UK -- Germany Road Trip - Nurburgring, Munich, Stuttgart
Discussion
I'm a bit late planning a summer holiday for my son and I this year and rather than a 'beach' holiday which I expect we'll both find a bit boring, I was thinking of a bit of a road trip, taking in:
- Nurburgring and maybe a couple of leisurely laps, then onto...
- Munich for the BMW museum; can you hire an M car?
- and onto Stuttgart for the Porsche and Mercedes museums; again can you hire anything here without paying through the nose?
So:
- Has anyone done this?
- Ballpark cost? £1000? £1500?
- How long did it take (Google Maps suggests about 23h drive time?).
- Where are the best places to stop overnight (Premier Inn standard or similar?)
- I've never been to the Ring so have no idea where to stay or anything, times to avoid etc
- Are there any other must-dos whilst we're in this general area?
I have a choice of cars to do it in:
a) 2016 x3 2.0d
b) 2006 mx5
(Leaning rather more towards the x3)
Thanks for any pointers!
- Nurburgring and maybe a couple of leisurely laps, then onto...
- Munich for the BMW museum; can you hire an M car?
- and onto Stuttgart for the Porsche and Mercedes museums; again can you hire anything here without paying through the nose?
So:
- Has anyone done this?
- Ballpark cost? £1000? £1500?
- How long did it take (Google Maps suggests about 23h drive time?).
- Where are the best places to stop overnight (Premier Inn standard or similar?)
- I've never been to the Ring so have no idea where to stay or anything, times to avoid etc
- Are there any other must-dos whilst we're in this general area?
I have a choice of cars to do it in:
a) 2016 x3 2.0d
b) 2006 mx5
(Leaning rather more towards the x3)
Thanks for any pointers!
I did this back in 2015 with a friend, and since then fuel costs are up and our relationship with the EU has changed ..
Things you'll need to take with you is MOT, Insurance Cert and V5, it's unlikely you'll get pulled over but never know.
Fuel costs are about 10-15p more per litre over there compared to here.
Depending on mpg, when I've gone from Dunkirk to Nords, it's usually about 2/3's of a tank, more if you do some autobah blasting on the way.
I would budget more like £1200-1500 for fuel.
Do check with your insurance as well. Some insurance companies don't provide european cover as standard too.
Things you'll need to take with you is MOT, Insurance Cert and V5, it's unlikely you'll get pulled over but never know.
Fuel costs are about 10-15p more per litre over there compared to here.
Depending on mpg, when I've gone from Dunkirk to Nords, it's usually about 2/3's of a tank, more if you do some autobah blasting on the way.
I would budget more like £1200-1500 for fuel.
Do check with your insurance as well. Some insurance companies don't provide european cover as standard too.
£1200 for fuel?
No offence, but I think your maths might be out a bit! It's about 1600 miles-ish return, and my X3 averages about 45mpg on a run. Admittedly it'll do somewhat less around the ring but even if it falls to 20mpg there, I'm still only going to use about 40 gallons of fuel at £8/gallon - that's only around £320. To use £1200 of diesel I'd have to be averaging under 11mpg.
No offence, but I think your maths might be out a bit! It's about 1600 miles-ish return, and my X3 averages about 45mpg on a run. Admittedly it'll do somewhat less around the ring but even if it falls to 20mpg there, I'm still only going to use about 40 gallons of fuel at £8/gallon - that's only around £320. To use £1200 of diesel I'd have to be averaging under 11mpg.
Make sure you know what you're getting yourself into doing a touristenfahrten. You have no insurance, and are liable for damage you do to the track, and potentially to others. Also check the calendar that the track is open for TF days.
Porsche museum is good and worth a look. Munich is a long way needless to say.
If it was me I'd do eurotunnel at a very inhospitable time e.g. after midnight then check into one of those hotels just on the other side near the tunnel. This way should be low hassle.
Look on airbnb for places to stay in the Eifel. Its a wonderful area with great roads and views, much underrated.
Porsche museum is good and worth a look. Munich is a long way needless to say.
