Planning for late May ED - Help Please

This will be our second ED and getting another E92M3. This time I would like to go and try the Ring and Stelvio Pass. Other than that I am open to suggestions. Already went to Salzburg and Vienna the last time so that will be out this time. Also planning on taking 15 days trip. Aside from those 2 must places to visit, I have to make this trip memorable to my wife also, she demanded. So a romantic drive and a lot of places to see. How about a trip to Italy?

So I have more than 7 months to plan. I am thinking of Nice and/or Venice. Drive to Lake Como or similar if not possible. I still have to look and plot my drive but I am hoping that somebody already took a similar route. Maybe it is time to study my geography of EU.

Originally Posted by valeram

This will be our second ED and getting another E92M3. This time I would like to go and try the Ring and Stelvio Pass. Other than that I am open to suggestions. Already went to Salzburg and Vienna the last time so that will be out this time. Also planning on taking 15 days trip. Aside from those 2 must places to visit, I have to make this trip memorable to my wife also, she demanded. So a romantic drive and a lot of places to see. How about a trip to Italy?

So I have more than 7 months to plan. I am thinking of Nice and/or Venice. Drive to Lake Como or similar if not possible. I still have to look and plot my drive but I am hoping that somebody already took a similar route. Maybe it is time to study my geography of EU.

After the Ring, you can head south to Stuttgart to see MBZ factory and museum, Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen, and the head south to Fussen to see Ludwig infamous castle Neuschwanstein. I was there, again, in May, but it was under renovation. So, check before you head there.
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisc...ce/history.htm

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

After the Ring, you can head south to Stuttgart to see MBZ factory and museum, Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen, and the head south to Fussen to see Ludwig infamous castle Neuschwanstein. I was there, again, in May, but it was under renovation. So, check before you head there.
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisc...ce/history.htm

We did all this, but in the opposite direction so as to arrive at the 'Ring after the 1200 mile break-in period.

OP: I would suggest that you do the 'Ring last or near the end of your trip.

Since you have an M3, it is essential that if you are going to put on 1200+ miles on your M3, and that shouldn't be hard in 15 days. that you have the 1200 mile break-in service done, preferably before you head out on the 'Ring. There have been many people who have had their 1200 mile service done in the Nurburgring area. You have to pay upfront but BMW NA will reimburse you. Try searching for this and you are bound to come up with some threads.

You might want to put Stevio later in your trip....I don't think it's typically open until June. See http://www.alpineroads.com/passes.php

Also, consider this for a good mix of 'romantic' locations and good driving roads:

http://www.yougosave.com/alpine.html

Originally Posted by valeram

This will be our second ED and getting another E92M3. This time I would like to go and try the Ring and Stelvio Pass. Other than that I am open to suggestions. Already went to Salzburg and Vienna the last time so that will be out this time. Also planning on taking 15 days trip. Aside from those 2 must places to visit, I have to make this trip memorable to my wife also, she demanded. So a romantic drive and a lot of places to see. How about a trip to Italy?

So I have more than 7 months to plan. I am thinking of Nice and/or Venice. Drive to Lake Como or similar if not possible. I still have to look and plot my drive but I am hoping that somebody already took a similar route. Maybe it is time to study my geography of EU.

If you want to do romantic then I would definitly go to Lake Como if you're able to do that. I can't tell from your post. We have been there several times and it is beautiful. We don't stay in Como but rather in Cernobbio, a gorgeous little town with some fantastic restuarants up in the hills including George Clooney's favorite, El Gato Nero. If you really want something special you can stay at the Villa D'Este which is in Cernobbio and one of the great hotels in Europe.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

After the Ring, you can head south to Stuttgart to see MBZ factory and museum, Porsche museum in Zuffenhausen, and the head south to Fussen to see Ludwig infamous castle Neuschwanstein. I was there, again, in May, but it was under renovation. So, check before you head there.
http://www.neuschwanstein.de/englisc...ce/history.htm

Thanks. I almost forgot Neuschwanstein.

Originally Posted by SD Z4MR

We did all this, but in the opposite direction so as to arrive at the 'Ring after the 1200 mile break-in period.

OP: I would suggest that you do the 'Ring last or near the end of your trip.

Since you have an M3, it is essential that if you are going to put on 1200+ miles on your M3, and that shouldn't be hard in 15 days. that you have the 1200 mile break-in service done, preferably before you head out on the 'Ring. There have been many people who have had their 1200 mile service done in the Nurburgring area. You have to pay upfront but BMW NA will reimburse you. Try searching for this and you are bound to come up with some threads.

