Headed to Germany for 2 weeks!
 

Going to Munich on business. Time to start booking the fun stuff ;) Plan on drinking lots of beer, heading to Stuttgart, maybe I can get to the Nurburgring, take in a castle or two. Anything else that's a "must do"? Maybe I'll jump on the bullet train and go someplace.

-Brad

If you're going to do the "Taproom" try some good Weizen and go to Bamberg and check out Rauchbier. Schlenkerla is the best.

Two weeks really isn't long enough to see it all. For sure take in a castle or two. Skip the big tourist attractions and get a look at some of the "local life". A day at "The Ring" is a must, rent a ride for an experience you won't soon forget. Berlin is a must see if you're a history buff. Germany is a beautiful country take lots of pictures.

Hahaha, the taproom thread followed me ;) Yeah, Kevin, really want to get to the 'Ring. I've never been to Germany and am really looking forward. I'll mainly have weekends free. Keep the ideas coming.

Besides a Porsche Factory tour, not much else to see in Stuttgart. Yes it's a tourist trap, but do get the HB Haus in Munich. The Bier is by far the freshest and best you will ever have and good food, plus it's right next to what is left of the old center city. Neuschwanstein and the adjacent Hohenschwangau castles are a good day trip from Munich. Near Heidelberg on the A3 is the Sinsheim museam with an incredible collection of cars and aircraft. The largets collection of F1 cars and the only place where you can see and go in the Concord and Concordski. Last I heard they were aquiring one of Russia's never used Space Shuttles for walk through viewing. Heidelberg is probably Germany's most beautifull city that survived unscathed from WWII (most were leveled some for unknown reasons) with a great castle. Rothenburg ob der Tauber is Europes best preserved Medieval City with walls and all (restored from all bomb damage) and another must see. Don't bother with Frankfurt. Nurburgring is a must, but don't bother with a weekend or if there is some driving festival going on, it will be too crowded to enjoy a good lap and the chance of someone dying and the track shutting down multiple times for wrecks while you are there is just about guaranteed. Cologne is a good sightseeing city with the best Cathedral in Europe, and the local Kolsch Beir is light, and flavorful. The Midevel town of Hameln (of Pied Piper fame) is near Hannover which a good city. Berlin is a good party town but closes early. Lots of good things to see by the Brandenberg Gate. Much the good shopping, nightlife and restaurants are in what was the American sector near the famous remains of the Cathedral Spire.

Nurburgring is a very long drive from Munich, like 6-8 hrs. From Munich you're better off visiting Hockenheim.

Two completely differet tracks. There is nothing like the Nurburgring's Nordeschlife. Plus it's not like Hockenheim is a quick trip from Munich either. By the time you reach Manheim, you're 2/3's of the way there.

Go to Austria for the weekend and visit Ruf in Pfaffenhausen.

A good schnitzel and weitzen bier is a place to start.

When you're here (in Munich), drop me a line. There is so much to do here (lakes, castles, mountains), all within a 1 hour drive, that you shouldn't "waste" your time on the autobahn heading to the Nurburgring or Hockenheim. If you're really up for a track day, rent something decent and go to the Salzburgring. If they can't accommodate you (they, like Nurburgring and Hockenheim, aren't open to the public every day), just enjoy the country roads in Oberbayern and the twisties in the hills (Alps). If you're thirsty (or hungry for Bavarian fare), you've got plenty to choose from (Hofbräuhaus, Spatenhaus, Fraziskaner, Augustiner, Hofbräukeller, etc.). The new Porsche Museum is worth the trip - I just went two weeks ago... Otherwise, stay in Bavaria, head to Austria (Gmünd is only about a 2.5 hour drive) or even into the Dolomites.

Spent my two weeks there on a bike in the Alps, beautiful country.
Jim

+1, the Italian Lakes are incredibly beautiful, great driving area too.