If it was me I'd do eurotunnel at a very inhospitable time e.g. after midnight then check into one of those hotels just on the other side near the tunnel. This way should be low hassle.
Look on airbnb for places to stay in the Eifel. Its a wonderful area with great roads and views, much underrated.
SuffolkDefender said:
Yes, thanks; we've seen countless YT videos of people crashing on the Ring - I do not intend to be one of them. It'd be done at a (very) sensible pace with the goal to leave the circuit with the car looking exactly as it did when we started, more just to drive it than to "drive" it.
If you’re going to go and drive slowly then there’s a chance that someone travelling at a more appropriate speed may be surprised and end up hitting you.Irrespective of fault, you’ll likely be paying the entire costs of your recovery and repair yourself.
SuffolkDefender said:
Yes, thanks; we've seen countless YT videos of people crashing on the Ring - I do not intend to be one of them. It'd be done at a (very) sensible pace with the goal to leave the circuit with the car looking exactly as it did when we started, more just to drive it than to "drive" it.
Might be worth considering renting a car to drive on the Nurburgring from one of the rental companies around the track; this way you would be freer to enjoy the circuit without concern for your method of transport home, and could end up being more fun than renting a Porsche/BMW M car to sit in traffic around Stuttgart/Munich - just a consideration. Sounds a fun trip, best of luck planning it.I'm doing similar this year with regard to stuttgart and munich.
There are plenty of Premier Inn style hotels in Germany, in fact there are Premier Inns too!
For my holiday, also with my sun day one takes us to mauberge in a Campanile, next its up to Brussels for some sight seeing and Spa too, staying near trier in an Air B&B next comes stuttgart staying in a hotel near to Porsche, after we've done stuttgart its a hop to munich staying overnight there, Austria comes on the horizon and after an over night it's in to Switzerland, via Lichtenstein and a nights stay in Basle, with some activities there, and into France to go to the peugeot museum and Slumph collection in Mulhouse, staying the night in Strasbourg and final night I've a house in bethune, then homeward.
Activity wise you could find some sommer rodel bahns if thats your thing, but you've some great opportunities
There are plenty of Premier Inn style hotels in Germany, in fact there are Premier Inns too!
For my holiday, also with my sun day one takes us to mauberge in a Campanile, next its up to Brussels for some sight seeing and Spa too, staying near trier in an Air B&B next comes stuttgart staying in a hotel near to Porsche, after we've done stuttgart its a hop to munich staying overnight there, Austria comes on the horizon and after an over night it's in to Switzerland, via Lichtenstein and a nights stay in Basle, with some activities there, and into France to go to the peugeot museum and Slumph collection in Mulhouse, staying the night in Strasbourg and final night I've a house in bethune, then homeward.
Activity wise you could find some sommer rodel bahns if thats your thing, but you've some great opportunities
Sounds like a good plan, however skip the trip to Munich, as one poster above said it would be a chore to drive from Stuttgart as it's a known to be packed with lorries and usual traffic. Apart from that it's a main holiday route as well.
After visiting all museums you mentioned, I strongly suggest MB and Porsche, the BMW one is okayish, but you won't find something outstanding there that justifies the drive.
Better drive the old Solitude racing course round Stuttgart or get some days off and go for the black forest on the German side, or a visit to the wonderful region Alsace in France, lots of nice roads and views, nice people as well.
Happy trip then!
After visiting all museums you mentioned, I strongly suggest MB and Porsche, the BMW one is okayish, but you won't find something outstanding there that justifies the drive.
Better drive the old Solitude racing course round Stuttgart or get some days off and go for the black forest on the German side, or a visit to the wonderful region Alsace in France, lots of nice roads and views, nice people as well.
Happy trip then!
I've lots count of N'ring trips I've done, along with this run as part of a trip to Italy last year in my 340i.
Fuel wise, roughly 2000 miles, 35mpg, 1.60 per litre of fuel comes to £500. Adjust those to what suits you and your car.
How much depends on how you want to do it, I've stayed in cheap apartments for £100 a night up to staying at Motor World Munich at £450 a night to have my car in the room with me. A decent hotel somewhere like Munich will be £150-£200 a night now if you want somewhere half decent. Chunnel will be £300ish at a rough guess.