Thanks for the tip. Never thought of that. That is why this forum is very valuable.

Originally Posted by martyl

If you want to do romantic then I would definitly go to Lake Como if you're able to do that. I can't tell from your post. We have been there several times and it is beautiful. We don't stay in Como but rather in Cernobbio, a gorgeous little town with some fantastic restuarants up in the hills including George Clooney's favorite, El Gato Nero. If you really want something special you can stay at the Villa D'Este which is in Cernobbio and one of the great hotels in Europe.

Is it possible to post your route and places you stayed. Thanks.

I would definitely recommend Berchtasgaden but assume you hit it between Salzburg and Vien? Just such a beautiful area: Eagles Nest, Lake Konigse (sp)

But wow, 2 weeks with an M3!!

I haven't been to Lake Como. I understand that is excellent but the driving is a bit tough and narrow.

We just returned from Lake Garda which is another popular lake in the area. The northern most section of the largest lake in Italy is unbelievably beautiful. The Dolomites are majestic and they surround this great area. The driving was fairly easy around the lake. The tunnel or galleria scene in the last James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, was filmed there.

As suggested by fellow member, here is my initial route. Add and delete some routes/locations.

BMW Welt Am Olympiapark 1 80809 München, Germany (Pick-up and overnight stay)
Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwansteinstraße 20 87645 Schwangau, Germany (Tour only no overnight stay)
Stelvio Pass (Drive only, most probably will stay overnight)
Venice Italy and/or Lake Como (Several Days stay)
Black Forest (Maybe an overnight stay)
Nürburgring Track Days Burgplatz 1 53520 Nürburg, Germany (Overnight Stay)
Stuttgart Germany (Overnight Stay)
Munich - Drop off (Overnight Stay)

Any suggestions for BB to stay on those locations. Plus any comments on the route, like should stay longer in one of those places.

Originally Posted by atticus1

I haven't been to Lake Como. I understand that is excellent but the driving is a bit tough and narrow.

We just returned from Lake Garda which is another popular lake in the area. The northern most section of the largest lake in Italy is unbelievably beautiful. The Dolomites are majestic and they surround this great area. The driving was fairly easy around the lake. The tunnel or galleria scene in the last James Bond movie, Quantum of Solace, was filmed there.

Thanks. I will check this one out.

Originally Posted by atticus1

I haven't been to Lake Como. I understand that is excellent but the driving is a bit tough and narrow.

Lake Como is beautiful and well worth a stay of two nights or more. If you go you should take the ferry around the lake and stop off in any of the little towns that appeal to you. Definitely stop in Bellagio which is a very pretty little town.

If you stay on the west bank of Lake Como, Lenno or Cernobbio, the roads are fairly easy driving. If you are concerned about narrow roads do not do as I did which is to drive the road from Como (the town) to Bellagio and definitely do not do as I did which is to drive that road at night! If you decide to stay in Bellagio use the car ferry from Cernobbio to Bellagio.

Skywalkerbeth's favorite hotels in Europe will give you good suggestions of where to stay and she has a couple of suggestions for Lake Como. Here are her recommendations:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=542949

Originally Posted by Trinitony

Lake Como is beautiful and well worth a stay of two nights or more. If you go you should take the ferry around the lake and stop off in any of the little towns that appeal to you. Definitely stop in Bellagio which is a very pretty little town.

If you stay on the west bank of Lake Como, Lenno or Cernobbio, the roads are fairly easy driving. If you are concerned about narrow roads do not do as I did which is to drive the road from Como (the town) to Bellagio and definitely do not do as I did which is to drive that road at night! If you decide to stay in Bellagio use the car ferry from Cernobbio to Bellagio.

Skywalkerbeth's favorite hotels in Europe will give you good suggestions of where to stay and she has a couple of suggestions for Lake Como. Here are her recommendations:

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=542949

Thanks for the tip. I will not do what you have done . I am planning for at least a couple of days.