If in Stuttgart, be sure to visit the museum from Porsche's cross-town neighbors too! The Mercedes museum is an awesome history of a company that has spanned the history of the internal combustion engine. About an hour south of Stuttgart (on the way toward Munich) is Hohenzollern castle near Balingen.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...henzollern.jpg
It is the ancestral home of the Hohenzollern family which became the Kaisers of Germany. They never actually lived there much, but did turn it into a a very fascinating museum. There is a great armory there full of medieval armor. The Kaiser side of the family was Protestant, but there was another Catholic branch ( Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen ) who set up their home in a real castle in the nearby town of Sigmaringen.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...maringen01.jpg
In that castle you can see how the royalty really lived, and find out how a German came to be Emperor of Mexico.

Things to do in Munich??? My personal favorite is to go to the Alps and just go for a walk or a drive. Just head south into the mountains and explore. In Munich you should check out the BMW Museum. I'm not sure if Audi has a museum, but if they do it's most likely in Inglestadt which is just a little bit north of Munich. If you are into history, I'd recommend visiting Dachau -- it will be very moving. It's located near Inglestadt.

Salzburg is also only about 90 minutes(?) east of Munich and very pleasant to visit. It's a much prettier city then Munich. To be honest there is at least a weekend's worth of things to do in Salzburg -- especially if you like The Sound of Music.

Southwest of Munich is Neuschwanstein (Germany's most famous castle, it was used in Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and was the inspiration for the Disney castle) which is very, very scenic.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...chwanstein.jpg
It's not a "real" castle, but it's awfully impressive none the less. The tour guide will explain why when you're there. Just walking distance away from Neuschwanstein is a real castle (palace actually) of Hohenschwangau which was one of the family homes of the Bavarian royal family. You could take a full day on just those two places. Beware of lines on nice days though.

No matter where you are, ask about any local beer-fests or wine-fests. They are held all summer. Each town has one, it's just a question of finding out which town has it the weekends that you are there. The food is cheap, the beer and wine will be plentiful and the music and fun are free. It's kind of like the Octoberfest, but smaller and less crowded.

Auschwitz is near Krakow, Poland - a very looooong drive from Munich. Dachau is near Munich, but I can't recall what's near Ingolstadt.

Last time I went through there, I drove from Klagenfurt, Austria, got off the hwy. near the exit for Berchtesgaden and took back roads to Braunau am Inn to see Hitler's birthplace.

If you go to Gmuend, be sure to double check their website to see if they're open. I did that last time, got there and it was closed. Helmut Pfeifhofer left his home phone number on the door sign and I called him up, told him his site said he was open every day except for Xmas and I had come a long way to see it. He told me to come back two days later and had his wife open the place up for me and a group of French tourists. They had been closed for renovations. Luckily, I was planning to be in the area for a few days.

Wow, thanks for this treasure trove of information. Unfortunately, I'll be limited to travel on weekends. I hope to take the rail or bus to destinations. Those castles are incredible. I am getting very excited about going ;)

Nurburgring. Rent a car trackside. It will be the best money you ever spent. I promise.

This is the best advice here. From a local, of course. If you only have the weekends free, you won't be bored in the vicinity of Munich. It's a gorgeous town with much to see.

If you do have time to hire a car, go south to the Tegernsee and beyond through the Alps to Italy. It's only a few hours and there are some stunning passes. If you want a "cool" car your best bet is "Sixt" rent a car. They usually have some nice machines.

Dachau concentration camp museum is just north of Munich, and is worth visiting if you haven't seen this kind of thing before.

Got this at Avis, Audi a5 Sport, T/D, very fast and great for the autobahn. Visited last November and spent time in Munich and southern Bavaria.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1244461516.jpg

Oops. My bad -- you're right. It was Dachau. It's been at least a decade since I went.

A couple of suggestions...
Your ATM card should only be 4 digits.

The waiters need your tips. They make very little and the house keeps a lot. Euro is king and hand it directly to the waiter.

If you pay for a meal/drink with Euros and say "thank you" you may not see your change. Some waiters take "thank you" for "keep the change".

Many beer halls and restaurants change for the plate of jumbo pretzels next to your drink.

Munich information:
http://www.toytowngermany.com/munich/

I enjoyed the trip to the "Eagles Nest". You can do Salzburg in a long day trip. Innsbruck needs 2 full days.

GL
John_AZ