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Post by bryan on Jan 7, 2024 17:54:30 GMT
We are thinking of a break in March this year and going to Germany is one option and a country I've never travelled to or visited - so i am after any tips or advice on things to see. Our list so far is
- Get the Euro Tunnel over to Calasis and head to Strasbourg - it will most likely be in the Yeti - What is the Black forest like in march - worth a visit if so is it drive through or somewhere to stop for a few days - Stuttgart for prosche Museum
- Possibly AutoStadt /Wolfsburg and ingolstat and area around Munich
- Rhine Valley/Cologne
Any tips or advice welcome - probably end up being away a week/10 days and prefer to have a couple of 2/3 night stops to break up the travelling
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Post by Roadrunner on Jan 7, 2024 20:12:20 GMT
I have only ever driven in Germany in LHD cars and really enjoyed it. Generally, everyone is well-mannered and knows which lane to be in.
I can understand the Yeti from a practically point of view, but knowing the epic choice of German cars you have at your disposal, aren't you tempted to take something a bit more special?
Other than that, my experience of Germany is more business related and in the nort of the country, so I can't comment on much of the touristy stuff. If you do end up in Osnabrück, I can recommend an excellent brewery/ restaurant.
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Post by bryan on Jan 8, 2024 5:51:49 GMT
The timing isn't ideal, the original holiday plan was to Eurostar to Paris and Stuttgart but seems to be developing....
I've always dreamt of going in one of the Porsches or even the Audi, but March won't be great weather and both the 911 and 928 would need some recommissioning prior to going which isn't financially sensible at present.
So I'm viewing this as a taster trip. It also helps the Yeti is on crossclimates.
€400 for the ring taxi 😲
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Post by Ben on Jan 8, 2024 8:15:19 GMT
Autostadt in Wolfsburg is a fun day out, but see if you can snag a visit to the Volkswagen AutoMuseum down the road. It's worth it if you can get in. www.automuseum-volkswagen.de/I've also been to BMW Welt in Munich and that's worth spending some time in too. If you make it to Frankfurt, then this place is fantastic. Lots of lovely motors to peruse: www.klassikstadt.de/ |
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Post by Alex on Jan 8, 2024 8:26:21 GMT
Sounds like a great trip Bryan. I've never driven in Germany so can't offer much advice. If you don't have them fitted you might need to check if it's still law to have winter tyres on your car in March.
I'm sure the Yeti will take the trip in it's stride and probably use a lot less fuel than your other cars. I'm guessing your wife is also less fussed about going across in one of your classics? Maybe that needs to be done as part of a forum road trip one day instead.
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Post by Tim on Jan 8, 2024 8:53:23 GMT
I haven't stopped in Germany apart from at the services/Burger King.
However driving there in a RHD vehicle felt extremely natural (within about 5 miles of leaving the Tunnel, actually).
Lane discipline is generally good in France, Belgium and Germany although the Belgians are often in a hurry and this time through Germany I noticed a few more middle-lane hoggers than on previous journeys. Nothing like as bad as over here though!
Roundabouts are the hardest thing to adjust to.
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Post by bryan on Jan 8, 2024 9:30:50 GMT
Sounds like a great trip Bryan. I've never driven in Germany so can't offer much advice. If you don't have them fitted you might need to check if it's still law to have winter tyres on your car in March. I'm sure the Yeti will take the trip in it's stride and probably use a lot less fuel than your other cars. I'm guessing your wife is also less fussed about going across in one of your classics? Maybe that needs to be done as part of a forum road trip one day instead. You speak the truth! She may even share some of the driving in the Yeti, and will be going round lots of car museums....hence asking for other good things to see and do so not all car related Driven in France plenty of times, so not concerned about that aspect, Yeti has had the right tyres |
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Post by PetrolEd on Jan 8, 2024 10:00:31 GMT
You might as well stop at the ring if your driving past. Makes for a good place to overnight on the first day too as its about 4/5 hours from Calais. Just make sure the circuit is open. It usually opens in mid March so will depend on when your going and you can stretch the Yetis legs.