Valeram's Initial Route:
BMW Welt Am Olympiapark 1 80809 München, Germany (Pick-up and overnight stay)
Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwansteinstraße 20 87645 Schwangau, Germany (Tour only no overnight stay)
Stelvio Pass (Drive only, most probably will stay overnight)
Venice Italy and/or Lake Como (Several Days stay)
Black Forest (Maybe an overnight stay)
Nürburgring Track Days Burgplatz 1 53520 Nürburg, Germany (Overnight Stay)
Stuttgart Germany (Overnight Stay)
Munich - Drop off (Overnight Stay)

A few fine-tuning suggestions:
Allot more time when going from Munich to Neuschwanstein. Head south out of Munich and then drive west along the Alpenstrasse to Neuschwanstein. The Alpenstrasse is worth whatever extra time it takes - lots of pretty lakes and little towns. Also consider visiting Ludwig's Linderhof Palace.

If you drive north through the Black Forest, stop in Baden Baden and Heidelberg. If you would like a pretty alternative to the Black Forest, head up the Route des Vins in France's Alsace. Stop in Mulhouse (Car Museum), Colmar, Riquewihr and Strassbourg. All are beautiful towns.

On your way to (or from or both ways) the Ring, drive along the south (and/or north) side of the Mosel River. It is wine country and there are many neat towns and castles to explore. You might also drive along the Rhine from Koblenz towards the south, but I prefer the Mosel.

Originally Posted by Trinitony

Valeram's Initial Route:
BMW Welt Am Olympiapark 1 80809 München, Germany (Pick-up and overnight stay)
Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwansteinstraße 20 87645 Schwangau, Germany (Tour only no overnight stay)
Stelvio Pass (Drive only, most probably will stay overnight)
Venice Italy and/or Lake Como (Several Days stay)
Black Forest (Maybe an overnight stay)
Nürburgring Track Days Burgplatz 1 53520 Nürburg, Germany (Overnight Stay)
Stuttgart Germany (Overnight Stay)
Munich - Drop off (Overnight Stay)

A few fine-tuning suggestions:
Allot more time when going from Munich to Neuschwanstein. Head south out of Munich and then drive west along the Alpenstrasse to Neuschwanstein. The Alpenstrasse is worth whatever extra time it takes - lots of pretty lakes and little towns. Also consider visiting Ludwig's Linderhof Palace.

If you drive north through the Black Forest, stop in Baden Baden and Heidelberg. If you would like a pretty alternative to the Black Forest, head up the Route des Vins in France's Alsace. Stop in Mulhouse (Car Museum), Colmar, Riquewihr and Strassbourg. All are beautiful towns.

On your way to (or from or both ways) the Ring, drive along the south (and/or north) side of the Mosel River. It is wine country and there are many neat towns and castles to explore. You might also drive along the Rhine from Koblenz towards the south, but I prefer the Mosel.

Thanks. Nice to get these helpful info who knows the place and/or been there. Keep it coming...

We have been fortunate to have traveled through much of Europe, and, by far, the most romantic trip we took was to the Loire Valley in France. It is a bit of a stretch from Munich, but you have the time. The roads were most impressive too, and I enjoyed driving on them, although it was in an inferior rental car. The Chateau's are quite impressive ( a couple of pictures below from late October). Le tme know if you want more details on itinerary. I would check to see what would be blooming in late May, though.

Another option is what a colleague did for his 30th anniversary. He had lived in Germany for a few years, and decided to take his wife through the tulips around The Netherlands. I know they bloom in April and May, but that would definitely be worthwhile. A summary is available from National Geographic (http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...nds-road-trip/).

Originally Posted by gordon999

We have been fortunate to have traveled through much of Europe, and, by far, the most romantic trip we took was to the Loire Valley in France. It is a bit of a stretch from Munich, but you have the time. The roads were most impressive too, and I enjoyed driving on them, although it was in an inferior rental car. The Chateau's are quite impressive ( a couple of pictures below from late October). Le tme know if you want more details on itinerary. I would check to see what would be blooming in late May, though.

Another option is what a colleague did for his 30th anniversary. He had lived in Germany for a few years, and decided to take his wife through the tulips around The Netherlands. I know they bloom in April and May, but that would definitely be worthwhile. A summary is available from National Geographic (http://travel.nationalgeographic.com...nds-road-trip/).

Agreed. Out of 11 BMW ED's our most enjoyable and memorable was following the Loire River from Nante, visiting the many Chateau and eventually dropping the car in Paris.

dk

Originally Posted by dkreidel

Agreed. Out of 11 BMW ED's our most enjoyable and memorable was following the Loire River from Nante, visiting the many Chateau and eventually dropping the car in Paris.

dk

Thanks for the info but as of now, we have no intentions to drive by France. I think the 2 weeks stay will only be enough for the itinerary I set. 2-3 days in Lake Como and 2-3 days in Venice. But it is a long way to go and possible it may change. Thanks.

