Medium sized August European road trip
Discussion
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?
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?
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.
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 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.
I'll have a look. Hotel recommendations are always useful, thanks.Edited by shirt on Saturday 2nd March 13:38
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.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 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.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.
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.
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.
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.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 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...Also nearby is Munich, home of Oktoberfest and BMW with another nice museum.
That's a battle I need to resolve in my mind.
Forgot about BMW somehow, well reminded.
I should be ok without the French one, I think I’ll get it anyway just in case because it was only a few quid last time but I should be ok as I’m only passing through and not visiting any cities.
I’ll be passing through Austria and Switzerland too and it looks like I’ll need a vignette to use the motorways there too.
It’s very confusing.
I’ll be passing through Austria and Switzerland too and it looks like I’ll need a vignette to use the motorways there too.
It’s very confusing.
That's the website I used. Attached a copy of the front page of my V5, thinking that would be enough but I had an email to say they need a pdf (or jpgs) of the whole thing to be able to process it.
That was 10 days ago now and my sticker is yet to arrive. Hopefully it'll be here soon.
The Austrian one was easy but it's a bit annoying that there's only a digital option for the 10 day one. I would have liked a physical sticker.
Swiss one I think I'm going to do at the border. I can't find anywhere online doing it for less than about £47, and it'll be a tenner less when I'm there.
That was 10 days ago now and my sticker is yet to arrive. Hopefully it'll be here soon.
The Austrian one was easy but it's a bit annoying that there's only a digital option for the 10 day one. I would have liked a physical sticker.
Swiss one I think I'm going to do at the border. I can't find anywhere online doing it for less than about £47, and it'll be a tenner less when I'm there.
For anyone who mentioned the Technik Museum in Sinsheim, I've decided to add it to the list of places to try to visit.
Not sure if I'll manage it because it's quite a busy day already, but I've only got the Porsche and Mercedes museums and a mere 185 miles to cover that day. I do want to visit Old Hockenheim that afternoon though so if one of them has to be ditched, it'll be Sinsheim.
Not sure if I'll manage it because it's quite a busy day already, but I've only got the Porsche and Mercedes museums and a mere 185 miles to cover that day. I do want to visit Old Hockenheim that afternoon though so if one of them has to be ditched, it'll be Sinsheim.
illmonkey said:
In!
Looking to do something similar this year, so will read up on your notes.
What motor you taking? Your last one was the 182, how did it fair?
Last time I’d actually sold my 182 and had bought a 208 GTI by Peugeot Sport, which was decent enough. Had a noisy wheel bearing mid trip, but other than that it was fine.Looking to do something similar this year, so will read up on your notes.
What motor you taking? Your last one was the 182, how did it fair?
This time round I was going to buy something a bit more frugal but I’ll be taking my Cayman and having a light right foot so it doesn’t cost me all the money. Should be perfect on the motorway and fun in the mountains.
superpp said:
If you are passing literally as close as that map indicates I would go, even for just half a day.
The pass over the top is preferable to the tunnel (goes past a tank museum but never stopped) and drops you into Kranska Gora, the mountains are really impressive. A 30 minute drive will get you to Lake Bled which is stunning, there is also Bohinj a little further on.
That day I need to get from Worthersee to Imola. I might have time to visit Lake Bled but the only logical route takes me so clost to Venice that I think that's probably a more likely addition.The pass over the top is preferable to the tunnel (goes past a tank museum but never stopped) and drops you into Kranska Gora, the mountains are really impressive. A 30 minute drive will get you to Lake Bled which is stunning, there is also Bohinj a little further on.
That day is one of a couple with some flexibility so we'll see.
Thanks for the suggestions.
generationx said:
I prefer Speyer over Sinsheim - it’s half an hour away and has much more variety including submarines and spacecraft.
If you’re already planning Porsche and Mercedes the latter is massive, I expect you’ll be all “museumed out” after those two.
No TU-144 at Speyer though!If you’re already planning Porsche and Mercedes the latter is massive, I expect you’ll be all “museumed out” after those two.
Edit - I don’t mind doing lots of museums, to be honest that’s the main purpose of the trip and everything else is a bonus.
It’s difficult to find stuff to do when you’re on your own, don’t drink and hate people
Edited by Robmarriott on Thursday 27th June 13:25
Edited by Robmarriott on Thursday 27th June 13:26
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