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Post by bryan on Jan 8, 2024 10:23:10 GMT
You might as well stop at the ring if your driving past. Makes for a good place to overnight on the first day too as its about 4/5 hours from Calais. Just make sure the circuit is open. It usually opens in mid March so will depend on when your going and you can stretch the Yetis legs. All 110bhp 1.2tsi dsg horses ready for action... |
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Post by Roadrunner on Jan 8, 2024 10:24:39 GMT
You might as well stop at the ring if your driving past. Makes for a good place to overnight on the first day too as its about 4/5 hours from Calais. Just make sure the circuit is open. It usually opens in mid March so will depend on when your going and you can stretch the Yetis legs. All 110bhp 1.2tsi dsg horses ready for action... Will probably do it a lot of good. |
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Post by alf on Jan 8, 2024 12:29:16 GMT
Obviously I have been a fair few times (something like 9) in the last 5 years. The first thing I'd say - to all of you - is just drive in Europe more, its amazing fun (more so in your own car I think) and something I want to do more of in my old age (nearing 50 causing me to evaluate what I actually want to do with my time). I never fail to enjoy driving across Europe. Except perhaps sometimes Belgium  I always enjoy Germany but there is an amazing variety of traffic and roadworks, I have come the whole way from the Austrian border to Dusseldorf in summer past Nuremberg, Ingolstadt, Frankfurt etc and been in heavy traffic with very regular roadworks the whole way. Other times I have absolutely loved the same A3 between Frankfurt and Regensburg, you never quite know what you are going to get but generally the central western area with all its cities is much busier. I have mostly been past Frankfurt down towards Munich/Nuremberg (near to which Tina's family are) and Regensberg. It's wonderful because pretty much the entire route even this side of Frankfurt is hilly, forested and beautiful. Its not like here where you drive for ages on flat land past drab towns and there is the occasional national park - the whole place feels like a national park sometimes! It's very rarely flat and straight, mostly winding and hilly. I have also been out due east from the usual Dusseldorf-ish entry point, past Dortmund/Kassel/Leipzig/Dresden to the Saxon Switzerland national park (which was beautiful) right on the border with the Czech republic. That way was flatter/straighter/quieter but more agricultural/industrial, and as you go on it feels more like you'd expect the old east Germany to feel - notably the people are less freindly. However the roads and much of the scenery are still epic, venture away from the Autobahn and you are often on perfectly smooth, gently winding roads across fields with incredible visibility compared to anything in the UK - you can see for miles. I'd strongly recommend anyone on here does it some time - I have really enjoyed even just the little bit in Germany into and out of Dusseldorf, driving there from the Channel Tunnel - short breaks in Dusseldorf and Cologne are lovely from the tunnel. Some of the driving is fairly dull outside of Germany, but its childishly amusing to knock off France, Belgium, The Netherlands and Germany on one relatively short route... Shopping in Germany is generally cheaper than here as well, and the bid department stores are superb. Parking is easy as well. |
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Post by Big Blue on Jan 8, 2024 15:25:04 GMT
I've driven in Germany an awful lot, and standards aren't what they were in the 90s. However nothing beats driving through the centre of Frankfurt's business district on the Autobahn at very high speed knowing that it would fuck Khan right off if someone proposed this kind of road for London.
I like Germany and away from the Autobahn nonsense the towns and villages are well ordered and lots of picturesqueness down south in Bayern. Alf's description is about right.
One very large word of caution driving in Germany in March. The German winter tyre rules are based on ambient temperature, as opposed to the Slav countries where it's November - March. So when I went to look at the Gorilla the first time I wasn't allowed to take it out because despite it being mid-April the temperature was below the magical 4oC and the car was on summer tyres. So if you have cross-climates or winters on it, fine. Summers: check the forecast.
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Post by bryan on Jan 8, 2024 16:16:59 GMT
I've driven in Germany an awful lot, and standards aren't what they were in the 90s. However nothing beats driving through the centre of Frankfurt's business district on the Autobahn at very high speed knowing that it would fuck Khan right off if someone proposed this kind of road for London. I like Germany and away from the Autobahn nonsense the towns and villages are well ordered and lots of picturesqueness down south in Bayern. Alf's description is about right. One very large word of caution driving in Germany in March. The German winter tyre rules are based on ambient temperature, as opposed to the Slav countries where it's November - March. So when I went to look at the Gorilla the first time I wasn't allowed to take it out because despite it being mid-April the temperature was below the magical 4 oC and the car was on summer tyres. So if you have cross-climates or winters on it, fine. Summers: check the forecast. The Yeti is on crossclimates so all good, any recommendations on places to visit or stay whilst over there? |
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Post by Martin on Jan 8, 2024 16:39:52 GMT
I don’t have anything to add that will help, but it’s made me think about how much I like a road trip and how long it’s been since I’ve done on in Europe in my own car. Last trip under the water was summer 2017 and we only went as far as Disneyland Paris (via Amiens and Paris), before that it was 2015 but the furthest was Albert to visit Lindsay’s Grandads grave in the military cemetery. The last proper road trip was July 2020 down to Todi (south of Perugia) via Geneva and Milan, that was a great trip.
