Suggested Itineraries
From BimmerWiki
Here are some suggested itineraries that members have done. They are in the form of Day 1 - Day X where Day X includes your flight back to the 'States.
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[edit] 1 Day
Munich -- Spitzingsee - Tagernasse - Mittenwald - Garmish P - got to do the Alpenstrasse from Tagernasse to Mittenwald.(B305)
Munich - Eichstatt - Nurnburg - Landsberg
Munich - Salzburg - Berchtesgaden - then take Alpenstrasse (B305) back to A8 to come to Munich.
We did these based on the advice in the Frommers: Germany's best scenic drives book
Also, have to do Andechs.
[edit] 5 Day
General introductory comments
(These comments apply to all of the multi-day itineraries.)
You should possibly start by thinking about two rather separate issues:
(1) What mix of driving and other tourism makes sense for you, both overall and day-by-day.
(2) Is this your only (or one of only a few trips) to Germany and surrounding countries, or have you had or do you expect several visits. If this is your only trip, you will probably want to focus on the major tourist cities or locales. If you will have experienced many trips, there are smaller cities and lesser-known regions that can be quite interesting.
A few lists:
Major tourist cities (by country, working outward from Bavaria)--
Munich; Rest of Germany: Berlin, Hamburg, Heidelburg, Baden-Baden; Austria: Salzburg, Vienna; Switzerland: Lucerne, Zurich, Geneva; Northern Italy: Milan, Venice; Czech Republic: Prague; France: Paris, Lyon, Nice.
Major tourist locales (i.e., not cities)--
Bavarian alps; Bavarian lakes; Bavarian castles; Bodensee (Lake Constance); German Alpenroad; German Romantic road; Rhine & Mosel valleys; Austrian alps & lakes; Swiss alps & lakes; Northern Italy lakes -- Como, Garda, Maggiore, etc.; Adriatic coast of Italy; Adriatic coast of Slovenia; (Note for 2008 - Adriatic coast of Croatia is not a permitted destination); Julian alps in Slovenia; Danube river towns in Austria; French Riviera; Italian Riviera
[edit] 8 Day
[edit] 10 Day
Day 1 -> Pick up car at the Welt, tour factory, night out in Munich
Day 2 -> Drive from Munich to Landsberg, then take the Romantic Road down to Hohenschwangau to visit Neuschwanstein. Continue to Fussen then drive back to Munich possibly via Garmisch.
Day 3 -> Munich to Prague. Explore Prague.
Day 4 -> Prague
Day 5 -> Prague to Berlin. Explore Berlin.
Day 6 -> Berlin
Day 7 -> Berlin to Amsterdam. Some possible side trips here.
Day 8 -> Check out the flower auction and tulip fields in the Spring. Drop off car. Explore Amsterdam.
Day 9 -> Amsterdam
Day 10 -> Return
[edit] 14 Day
Day 1 --> Munich - Zürich - Lucerne
Day 2 --> Lucerne - Lake Como - Milan
Day 3 --> Milan - Nice
Day 4 --> Nice - Monte Carlo
Day 5 --> Nice - Cannes
Day 6 --> Nice - St.Tropez - Nimes
Day 7 --> Nimes - Barcelona
Day 9 --> Barcelona - Sitges - Valencia
Day 10 -> Valencia - Madrid
Day 11 -> Madrid - Toledo - Madrid
Day 12 -> Madrid - Segovia - Madrid
Day 13 -> Drop off car
[edit] Popular Destinations
[edit] Germany
Munich (München) should not just be thought of as a place to merely pick up your new BMW. Plan to spend at least a few days in the city, enjoying the museums, shopping, food, Bier, and atmosphere. Marienplatz is the center of a major Fußgängerzone (pedestrian zone) and the city´s Rathaus (city hall). The Englischer Garten (English Garden) is a very large park in the center of the city and the Chinesischer Turm is the site of a wonderful Biergarten in the park.
The Nürburgring, aka The Ring, aka Green Hell. Contact in Nuerburg: Ed Healey aka "Hammerwerfer", Ed@RSRNurburg.com , or email, or PM here, can show you around, or offer instruction.
[edit] Day Trips near Munich
(although definitely worth more than a day)
[edit] Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is beautiful drive from Munich if you stay off the Autobahn; Highway 305 from Reit im Winkle to Berchtesgaden is spectacular. It is place with beautiful nature. Here are some highlights:
- Hiking in the National Park
- Visiting the salzbergwerk (salt mine) work to see how salt is mined (Fun for Adults, but even better for the families)
- Ship ride and/or hiking the Königssee. If you have ever seen a calendar of Germany, you have seen a picture of this beautiful lake and its church.
