Medium sized August European road trip

[Robmarriott]

Some of you might remember my "Medium sized August French road trip" from 2022 where I visited a load of museums and a couple of other things in 8 days and 2500 miles.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

My initial intention on that trip was to also see a load of stuff in Germany but I got the timing wrong and I couldn't make the second half work.

Out of the blue this year my B-I-L asked me if I fancied doing a trip to Stuttgart to visit the Mercedes museum so it seems like the stars have aligned and the remainder of what I wanted to see is on the cards for this years.

I've booked the time off work and have a very early draft of the route sorted;



I haven't worked out the overnights stops yet, I think I'm going to take the chance each day and find somewhere when I'm tired or close to where I want to be the next day.

Anyway, the key points will be;

Osnabruck for a round of the Bergrennen (European hillclimb)
Wolfsburg to look at some old VWs
Ingolstadt for the Audi museum
Worthersee, mainly for the famous granite Golf
The quickest route takes me through Italy, near Modena/Maranello, so I might stop by some Ferrari stuff but I'm not too fussed
The Furka Pass, specifically for the Belvedere Hotel
Stuttgart, to meet up with bmy B-I-L and go to Mercedes and Porsche museums
Then a quick stop at the Nurburgring, to definitely not do a lap this time, but soak up the atmosphere
Then home.

Similar miles to the previous trip but I think it'll take longer.

Is there anything vaguely near that route which I shouldn't miss?

[shirt]

Alfa museum in Milan is an obvious one. The new fca heritage museum in Turin also looks decent, you could then do some of the route des grandes alpes north, then back into Italy through Aosta and up to furka. Lots of bland driving overall so a day or so of passes to mix it up?

Also you’re going very close to Slovenia without venturing in. A night in Ljubljana would be a worthwhile stop imo.

[Ezra]

Looks like you'll be going from Milan to Zurich (or vice versa)....try the Gottard pass rather than tunnel or, a slightly longer but still lovely road, the San Bernardino pass. First pic is near top of Gotthard 2008, second pic is somewhere on San Bernardino in 2009.

[Robmarriott]

Great suggestions. The Worthersee/Furka section was a bit of an afterthought but it looks like I could visit Monza when passing Milan so I think it’s worthwhile.

It also might be just about possible to visit Spa on the last leg too. And Hockenheim is almost on the way from Stuttgart to the Nurburgring…

Someone suggested Lake Bled, rather than Ljubljana. I might do that.

[shirt]

If Modena area doesn’t float your boat then yes bled could be a good option. Also google triangel boutique hotel, very handy for Worthersee. You could then go down the soca valley and across the Dolomites, down to Verona and on to Milan.

Edited by shirt on Saturday 2nd March 13:38

[omniflow]

I can't tell from the map if you're going over the GrossGlockner or not. We planned to go over it last year and booked accommodation at the top for 1 night. We had to re-plan as it was closed due to snow (mid may). Apparently it's definitely worth the trip. We spent a couple of nights in Salzburg and were very definitely underwhelmed. If you're not into Mozart then it's not the place for you.

Also - Venice is a great place for a stop. Park the car in the parking garage San Marco and then get a water taxi into Venice. It will be a nice break from being in the car all the time.

[Riley Blue]

The Technik Museum at Sinsheim is a must, looks like you'll be very close to it too. Every other museum listed is worthy of inclusion.

Say 'hello' to the granite GTI from me, I was there when it was towed into place in '87. Have warm clothes handy when you tackle the Grossglockner Pass, it can freezing cold at the top even in mid-summer. Lake Bled is well worth the trip too, it's absolutely beautiful.

[Kart16]

On the Bodensee, on the Swiss side, you have the Autobau Erlebniswelt museum:
https://www.autobau.ch/en/

The Alfa Romeo museum in Arese is also a must-see.

[BananaFama]

shirt said:

Alfa museum in Milan is an obvious one. The new fca heritage museum in Turin also looks decent

I went to this in 2019 , although free to enter ,I was actually disappointed as it is quite small , the national motor museum is just a mile away though on the main road .

As others have said Alfa Romeo is an absolute must , in my opinion the best car museum in Italy and better than the one I just mentioned above .

Look up the Volandia museum , it's near Milan and contains some one off prototype cars you won't see anywhere else , also has planes .
I've not been but wish I could have .

The Panini collection of Maseratis is also worth a look , pre book only but free to get in ,located on a dairy farm on the western outskirts of Modena .
Leave a donation in the big box when you leave .
First went there in 2008 and then last June ,well worth it .

[generationx]

If you’re going to Ingolstadt then you’re also close to Nürnberg (Nuremberg) which (a) has a beautiful old town and (b) is the home of the Nazi party rally grounds - huge, imposing, and now the site of a sometime-used race track.
Also nearby is Munich, home of Oktoberfest and BMW with another nice museum.

[Riley Blue]

I just remembered another one, the Porsche Museum in Gmund, it's small but has some significant Porsche exhibits and is where it all started: http://www.auto-museum.at/index.html

[elise2000]

Robmarriott said:

Some of you might remember my "Medium sized August French road trip" from 2022 where I visited a load of museums and a couple of other things in 8 days and 2500 miles.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

My initial intention on that trip was to also see a load of stuff in Germany but I got the timing wrong and I couldn't make the second half work.