I tend to drive to Nurburgring in one hit, it's a nice area and there's plenty to do even if it's just watching track action. I'd stop 3 nights I reckon, give you a couple of days to mooch about, you also have Classic Remise in Dusseldorf which is worth a visit if you fancy it. Stuttgart is about 4 hours drive, I done the Mercedes Museum (very good!) but ran out of time for the Porsche one annoyingly, I'd allow a good half a day at each though or you'll be rushing like I was. Maybe do the drive down, Porsche, night in a cheap hotel, Mercedes the next morning then head to Munich which is another 2-3 hours. You could arrive for dinner and have a chilled night. I'm a BMW nut so I'd do a whole day just at BMW World, then another half a day at Motor World, plus whatever else you fancy down there. Coming back, maybe 1 or 2 nights depending on how long you want the drives to be.
To stay in Nurburgring I'd just get a decent reviewed apartment in Adenau, you can walk to the town for food and drink and walk to part of the track for viewing. Check the calendar for whats on the track, they have lots of events through the year. If you're staying in cities, Ibis has always been good for me doing budget trips, clean and comfortable. I just use booking.com for everything when I plan a trip and just check the reviews.
As I mentioned earlier, Classic Remise is good, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf have cool hotels where you can park you car on the balcony and they're not mega money either but it depends if it fits in your plans. As for the ring itself, don't pressure yourself to lap on you first trip, mine was so busy I'd have been a moving obstacle if I tried to lap. When I went the second time it was quieter and it gave me time to relax and enjoy a steady drive. Just go with your gut. With regards to hiring cars and stuff, I didn't see any of that available on my trips but I didn't have time for it so didn't look too much. You can prebook some stuff on the Mercedes website last time I checked.
Few tips from my road trips. Don't try and cram in too much each day, both driving and doing stuff. It's much more annoying running out of time to see things or having to drive deep into the night than it is having a spare couple of hours. At the ring, you have the GP track, museum and stuff up the top, then the Nordschleife entrance on the way down to the local town, Adenau. I prefer staying in the town as it feels like you're more in the middle of everything vs a big hotel high up but it's personal choice, depends in budget too I suppose. Pick the car based on what you want from the trip.
Sorry for the wall of text, here's a few quick pictures to get you going.
Fuel wise, roughly 2000 miles, 35mpg, 1.60 per litre of fuel comes to £500. Adjust those to what suits you and your car.
How much depends on how you want to do it, I've stayed in cheap apartments for £100 a night up to staying at Motor World Munich at £450 a night to have my car in the room with me. A decent hotel somewhere like Munich will be £150-£200 a night now if you want somewhere half decent. Chunnel will be £300ish at a rough guess.
I tend to drive to Nurburgring in one hit, it's a nice area and there's plenty to do even if it's just watching track action. I'd stop 3 nights I reckon, give you a couple of days to mooch about, you also have Classic Remise in Dusseldorf which is worth a visit if you fancy it. Stuttgart is about 4 hours drive, I done the Mercedes Museum (very good!) but ran out of time for the Porsche one annoyingly, I'd allow a good half a day at each though or you'll be rushing like I was. Maybe do the drive down, Porsche, night in a cheap hotel, Mercedes the next morning then head to Munich which is another 2-3 hours. You could arrive for dinner and have a chilled night. I'm a BMW nut so I'd do a whole day just at BMW World, then another half a day at Motor World, plus whatever else you fancy down there. Coming back, maybe 1 or 2 nights depending on how long you want the drives to be.
To stay in Nurburgring I'd just get a decent reviewed apartment in Adenau, you can walk to the town for food and drink and walk to part of the track for viewing. Check the calendar for whats on the track, they have lots of events through the year. If you're staying in cities, Ibis has always been good for me doing budget trips, clean and comfortable. I just use booking.com for everything when I plan a trip and just check the reviews.