- Salzburg 20-30 minute drive makes Salzburg an easy day trip.
- Schellenberg Eishöle (an ice cave that is a nice way to cool off in the summer)
- hike in a gorge: Wimmbachklamm or Almbachklamm (with Germany’s oldest marble mill)
- Visit a distillery: Enzianbrennerei (yes, with free samples!)
- Visit the picturesque church in Ramsau and the Wimbachklamm (gorge)
- Rossfelt Ring Strasse
- Eagles nest
- Nice farm house B&Bs can be found for 35Euro/night for two people.
- etc. (yes, there is a lot to see and do near this village)
Some links:
http://www.gastgeber-berchtesgaden.de/sighseeingBerchtesgaden.htm
http://en.berchtesgadener-land.com/en/live/ennavi/parser,id,75,nodeid,.html
[edit] Castles and Mountains: Füssen and Garmish-Partenkirchen
Garmish: http://www.garmisch-partenkirchen.de/en/db41673c-3301-78c8-8a27-52cc9b4d45f6.html http://europeforvisitors.com/germany/garmisch/garmisch-partenkirchen.htm
Castles: Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau, Linderhof.
Mountain: Zugspitze. Highest mountain in Germany (Tip: there are fewer crowds, more hiking options, and 30% cheaper if you go up from the Austrian side – either way the top of the mountain is the same. The drive to Austria's cable car is a 10 minute longer drive from Garmish area).
Towns to visit: Oberammergau, Ettal (Monastery, Brewery, and cheese making), Mittenwald (violin making museum), Garmish, Füssen. Hike the gorge of: Partnachklamm (best done with a cable car ride to the top and a hike down – includes the 1936 Winter Olympic ski jump and arena)
Reutte is a nice town to stay in or visit for something that doesn’t cater to Tourists as much as the towns above.
[edit] Beer lovers pilgrimage to Andechs
Take a trip to Andechs (45 minutes from Munich) and visit the Brewery, Church, and Monastery: http://www.andechs.de/englisch/brauerei/biersorten/index.html#slides-pane-0
[edit] Longer trips (one to two weeks)
[edit] Alpine driving: The Alps and passes of Germany, Austria, Italy.
The first priority for this route is the incredible driving available in the heart of the alps (including Gross Glockner, Dolomites, and with optional side trip to Stelvio). There is also much to see and do in the area as the route incluldes the natural beauty of Berchtesgaden (or optionally Salzburg), Mountain tops (Zugspitze), and Castles (Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau, Linderhof) between Füssen and Garmish (see Berchtesgaden and Garmish-Partenkirchen above). This route also includes a taste of Italy and Austria even though it remains in German speaking territory.
Route: Munich; ruhpolding; Berchtesgaden; Zell am See; Lienz (Tyrol, Austria); cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy; Passo Pordoi; Selva di val Gardena; Bressanone, Italy; San Leonardo in Passiria, Italy; Solden, Austria; partenkirchen, Germany; Linderhof (Ettal, Bavaria, Germany); Füssen; Munich
[edit] Italy: Venice and Lake Como (Optional Grossglockner and Stelvio pass)
Route: Munich – Salzburg (and/or Berchtesgaden) to Gross Glockner, to Venice, to Lake Como, through Stelvio pass, to Füssen (for Neuschwanstein and Zugspitze Mountain), to Munich. Note – Stelvio pass is likely to be closed in Non-summer months.
Note that Grossglockner route does not map on Google:
Route: Munich DE, Salzburg AT, Venice IT, Como IT, Füssen DE, Munich DE: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Munchen,+Germany&daddr=salzburg+to:B168%2FBundesstra%C3%9Fe%2FMittersiller+Bundesstr.+%4047.284890,+12.556540+to:B107%2FGro%C3%9Fglockner-Bundesstra%C3%9Fe+%4047.037970,+12.852180+to:B100%2FK%C3%A4rntner+Str.+%4046.830690,+12.789800+to:venice,+IT+to:como,+IT+to:Via+Principale%2FSS38+%4046.619470,+10.597050+to:Fussen,+AT+to:munchen,+germany&hl=en&geocode=%3B%3B455109547374228785,47.284890,12.556540%3B11197764895534526461,47.037970,12.852180%3B11602694091021572868,46.830690,12.789800%3B%3B%3B15349986903915806320,46.619470,10.597050%3B%3B&mra=ls&via=2,3,4,7&sll=47.507925,12.730408&sspn=1.345063,1.2854&ie=UTF8&z=7
[edit] Switzerland and Italy
Munich to Interlaken (spend a few days in mountain side towns of Mürren Wengen and take a trip to the top of the Jungfraujoch or Schlithorn (with the James Bond restaurant at the top). Pass through Zürich and Luzern on the way. Then on to Lake Como and finish as above (through Stelvio pass, to Füssen (for Neuschwanstein and Zugspitze Mountain), to Munich).
