolfsburg) be too much? 766km according to Google maps. Would flying or trains make more sense?

Take the train. It's really easy, clean, and inexpensive, especially if you book a bit earlier too.

[PassatB6]

1. Use the train whenever you can. Book a seat as well, don't just buy a train ticket otherwise you may not have anywhere to sit.

Re the Autostadt
2. Do the LONG factory tour in Wolfsburg. I went on the short one and it was only about 20-30 mins, nowhere near long enough. Book a seat.
3. You can get an ICE train to Wolfsburg station. Went there from Berlin in 1 hour.
4. Do the visit inside the Car towers.
5. Plenty food at the Autostadt (7 restaurants)

Berlin is a relatively cheap place to stay and awesome to visit.

Have a great trip!

[spiff]

Thanks! This is timely. I'm looking at this section of my trip.. I have been since last night. Haha. I'll send an email to Autostadt later or tomorrow.

May I ask:

1. Where are some decent places to stay when visiting the Autostadt (~3/4 star or b&b type places)? I looked at the Ritz-Carlton that's at the Autostadt. That's luxury! I'd rather spend the $ on merch..laugh. If only I could sleep in the factory.

2. Is 1 day enough or should I get the 2 day pass? I've read that the Autostadt and factory tours (will look at the longer one) are worth it, but some of the 'other pavillions' (??) aren't. There's also a separate VW museum or something nearby?

I may head to Berlin on a separate leg of the trip. Insufficient time, unless I skip Prague and do Berlin instead.

thanks!

1. Use the train whenever you can. Book a seat as well, don't just buy a train ticket otherwise you may not have anywhere to sit.

Re the Autostadt
2. Do the LONG factory tour in Wolfsburg. I went on the short one and it was only about 20-30 mins, nowhere near long enough. Book a seat.
3. You can get an ICE train to Wolfsburg station. Went there from Berlin in 1 hour.
4. Do the visit inside the Car towers.
5. Plenty food at the Autostadt (7 restaurants)

Berlin is a relatively cheap place to stay and awesome to visit.

Have a great trip!

[PassatB6]

Thanks! This is timely. I'm looking at this section of my trip.. I have been since last night. Haha. I'll send an email to Autostadt later or tomorrow.

May I ask:

1. Where are some decent places to stay when visiting the Autostadt (~3/4 star or b&b type places)? I looked at the Ritz-Carlton that's at the Autostadt. That's luxury! I'd rather spend the $ on merch..laugh. If only I could sleep in the factory.

2. Is 1 day enough or should I get the 2 day pass? I've read that the Autostadt and factory tours (will look at the longer one) are worth it, but some of the 'other pavillions' (??) aren't. There's also a separate VW museum or something nearby?

I may head to Berlin on a separate leg of the trip. Insufficient time, unless I skip Prague and do Berlin instead.

thanks!

1. We stayed in Berlin and caught the ICE train but we were visiting Berlin anyway. If you aren't going to Berlin check out places much closer e.g in Wolfsburg town itself.

2. 1 day should do it. If you want to see everything maybe 2 days,but 1 was enough for me. You can spend a fair bit of time in some places so do the main stuff early. Some of the pavilions are simply like dealer showrooms. The Skoda one was quite good, had a green-tech theme and a wall with small models of every Skoda ever made. Bugatti is a one car showroom but I think its an all chrome one. The VW showroom was actually closed when we were there !!(Wallyworld experience, couldn't find a moose to punch though)
Check out the towers, the factory tour, the car delivery centre and the Museum (a must - has all the motoring icons of all the brands and some interesting old VWs) the main pavillions and the VW Merchandise shop. There's also a Touareg 4 WD test track you prob have to book that too. Plenty food, modern architecture with lots of glass, in park like surrounds.

On arrival you should be able to see the original factory with the big VW sign.

Think of it like visiting Gracelands or Mecca just being there is cool.

[GOLFBALLS]

Me and my mrs went around Europe in '09.
We bought a T4 van in London, drove around the western continent plus budapest camping and couch surfing all the way. It was awesome!
Even in the Diesel T4, going around the Nordschlieffe was something i'll never forget! Well worth the 20euros!!

My Fav's:

-Nurburgring
-Osnabruck round of the Bergrennen (Berg Cup Hillclimb series). Osnabruck is also the home of the Karman coach building company
-Wolfsburg Autostadt (1day for autostadt and 1 day for the seperate museum in town which is well worth a look!). I camped at the caravan park!
-BMW Welt in Munich
-Deutsche Museum in Munich
-Berlin is kickass!!! Free walking tours are excellent!
-When at the Nurburgring, make the trip to Spa Francorchamps while you're in the area. I camped there for the 09 F1 race weekend and partied with the Eurotrash!! Another time I'll always remember
-If you go to France, GO TO LE MANS AND TAKE THE DRIVE OUT OF TOWN TO THE SARTHE 24hr TRACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The race museum there is unbelievable. You could spend all day there alone!!

Oh and I forgot about the race track at Oschersleben. They hold the DTM, WTCC, and Carrera Cup Euroseries there, there's a go kart hire track at the complex, plus at 6pm daily the public can cycle or jog around the track for free till 7pm!

Have you thought about making it to one of the big VAG meets like worthorsee?

Also the Mercedes factory in Stuttgart and the Audi factory in Ingolstadt?

Monaco was also pretty crazy and a great drive thru the alps to Geneva.

I could go on and on....

[spiff]

Thanks Golfballs!
I'm going to Stuttgart and giving Munich a miss.
Changing plans so I include Berlin (thanks for the tip on the walking tours).
I've missed Worthesee this year, but I'll be making a note of that when I head back to Germany to visit the Nurburgring and other places I don't get to see this time around.
Still organising accom for Wolfsburg. Thanks for the info on Wolfsburg. I've been tossing up whether 1 or 2 days..looks like it'll be 2.

[spiff]

So.. I'm back.. with heaps of stories, photos and stuff! (so many things there are cheap as chips.. and wolfsburg is particularly dangerous for shoppers.. there's the autostadt, the museum, and a factory outlet shopping mall across the train tracks!)



thank you all for the useful tips and advice. i ended up visiting autostadt, bmw welt+museum, porsche museum, mercedes benz museum (outstanding!) & the transparent factory in dresden.. amongst seeing other things.

also got to testdrive the new all electric golf prototype.