As I mentioned earlier, Classic Remise is good, Frankfurt and Dusseldorf have cool hotels where you can park you car on the balcony and they're not mega money either but it depends if it fits in your plans. As for the ring itself, don't pressure yourself to lap on you first trip, mine was so busy I'd have been a moving obstacle if I tried to lap. When I went the second time it was quieter and it gave me time to relax and enjoy a steady drive. Just go with your gut. With regards to hiring cars and stuff, I didn't see any of that available on my trips but I didn't have time for it so didn't look too much. You can prebook some stuff on the Mercedes website last time I checked.
Few tips from my road trips. Don't try and cram in too much each day, both driving and doing stuff. It's much more annoying running out of time to see things or having to drive deep into the night than it is having a spare couple of hours. At the ring, you have the GP track, museum and stuff up the top, then the Nordschleife entrance on the way down to the local town, Adenau. I prefer staying in the town as it feels like you're more in the middle of everything vs a big hotel high up but it's personal choice, depends in budget too I suppose. Pick the car based on what you want from the trip.
Sorry for the wall of text, here's a few quick pictures to get you going.
Stopped in Stuttgart in Sep 2020 en route back to Lux from Prague.
The hotel wasn't that expensive, including secure parking ... Hotel Unger, Kronsentraße 17
MB museum has a LOT of history, and the Porsche museum parking has a lot of staff company cars - top spec stuff - for you to gawk at, plus some great exhibits.
The hotel wasn't that expensive, including secure parking ... Hotel Unger, Kronsentraße 17
MB museum has a LOT of history, and the Porsche museum parking has a lot of staff company cars - top spec stuff - for you to gawk at, plus some great exhibits.
I did almost exactly this last September, we have an office in Stuttgart so I chose to drive, leaving the UK on the Friday night, overnight in Calais (I wouldn't recommend the hotel I stayed in but it did the job)
Saturday morning up and on the road just after 7 got me to the ring, I had pre-planned the GPS coordinates for the various viewing spots, so hit a few of those before heading to the car park for a mooch.
Toward the end of the Saturday I paid my e35 for a single lap ticket and ventured track-side with my Cayenne.
As mentioned above, be aware that driving on the ring will be specifically excluded from your UK insurance and, even late in the day, those who know the track will be pressing on. Eyes on the mirrors and be prepared to indicate (a flick of the RH indicator was used by lots of slower cars to indicate to those behind that they could pass)
Post my lap I retired to the hotel nearby (hotel pit-lane) where a friendly welcome and a decent room awaited me.
I then walked down to Pistenklaus for a steak on the hot rock - Pistenklaus is owned by the late Sabine Schmitz's family and is a mecca for a reason... unless you fancy a looooong wait, book a table!
Sunday was dry and sunny so I was back in the car park by 8.30, blagging a 7:14 lap in the best driven M3 I've ever sat in before taking in some more viewing areas.
Back to the car park for a late lunch and the fast lap I had booked in the Hyundai I30n before leaving at about 3 to head to Stuttgart.
After a week working in the office there I moved hotels to one in the centre of the city (Hotel Spahr) and from that point on I used the excellent public transport system to get around.
Both Mercedes and Porsche museums are easily accessible in this way, and both are recommended, though the Mercedes one is far better than the Porsche.
The centre of Stuttgart is also woth a visit, if it's sunny then there are some lovely little bars, cafes and restaurants to sit outside and watch the World go by.
I was also lucky enough to catch some live music in schlossplatz, another area worth a stroll
Can't help with Munich I'm afraid, although we have just acquired a company there too, so I'll likely be heading there soon!
Saturday morning up and on the road just after 7 got me to the ring, I had pre-planned the GPS coordinates for the various viewing spots, so hit a few of those before heading to the car park for a mooch.
Toward the end of the Saturday I paid my e35 for a single lap ticket and ventured track-side with my Cayenne.
As mentioned above, be aware that driving on the ring will be specifically excluded from your UK insurance and, even late in the day, those who know the track will be pressing on. Eyes on the mirrors and be prepared to indicate (a flick of the RH indicator was used by lots of slower cars to indicate to those behind that they could pass)
Post my lap I retired to the hotel nearby (hotel pit-lane) where a friendly welcome and a decent room awaited me.