Tried to place an order late last year but was politely asked to do it January 2013 instead, because of dealer's allocation for M3. I got a call from my SA and was able to get the allocation (February allocation) for this coming May ED. I got my pre-finalize build and all set for the long wait. So it time to retune my trip and getting excited.

Excellent! Now the real fun begins!

Got my production # and the approved date/time of pickup. Also, the PO was filled up and submitted. Now the finalization of our trip starts.

Itinerary update: As suggested by fellow Festers.
Arrived in MUC (Check-in and tour Marienplatz City Center, overnight stay)
BMW Welt (Pick-up, Welt Tour, drive out to Neusch...)
Neuschwanstein Castle Neuschwansteinstraße (Tour and overnight stay)
Stelvio Pass (Drive only, on the way to Venice)
Venice Italy (4 Days stay with a day train ride to Florence)
Lake Como ( 5 Days stay with a day train ride to Milan)
Stuttgart Germany ( Benz and Porsche Museum, if time allowed, Overnight Stay)
Nürburgring (Just 3 laps in the Ring, Overnight Stay)
Munich - Drop off (Overnight Stay)
Return the CMH the next day.

This time, I will not use Rolf service in driving us to/fro Welt/Airport. A EU20 rail pass will get us around the whole day when we arrived. We will use this rail pass going around the city center. We will just unwind that arrival day and do the Welt pickup the following day.

The car will be parked in Tronchetto parking garage while in Venice. I will try to get the VIP parking spot. I was able to get a free private parking space in our hotel in Bellagio for our Lake Como stay. Rick Steves 2013 updated Germany and Italy tour books are of great help in planning this trip.

OK fellow festers, what do you think?

Check into dropping off at Frankfurt if you're doing Nurburgring at the end of your trip, drop off is right by the airport and Frankfurt has good flights out of it.

If it were me, with all that travel by train, I'd put it at the beginning or end, but not in the middle. I'd consider driving from Munich to Neuschwanstein, Stuttgart, and then the ring, drop it off at Frankfurt and then take the train down through your other stops for example. Everything on your list can be hit by train pretty easily except the ring and Neuschwanstein castle. There are also a lot of other nice Castles and things to see around Stuttgart if you're going to be around there and the Porsche/Mercedes plants.

Originally Posted by valeram

I was able to get a free private parking space in our hotel in Bellagio for our Lake Como stay. Rick Steves 2013 updated Germany and Italy tour books are of great help in planning this trip.

I like it. But if you are going to stay in Bellagio (and I definitely would stay there) remember that the road from Como to Bellagio is very narrow. You might consider leaving your M3 on the west bank and taking the ferry over to Bellagio, or taking your car on the ferry and parking it for the five days that you are in Bellagio. In the town of Bellagio some of the streets are barely wider than a car.

Originally Posted by edx1

Check into dropping off at Frankfurt if you're doing Nurburgring at the end of your trip, drop off is right by the airport and Frankfurt has good flights out of it.

If it were me, with all that travel by train, I'd put it at the beginning or end, but not in the middle. I'd consider driving from Munich to Neuschwanstein, Stuttgart, and then the ring, drop it off at Frankfurt and then take the train down through your other stops for example. Everything on your list can be hit by train pretty easily except the ring and Neuschwanstein castle. There are also a lot of other nice Castles and things to see around Stuttgart if you're going to be around there and the Porsche/Mercedes plants.

This cross my mind and I was actually checking the drop-off places. I don't know what happen but I didn't pursue it further. Maybe because of the drive along Stelvio Pass going to Venice. I will check it again. Thanks.

Originally Posted by Trinitony

I like it. But if you are going to stay in Bellagio (and I definitely would stay there) remember that the road from Como to Bellagio is very narrow. You might consider leaving your M3 on the west bank and taking the ferry over to Bellagio, or taking your car on the ferry and parking it for the five days that you are in Bellagio. In the town of Bellagio some of the streets are barely wider than a car.

That is one thing that concerns me driving around Italy's well known narrow roads, specially those touristy places. That was one of the reason why I was looking at other alternative routes and plans like the previous quote above.