If you have the time between Interlaken and Como, take highway 6 south then 19 towards Andermatt for some breathtaking alpine driving (passing through Grimsel pass and Furka pass)
Route: Munich, Zurich, Luzern, Interlaken, Como Italy, Stelvio pass, Füssen Germany, Munich Germany
Other interesting towns in Switzerland: Appenzell (in the North East) Sankt Moriz (near Stelvio) Andermatt (in the mountains between Luzern and Como)
[edit] Germany tourist drives (Ferienstraße)
There are over 150 “Ferienstraße “ (tourist routes) in Germany. Fortunately, 3 of the best Ferienstraße are also easily accessible for a European Delivery trip:
[edit] Alpine Straße (Deutsche Alpenstraße):
A beautiful drive along Germany’s southern boarder, but misses some of the more dramatic alpine passes south of the boarder:
[edit] Black Forest Straße (Schwarzwald Straße)
Southern part is in a valley, Northern part (Panorama way) is at the top (with many dramatic and lightly traveled roads off the mountain to either side. This can be a nice diversion on the way to the Nürburgring Ring. With no stops or detours, you could probably do this drive in 4 hours. It’s a nice diversion on the way to Frankfurt or the Nürburgring (Frieburg is worth a stopover).
The Black forest route follows B500 from Waldshut to Triberg (southern part) and then Freudenstadt to Baden Baden (Northern part) This northern part is also known as the „ Schwarzwaldhochstraße “ as it runs along the ridge of the mountain providing many scenic vistas (up to 1000m over sea level). However, the best driving is often exploring the small side roads that lead to and from the Schwartz Wald strassse.
Route along B500: Baden Baden; Freudenstadt; Triberg; (Hexenloch Furtwangen, Germany); Waldshut, Baden
Here is an interesting little detour if you are in the area. Great rest stop and beautiful side roads to get there: Hexenloch, http://www.hexenlochmuehle.de/
[edit] Romantic Road (Romantische Straße):
More of a cultural trip than a driving adventure, but worth it for the medieval towns, castles, and churches. Like France’s Provence, or Italy’s Tuscany, this route will appeal to those who like a taste of ancient Europe, but with a bit of German style.
Rothenburg ob der Tauber is one of the most photographed towns in Germany. It can be delightful off season, or even off hours – but will be full of tour buses during summer days.
5-10 day Itinerary: Würzburg (Visit Residenz) Bad Mergentheim Rothenburg ob der Tauber (picturesque medieval town) Dinkelsbühl Nördlingen Augsburg Füssen (From Füssen, you can visit castles of Neuschwanstein, Hohenschwangau. If you have time before heading back to Munich, visit the top of the Zugspitze mountain and castle Linderhof)
[edit] Driving in the Alps - Bimmerfest's favorite passes
Note that these roads will be closed seasonally based on weather conditions! Search the European Delivery forum for more details.
[edit] Großglockner Hochalpenstraße
Toll road south from Munich Google Maps doesn’t go over this pass for some reason, but it is open seasonably. The route over the pass is the short distance from A to B on the google map, NOT as google maps shows it. (The route is from Zell am See, through Heiligenblut, and on to Lienz (or vise versa).
Home page: http://www.grossglockner.com/
[edit] Dolomites
Amazing winding road through dramatic mountain valleys and several passes in Northern Italy (German speaking region). Passes are typically not as high as the Großglockner or Stelvio (which are basically one hairpin after another going straight up & over a mountain), but more interesting driving as you are following the contours of the mountains rather than just climbing a single pass. Allow a couple of days for this drive as the going is slow on these twisty roads (which is why we are here, right?). Very popular for hiking; attracts a lot of Motorcycles and Bicycles too.
Rick Steve’s write up: http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/destinations/italy/598ital.htm
Google Map from Gross Glockner to Bolzano: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Lienz,+Lienz,+Tyrol,+Austria&daddr=Toblach+to:Cortina+d%E2%80%99Ampezzo+to:Andraz+to:Passo+Pordoi,+Livinallongo+del+Col+di+Lana,+Bellune+(Veneto),+Italy+to:Passo+Sella,+38032+Canazei,+Trento+(Trentino-Alto+Adige),+Italy+to:Bolzano&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=46.616033,12.064201&sspn=0.005991,0.00825&ie=UTF8&z=9
Google Map:
An alternative heading back to Austria/Munich and adding in San Leornarda Pass, and Timmlesjoch pass:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&saddr=Lienz,+Lienz,+Tyrol,+Austria&daddr=Toblach+to:Cortina+d%E2%80%99Ampezzo+to:Andraz+to:Plan,+Selva+di+Val+Gardena+Bolzano,+Trentino-Alto+Adige,+Italy+to:Castelrotto+to:Bressanone+to:Sterzing+to:Soelden,+italy&hl=en&geocode=&mra=ls&sll=46.72126,11.888915&sspn=0.844484,2.029724&ie=UTF8&z=10
[edit] Stelvio Pass
This pass is often used on the way to Lake Como. Similar to the Gross Glockner, but free.