I then walked down to Pistenklaus for a steak on the hot rock - Pistenklaus is owned by the late Sabine Schmitz's family and is a mecca for a reason... unless you fancy a looooong wait, book a table!
Sunday was dry and sunny so I was back in the car park by 8.30, blagging a 7:14 lap in the best driven M3 I've ever sat in before taking in some more viewing areas.
Back to the car park for a late lunch and the fast lap I had booked in the Hyundai I30n before leaving at about 3 to head to Stuttgart.
After a week working in the office there I moved hotels to one in the centre of the city (Hotel Spahr) and from that point on I used the excellent public transport system to get around.
Both Mercedes and Porsche museums are easily accessible in this way, and both are recommended, though the Mercedes one is far better than the Porsche.
The centre of Stuttgart is also woth a visit, if it's sunny then there are some lovely little bars, cafes and restaurants to sit outside and watch the World go by.
I was also lucky enough to catch some live music in schlossplatz, another area worth a stroll
Can't help with Munich I'm afraid, although we have just acquired a company there too, so I'll likely be heading there soon!
The Porsche/BMW/Mercedes museums are all great. The Mercedes one is the biggest and best.
Munich is a great city, loads to do and so much within reach by car. Consider King Ludwigs castles, plus The Eagles Nest (Hitlers mountain-top retreat).
As a side-thought, consider flying to Stuttgart/Munich and hiring a car. I've done this a few times and the cost can be not a lot more than driving all the way there, plus you end up with left-hand drive which is easier. It also saves a lot of boring driving through UK/France and 1-2 days each way not being wasted just getting there/back.
Last year we flew to Stuttgart and hired a BMW Z4 M40i for a week for £700 to drive around the Germans/Swiss Lakes and Mountains. Previous trip did Stuttgart/Munich/Innsbruck and Lake Como in an E-Class from Stuttgart (no mountain passes on that one).
Munich is a great city, loads to do and so much within reach by car. Consider King Ludwigs castles, plus The Eagles Nest (Hitlers mountain-top retreat).
As a side-thought, consider flying to Stuttgart/Munich and hiring a car. I've done this a few times and the cost can be not a lot more than driving all the way there, plus you end up with left-hand drive which is easier. It also saves a lot of boring driving through UK/France and 1-2 days each way not being wasted just getting there/back.
Last year we flew to Stuttgart and hired a BMW Z4 M40i for a week for £700 to drive around the Germans/Swiss Lakes and Mountains. Previous trip did Stuttgart/Munich/Innsbruck and Lake Como in an E-Class from Stuttgart (no mountain passes on that one).
I've done a number of trips to the Nurburgring now just came back from there last week. In relation to the Nurburgring you have to consider what type of stay you want, if you like to go out during evenings for a meal and a few drinks you need to be staying in the Adenau area because there is very little at the actual ring itself outside of the track obviously and a sports bar or two. Adenau is very close and is better for evenings out, baring in mind that none of the area is really a party town, it's all about the cars, driving and the ring.
I can't recommend a specific hotel as when I go with the mates I go with we always rent a house and usually stay in with a BBQ and beers overnight.
As far as the ring goes check their official calendar for opening times. TF drives as said are uninsured but if you are sensible you will be ok, crashes do happen, I have seen them first hand but they are rare for the volume of traffic on the track at any one time.
TF laps cost 30-35 euros per lap depending on if it's weekday or weekend.
Check carefully channel crossing prices, I favour Hull to Rotterdam overnight as I live up north but ferry crossings are getting expensive this year, I've paid nearly £1000 for that return crossing alone in August with the family and I paid around £450 return for the same crossing this month.
I believe Dover-Calais should be a lot cheaper
I can't recommend a specific hotel as when I go with the mates I go with we always rent a house and usually stay in with a BBQ and beers overnight.
As far as the ring goes check their official calendar for opening times. TF drives as said are uninsured but if you are sensible you will be ok, crashes do happen, I have seen them first hand but they are rare for the volume of traffic on the track at any one time.
TF laps cost 30-35 euros per lap depending on if it's weekday or weekend.