It’s a shame you can’t take one of your more interesting cars, it sounds made for a 928 to me!
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Post by alf on Jan 8, 2024 16:45:34 GMT
Depends what you like! One man's culture is another man's toilet paper and all that. I'm extremely boring in my tastes on "kings queens and rubbish" as Tina calls anything history related, and know Berlin best in terms of cities. Frankfurt has a (small) beautiful old town section, and Aachen has an amazing old Cathedral with (if you can find the bloody place) a small site nearby with the remains of Charlemagne and other antiquities. Ideally though get yourself down towards Munich, Nuremberg and Regensburg - the scenery down that way is idyllic, the roads superb, and all three of those places are lovely and historic, especially the latter two which are quite small and mostly very old. The Black Forest area I'm afraid I don't know very well, it could well be snowy in March still but it sounds like you have that covered. Friedrischafen is not far from there, on a big lake also bordered by Austria and Switzerland, the Dornier museum there was incredible if you are as boring about old planes as I am... Typical of Germany it was in incredible condition, quiet, and not expensive. and there is also a Zeppelin museum there as he came from the town. Airships still fly there...  ]  |
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 8, 2024 17:34:43 GMT
You mentioned Strasbourg. Near Strasbourg is Colmar which is also exceptionally pretty - we have stayed nearby in Rouffach a few times on our way to and from Italy. Once, as it was my birthday, at the Chateau d'Isenbourg, which is old-school upmarket with spa facilities. www.grandesetapes.com/chateau-hotel-isenbourg-alsace/en/Otherwise we tend to go to the Domaine de Rouffach which is a decent 3* with olde worlde charm and an excellent restaurant called Philippe Bohrer (check opening hours - the restaurant is not open on Sundays and Mondays, although the hotel also has another one which is less upmarket). www.domainederouffach.com/en/We often raid the following nearby vineyards for wine: www.mure.com/en/ (superb cremant) bollenberg.com/Heading south, you could go to Basel for a quick jaunt into Switzerland. Basel's old town is beautiful and there is a spectacular modern art museum if you like that sort of thing. More pertinently to this forum, it means you are within touching distance of the Schlumpf Collection at Mulhouse, which is now France's national motor museum as well as housing the famed Bugatti collection: www.musee-automobile.fr/en/Nestled between Mulhouse and Basel (and handily in France from a cost perspective), I like the hotel "Au Lion Rouge" in Bartenheim. It's a pretty three-star inn, which is really an inn in the classic sense in that it is a great restaurant with rooms, rather than the other way around. The rooms are modern, clean and comfortable, and well-priced. www.lion-rouge.fr/We stayed there last month on our way to Lugano in the Mini, and had a fabulous meal as usual. We had foie gras (the real thing, not the pate) poached with apples in calvados to start, followed by fillet of beef with morels for my wife and venison in a wine and juniper sauce, with spaetzle for me, followed by profiterole, all accompanied by good glasses of cremant and red wine. I paid just over 200 euros for the whole lot (room, meal and secure parking) and it's just five mins off the main motorway from Strasbourg to Basel (pretty much the last stop before the Swiss border). Other thoughts - obviously there is Lake Constance, but south of Munich is also the Tegernsee, which I am told by German friends is very pretty. So, marshalling my thoughts, I could be tempted in your shoes to go (how long you stop and tarry in each place is obviously up to you!): - First stopover in Reims (3hrs from Eurotunnel, great for champagne obviously) or skip that and go straight to Strasbourg/Colmar (5-6 hrs from Eurotunnel).
- You could easily spend a day in Reims visiting champagne houses.
- Strasbourg and Colmar each merit a day of wandering around, plus meals and vineyards as mentioned above.