Out of the blue this year my B-I-L asked me if I fancied doing a trip to Stuttgart to visit the Mercedes museum so it seems like the stars have aligned and the remainder of what I wanted to see is on the cards for this years.

I've booked the time off work and have a very early draft of the route sorted;



I haven't worked out the overnights stops yet, I think I'm going to take the chance each day and find somewhere when I'm tired or close to where I want to be the next day.

Anyway, the key points will be;

Osnabruck for a round of the Bergrennen (European hillclimb)
Wolfsburg to look at some old VWs
Ingolstadt for the Audi museum
Worthersee, mainly for the famous granite Golf
The quickest route takes me through Italy, near Modena/Maranello, so I might stop by some Ferrari stuff but I'm not too fussed
The Furka Pass, specifically for the Belvedere Hotel
Stuttgart, to meet up with bmy B-I-L and go to Mercedes and Porsche museums
Then a quick stop at the Nurburgring, to definitely not do a lap this time, but soak up the atmosphere
Then home.

Similar miles to the previous trip but I think it'll take longer.

Is there anything vaguely near that route which I shouldn't miss?

You’d be mad not to pop into Slovenia- some of the roads (aside from the climate and scenery) are epic.

[Robmarriott]

shirt said:

If Modena area doesn’t float your boat then yes bled could be a good option. Also google triangel boutique hotel, very handy for Worthersee. You could then go down the soca valley and across the Dolomites, down to Verona and on to Milan.

Edited by shirt on Saturday 2nd March 13:38

I'll have a look. Hotel recommendations are always useful, thanks.

[Robmarriott]

omniflow said:

I can't tell from the map if you're going over the GrossGlockner or not. We planned to go over it last year and booked accommodation at the top for 1 night. We had to re-plan as it was closed due to snow (mid may). Apparently it's definitely worth the trip. We spent a couple of nights in Salzburg and were very definitely underwhelmed. If you're not into Mozart then it's not the place for you.

Also - Venice is a great place for a stop. Park the car in the parking garage San Marco and then get a water taxi into Venice. It will be a nice break from being in the car all the time.

I did think about Venice, this first draft route goes pretty close, I might have to have a look around while I'm near. As for the GrossGlockner, I'm not sure either but I'll have a look.

[Robmarriott]

Riley Blue said:

The Technik Museum at Sinsheim is a must, looks like you'll be very close to it too. Every other museum listed is worthy of inclusion.

Say 'hello' to the granite GTI from me, I was there when it was towed into place in '87. Have warm clothes handy when you tackle the Grossglockner Pass, it can freezing cold at the top even in mid-summer. Lake Bled is well worth the trip too, it's absolutely beautiful.

A couple of people elsewhere have mentioned the Technik Museum, I'll do a but more research.

I got a book about the Golf GTI for Christmas 1992 and as an impressionable 8 year old, the granite Golf stuck in my head, I've wanted to visit it ever since.

[Robmarriott]

Kart16 said:

On the Bodensee, on the Swiss side, you have the Autobau Erlebniswelt museum:
https://www.autobau.ch/en/

The Alfa Romeo museum in Arese is also a must-see.

BananaFama said:

I went to this in 2019 , although free to enter ,I was actually disappointed as it is quite small , the national motor museum is just a mile away though on the main road .

As others have said Alfa Romeo is an absolute must , in my opinion the best car museum in Italy and better than the one I just mentioned above .

Look up the Volandia museum , it's near Milan and contains some one off prototype cars you won't see anywhere else , also has planes .
I've not been but wish I could have .

The Panini collection of Maseratis is also worth a look , pre book only but free to get in ,located on a dairy farm on the western outskirts of Modena .
Leave a donation in the big box when you leave .
First went there in 2008 and then last June ,well worth it .

At the risk of being strung up, I have to admit I'm not much of an Italian car guy. I'll have a look at the suggestions either way though, I LOVE old motorsport stuff and I know there's likely to be a bit of that on display at some of them so I'll put them down as definite maybes.

[Robmarriott]

generationx said:

If you’re going to Ingolstadt then you’re also close to Nürnberg (Nuremberg) which (a) has a beautiful old town and (b) is the home of the Nazi party rally grounds - huge, imposing, and now the site of a sometime-used race track.
Also nearby is Munich, home of Oktoberfest and BMW with another nice museum.

I did tentatively think about Nuremberg as I'll be driving right by, as you say. I'm not sure though, one one hand the Norisring would be good to see but I don't know if I'm comfortable with visiting somewhere with such strong, erm, architecture...

That's a battle I need to resolve in my mind.

Forgot about BMW somehow, well reminded.

[Ezra]

Robmarriott said:

Great suggestions. The Worthersee/Furka section was a bit of an afterthought but it looks like I could visit Monza when passing Milan so I think it’s worthwhile.

It also might be just about possible to visit Spa on the last leg too. And Hockenheim is almost on the way from Stuttgart to the Nurburgring…

Someone suggested Lake Bled, rather than Ljubljana. I might do that.

That's a good shout. Spent my birthday there last year. Was a regular mixed race day. You can wander all over the place, thoroughly enjoyed it.

[shirt]

Imola also worth a look especially if there’s a race meet. It’s a nice walk around the track/park and the senna monument is a good place to pause and reflect. Some decent ‘country’ eateries dotted around too, makes for a good lunch stop.

[Robmarriott]

Ah yeah, Imola! It's not far out of the way so I might be able to swing by.