Check carefully channel crossing prices, I favour Hull to Rotterdam overnight as I live up north but ferry crossings are getting expensive this year, I've paid nearly £1000 for that return crossing alone in August with the family and I paid around £450 return for the same crossing this month.
I believe Dover-Calais should be a lot cheaper
DFDS 3 day rtn Dover-Calais is £99. Think it's a bit more if you extend to 5 days etc.
Pay the £18 ea for premium lounge, each way. Well worth it.
I'd take the BMW. It's a long drive in an MX5. Save that for another trip when you know it better.
Fuel. It's ~1000 miles total when I do a rtn trip to the Ring, via Dover. That's from the East Midlands. So for me, it's 3hrs to the port, the ferry crossing and another 5 to the Ring. Our diesel skoda superb will do there and back on just over a full tank. My 981 GTS will just about get there and back on 2 tanks. + whatever I I use when there. Stuttgart is another 3 hrs each way on top of that. On to Munich same again I think.
Booking.com is your friend when it comes to accommodation. Anywhere within a few kms of Nurburg or Adenau will be fine. Food wise, more choice in Adenau. Be sure to take your lad to the ice cream parlour in Adenau.
Personally, I'd skip doing laps on your first trip but if you do, be warned of the risks associated if it goes pete tong. Weekends are heaving, more expensive and you'll likely queue for hours too. Mid week, dry and quiet is best for TF, if you're gonna do it. Try and tie your trip in with a VLN or similar. €20 for adults. kids under 15 are free. Pit lane access / grid walk and 4 hrs of racing. You'll get a buzz from it all just being there and watching.
I'd recommend Motorworld in Cologne and Classic Remise in Dusseldorf. Both are free. Something to do on the way home / way there to break up the journey. You also have the rodelbahns near altenahr, plus another at Daun Wildpark. Depends which way you head in/out of Nurburg / Adenau.
Cochem is bloody lovely too, 45 mins south of Nurburg.
In Stuttgart you have the Porsche and MB museums. The latter is massive. There's also the technik museum, which you'll pass on the way there. Not been but want to go. You can't miss it. Concorde and Conkordski are visible from the autobahn.
Munich. Not been. On my list. There's also a massive Motorworld there too.
Hope this helps
Pay the £18 ea for premium lounge, each way. Well worth it.
I'd take the BMW. It's a long drive in an MX5. Save that for another trip when you know it better.
Fuel. It's ~1000 miles total when I do a rtn trip to the Ring, via Dover. That's from the East Midlands. So for me, it's 3hrs to the port, the ferry crossing and another 5 to the Ring. Our diesel skoda superb will do there and back on just over a full tank. My 981 GTS will just about get there and back on 2 tanks. + whatever I I use when there. Stuttgart is another 3 hrs each way on top of that. On to Munich same again I think.
Booking.com is your friend when it comes to accommodation. Anywhere within a few kms of Nurburg or Adenau will be fine. Food wise, more choice in Adenau. Be sure to take your lad to the ice cream parlour in Adenau.
Personally, I'd skip doing laps on your first trip but if you do, be warned of the risks associated if it goes pete tong. Weekends are heaving, more expensive and you'll likely queue for hours too. Mid week, dry and quiet is best for TF, if you're gonna do it. Try and tie your trip in with a VLN or similar. €20 for adults. kids under 15 are free. Pit lane access / grid walk and 4 hrs of racing. You'll get a buzz from it all just being there and watching.
I'd recommend Motorworld in Cologne and Classic Remise in Dusseldorf. Both are free. Something to do on the way home / way there to break up the journey. You also have the rodelbahns near altenahr, plus another at Daun Wildpark. Depends which way you head in/out of Nurburg / Adenau.
Cochem is bloody lovely too, 45 mins south of Nurburg.
In Stuttgart you have the Porsche and MB museums. The latter is massive. There's also the technik museum, which you'll pass on the way there. Not been but want to go. You can't miss it. Concorde and Conkordski are visible from the autobahn.
Munich. Not been. On my list. There's also a massive Motorworld there too.
Hope this helps
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff