London to Munich

[dyladams]

Hi All,

I am looking at doing a road trip with some mates from London to Munich and back. Was wondering if anyone has any information that they might want to share regarding good routes, costs, areas to see / avoid, places to stay etc.

We are planning on making it a quick trip but would consider some alternatives.

Also, is there anything I should watch out for?

Thanks.

Edited by dyladams on Monday 13th September 19:21

[dcb]

dyladams said:

I am looking at doing a road trip with some mates from London to Munich and back. Was wondering if anyone has any information that they might want to share regarding good routes, costs, areas to see / avoid, places to stay etc.

I have done this trip so often over the last twenty years
I can do it on autopilot.

London, Dover, Calais, E40 to Ostend, Brussels, Aachen & Cologne,
A3 to Frankfurt, Wurzburg & Nurnberg, then A9 to
Ingolstadt & Munich is the best route.

Driving in Germany is nothing like driving in the UK
- the idiot density is far lower and lane discipline
is strict.

I can't quite make out what you will be driving over there,
but expect plenty of folks doing 100-150 mph, even if
you are just tootling along.

It's a serious business driving on the autobahn and
the fast lane is best avoided by inexperienced drivers.

I'd say five years or less driving experience would
make you inexperienced.

Munich itself is a really lovely city - one of my favourites.
A combination of German efficiency and Bavarian laid back feel,
with Italy not so far away making its presence felt.

[Puggit]

We used A26 to Reims, A4 to Strasbourg, cross the border near Baden-Baden and then A8 to Munich. Very simple route.

[dyladams]

Thanks for the information gents.

Will be taking my Subaru wrx. Don't think I will try to keep up with the big boys but would not mind to try a little bit of speed.

Any more pearls of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

[dcb]

dyladams said:

Any more pearls of wisdom are greatly appreciated.

Forget the speedo, drive the road according to
the conditions.

Keep it under 100 mph in the rain, mind.

Triple check before moving into the fast lane.

That speck miles away could well be a Porsche / Lambo / Ferrari
doing 160-200 mph and he won't appreciate having to slow
down for some idiot Brit who thinks 100 mph is fast
and has only checked his mirrors once since Calais.

A German's idea of a reasonable distance behind
you at 120 mph can be less than one car length.
Don't get too upset - he's tailgating and he
wants you to get out of the way fast.

Respect the speed limits where posted. 80 kmh in
roadworks does really mean 50 mph, not 75 mph.

Stopping distances at high speed are longer than you think.
Emergency stops at 140 mph will take a *long* way to stop.

Never never never undertake - the coppers have got guns and
know how to use them.

Mrs Miggins in her Nissan Micra won't be doing more
than about 110 mph on the way to church on Sunday morning,
so keep out of her way as she chats to her passengers.

When the inevitable traffic jam occurs, sit back and enjoy the view.

The Hofbrauhaus is overpriced and too busy at weekends.
There are tourist-free venues in town that are cheaper.

Try to avoid the exotic Bavarian food like badger burgers,
the goat cutlet, the Bambi's left front leg, pig's brains,
pig's knuckle or anything that your German English dictionary
doesn't know. It will only end in tears and a trip to the local
A & E for a stomach pump.

Above all, adopt the Teutonic way: if it's at all worth doing,
then it's worth doing it to excess.

[luckyal]

I was just planning to put the exact same question up so this is really handy.

One further question which is how feasible is this for a 3-4 day round trip. We're planning to leave early Friday, last night of Oktoberfest Saturday & returning by Monday. Too much or a gentle stroll?

[dyladams]

Look out for us on the road. Still finalising out route etc.

Think it might be a long trip home, but we are still keen!

[dyladams]

We are looking at leaving after work on thursday and catching a ferry / train across the channel.

Any suggestions for a place to catch 40 winks on the other side of the pond?

Also how long should the drive take?

Cheers

[davepoth]

Stop at Cologne is about right. One thing though, if you drive to Cologne you're an hour away from the Nurburgring...;)

[tgr]

dcb gives you excellent advice here. I would add be very careful round Brussels especially and in Belgium more generally. Expect people to drive like they're on crack. This summer left central London at 0415, got the shuttle over (under?) at 0600 or so, scooted across France (to avoid Belgium entirely), hit Germany at around Aachen from memory, and carried on down to stop at Augsburg around 1730.

There are unrestricted sections of Autobahn but equally there are often roadworks down that stretch and heavy traffic, partly because there are no alternative routes. If you're unlucky you can sit around for a long, long while.

Otherwise, sit back and enjoy driving on roads that have been built by experts;)