More info: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stelvio_Pass
[edit] Czech Republic
[edit] Prague
Make sure you park in a secured lot during your stay here. The city is navigatable without driving your car, but there are several interesting side trips outside the city that are nice to visit on your way to your next destination.
[edit] Italy
[edit] Venice
Once you arrive in Venice, your car will stay in the parking garage during your visit. Many bimmerfesters have used the Tronchetto garage, look here for more info. Although the site mentions bookings, they were not required in Sep 2007, but email them to make sure. Depending on how much you suffer with your car, you may want to park in the VIP section. These spaces are close to the booth attendants, the pedestrian entrance, and the vaporetto (water bus) stop. Also in the VIP section they will roll a wire screen behind the cars to prevent opportunistic vandals from even touching the car. VIP was 5 Euros extra per day in 2007. Other car parks are in Piazzale Roma, see one here. Parking in Piazzale Roma is a little more per day but saves the cost of taking the vaporetto since you could walk to most points in Venice from here. However, many 'festers chose not to park here because the car must be left unlocked (they claim for security reasons(?). If you're staying for an extended period, consider parking in Mestre on the mainland (cheaper) but it is less convenient as you would have to take the train into Venice. Information on vaporetto rates and route maps is here.
[edit] Austria
One of the most popular destinations in Austria (Österreich) is, of course, its capital city, Wien (Vienna) but there are so many beautiful and distinct areas of the country you can visit since you will be driving a brand new BMW.
Make sure to have purchased an Autobahnvignette and Warnwesten (one of the latter for each occupant of the car - and they must be kept inside the vehicle) before entering Austria.
Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the west. Modern Austria dates back to the ninth century, when the name ,,Ostarrichi`` (Old High German for ,,Eastern Territory``) was first used in an official document.
There are nine federal states (Bundesländer)
Burgenland - capital Eisenstadt Carinthia (Kärnten) - capital Klagenfurt Lower Austria (Niederösterreich) - capital St. Pölten Upper Austria (Oberösterreich) - capital Linz Salzburg - capital Salzburg Styria (Steiermark) - capital Gray Voarlberg - capital Bregenz Vienna (Wien) - capital Vienna
Salzburg is a very popular destination for those doing BMW tourist delivery due to its proximity to München but incredible vistas, driving, and food await if you drive to the east.
The Wachau region along the Danube (Donau) river in Niederösterreich, namely the village of Dürnstein as well as Stift Melk have (thanks to favorable reports from Jonathan Spira) become destinations for Festers. Dürnstein is where Richard Löwenherz (Richard the Lionhearted) was held captive during the Crusades and you can visit the ruins atop a hill today. It is also a wonderful place to bike ride, enjoy good Austrian wine (Grüner Veltliner, for example), and excellent Austrian cuisine. Stift Melk is one of the world´s most famous and beautiful monastic sites. You can purchase local wines, Apricot (Marillen) Marmalade, and Apricot Liqueur (Marillenlikör) to take home with you.
The Burgenland, Austria´s youngest Bundesland, shares the Neusiedler See, Austria´s largest lake, with Hungary. Eisenstadt (Kismarton), its capital, was the seat of the Eszterházy Hungarian noble family and Joseph Haydn lived there as Hofkapellmeister under Esterházy patronage.
[edit] Switzerland
Interlaken with a trip to the top of the Jung Frau is a beautiful destination.
[edit] France
[edit] Paris
What more needs to be said about Paris? However, if you're headed straight for the City of Light, consider making a stop in the Alsace region of France. It is roughly half-way to Paris from Munich. Highlights in this area include Colmar, Strasbourg, and the wine country. Also, don't miss this museum with rare classic car in Mulhouse.
[edit] Putting your car on a train
Normal passenger trains don't carry cars or motorbikes, just passengers and their luggage and perhaps bicycles. However, there are special 'Motorail' trains which will also carry your car or motorbike. These run on selected holiday routes, usually on certain days of the week, and usually summer-only. For more info, click here.