- Strasbourg/Colmar to next stopover in Basel (takes 60-90 mins depending on whether you are going from Strasbourg or Colmar, stopping along to way to visit the Schlumpf Collection.
- Basel could easily fill a day.
- Once done with Basel, head to Liechtenstein for lunch (2 hrs).
- After lunch over to Neuschwanstein Castle (the fairytale one built by Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria), via Bregenz at the bottom of Lake Constance (further 2 hrs).
- Find somewhere to stay near Neuschwanstein Castle, visit next day and then afterwards head up to Munich (2hrs) for next stopover.
- Munich merits at least a day, including to see the BMW museum.
- You could go across to Regensburg, which is very pretty but east of Munich and thus perhaps out of the way - it's a day trip from Munich.
- Then across to Stuttgart via Augsburg for next stopover to visit Porsche and Mercedes (2.5hrs).
- Then I'd be tempted to make my next stopover Baden-Baden (little over an hour from Stuttgart), where you could "take the waters" at the famous spa.
- Thereafter up to you, but Cologne is worth visiting and the Eifel region of Germany (bordering Luxembourg) is pretty.
- And you could then, if you have time and haven't been before, from Cologne, head up to Antwerp/Ghent/Bruges - all very pretty and a short hop back to Calais.
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Post by bryan on Jan 8, 2024 18:17:47 GMT
You mentioned Strasbourg. Near Strasbourg is Colmar which is also exceptionally pretty - we have stayed nearby in Rouffach a few times on our way to and from Italy. Once, as it was my birthday, at the Chateau d'Isenbourg, which is old-school upmarket with spa facilities. www.grandesetapes.com/chateau-hotel-isenbourg-alsace/en/Otherwise we tend to go to the Domaine de Rouffach which is a decent 3* with olde worlde charm and an excellent restaurant called Philippe Bohrer (check opening hours - the restaurant is not open on Sundays and Mondays, although the hotel also has another one which is less upmarket). www.domainederouffach.com/en/We often raid the following nearby vineyards for wine: www.mure.com/en/ (superb cremant) bollenberg.com/Heading south, you could go to Basel for a quick jaunt into Switzerland. Basel's old town is beautiful and there is a spectacular modern art museum if you like that sort of thing. More pertinently to this forum, it means you are within touching distance of the Schlumpf Collection at Mulhouse, which is now France's national motor museum as well as housing the famed Bugatti collection: www.musee-automobile.fr/en/Nestled between Mulhouse and Basel (and handily in France from a cost perspective), I like the hotel "Au Lion Rouge" in Bartenheim. It's a pretty three-star inn, which is really an inn in the classic sense in that it is a great restaurant with rooms, rather than the other way around. The rooms are modern, clean and comfortable, and well-priced. www.lion-rouge.fr/We stayed there last month on our way to Lugano in the Mini, and had a fabulous meal as usual. We had foie gras (the real thing, not the pate) poached with apples in calvados to start, followed by fillet of beef with morels for my wife and venison in a wine and juniper sauce, with spaetzle for me, followed by profiterole, all accompanied by good glasses of cremant and red wine. I paid just over 200 euros for the whole lot (room, meal and secure parking) and it's just five mins off the main motorway from Strasbourg to Basel (pretty much the last stop before the Swiss border). Other thoughts - obviously there is Lake Constance, but south of Munich is also the Tegernsee, which I am told by German friends is very pretty. So, marshalling my thoughts, I could be tempted in your shoes to go (how long you stop and tarry in each place is obviously up to you!): - First stopover in Reims (3hrs from Eurotunnel, great for champagne obviously) or skip that and go straight to Strasbourg/Colmar (5-6 hrs from Eurotunnel).
- You could easily spend a day in Reims visiting champagne houses.
- Strasbourg and Colmar each merit a day of wandering around, plus meals and vineyards as mentioned above.
- Strasbourg/Colmar to next stopover in Basel (takes 60-90 mins depending on whether you are going from Strasbourg or Colmar, stopping along to way to visit the Schlumpf Collection.
- Basel could easily fill a day.
- Once done with Basel, head to Liechtenstein for lunch (2 hrs).
- After lunch over to Neuschwanstein Castle (the fairytale one built by Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria), via Bregenz at the bottom of Lake Constance (further 2 hrs).
- Find somewhere to stay near Neuschwanstein Castle, visit next day and then afterwards head up to Munich (2hrs) for next stopover.
- Munich merits at least a day, including to see the BMW museum.
- You could go across to Regensburg, which is very pretty but east of Munich and thus perhaps out of the way - it's a day trip from Munich.
- Then across to Stuttgart via Augsburg for next stopover to visit Porsche and Mercedes (2.5hrs).
- Then I'd be tempted to make my next stopover Baden-Baden (little over an hour from Stuttgart), where you could "take the waters" at the famous spa.
- Thereafter up to you, but Cologne is worth visiting and the Eifel region of Germany (bordering Luxembourg) is pretty.
- And you could then, if you have time and haven't been before, from Cologne, head up to Antwerp/Ghent/Bruges - all very pretty and a short hop back to Calais.
Thanks Jonny, lots of good ideas, off to do some googling and now salivating at the thought of the food! It looks like in a 7-10 day trip we would be pushing it to head up North to Wolfsburg (or Volkswagen Disneyland as Mrs M calls it!) |
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Post by ChrisM on Jan 8, 2024 18:25:31 GMT
If you're aiming for car museums, WOlfsburg and the VW museum and Autostadt must be on the list along with M-B and Porsche at/near Stuttgart. The recent reference above to Mulhouse/Basel reminds me that there are some good musems around there too: Peugeot museam at Sochaux being one, musee de l'automobile in Mulhouse being another.
Don't let disparaging remarks by others put you off, the Yeti is a classic and an unscratched itch of mine, still miffed by how I was treated by my local Skoda dealer 10 years ago when I set out to buy one
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Post by Alex on Jan 8, 2024 18:34:24 GMT
Sounds like Johnny's given you enough ideas to make a return trip another time.
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Post by racingteatray on Jan 8, 2024 18:55:58 GMT
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Post by Big Blue on Jan 8, 2024 18:57:13 GMT
You mentioned Strasbourg....... Massive argument with W2.1 last summer when we overnighted in Strasbourg after Disneyland. "It's in Germany" she proclaims. "It's in France." say I, with the confidence of one who knows. "It's Germany. Definitely Germany...." "Then why does that police car have 'Gendarmerie' on the side of it?" Anyway, we check into the hotel. Chatting to the guys on reception; girls are all Disney-fied from head to toe. "Ah, you've been to Disneyland. We have a similar place here in Germany." "This is France." say I; "I told you!" says she. "Yes, well it is France but we're not really French." Arsene Wenger was born in the Alsace (in fact I made us drive through his home town) hence his Germanic attention to detail allied to his desire for the flamboyance and style in his teams. Basically they're messed up.....  |
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Post by alf on Jan 9, 2024 9:58:53 GMT
Good skills Racing! When Michael Portillo shuffles his mortal coil, are you going to take over his travel programs? He rarely seems to slum it :-) We started our France/Switzerland/Germany trip in summer '22 by staying over in Dijon (a long first day!) then heading SE from there into Switzerland, north of Lake Geneva in the end. The Jura area on the border, east and south east of Besancon, was superb - and very quiet (bar the occasional pair of HGV racing each other two abreast down mountain roads - yes really....). I must explore this part of the world more, it seemed idyllic and very sparsely populated, would be great cycling/walking/driving. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Jan 9, 2024 12:36:46 GMT
Is it even a proper German road trip if it doesn’t end in Poland?
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Post by Tim on Jan 9, 2024 12:40:48 GMT
Is it even a proper German road trip if it doesn’t end in Poland? Surely it should end at Stalingrad in the East and Calais in the West? |
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Post by PG on Jan 11, 2024 11:13:19 GMT
I went to Strasbourg a lot for work - we acquired a company based there. The centre is lovely and very special. But make sure you are not there when the European Parliament is sitting - usually about 4 days each month. Hotels and restaurants are fully booked and if you can get in, the prices are higher! And the EU must spend some serious money on taxis as Strasbourg has the best taxi fleet I've ever seen - wall to wall BMW's and Mercs mostly. One time we had a BMW 540i taxi to the airport.
On the France / Germany thing, it has changed hands several times and this makes them proudly independent of either really. They speak French but the food and local wine do feel quite German.
I've driven in Germany twice. The rest of my trips were airport and taxis. The first time I drove was in 1982, driving an Opel Ascona hire car on the autobahn at frankly amazing speeds.
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