Auto / Driving themed vacation to Germany

[W288SH]

Can anyone recommend family friendly car / driving themed vacation packages in Germany?

My wife is up for it as long as she can see some castles, and both of my kids (11 and 13) are car nuts like me.

Also - I've seen conflicting information about whether an international driver license is required for US driver license holders (my license is from the State of North Carolina). Anyone with experience?

[X7 Recruit]

Bavaria is your friend. You can fly into Munich, or Frankfurt, or Zurich and everything is within a few (traffic dependent) hours drive. Castles aplenty, plus BMW, Porsche, Mercedes, and Audi factories/museums.

If you’re here, you’ll be able to drive in Germany, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Austria - all in the same day if you’re ambitious, so just get the international drivers license and save yourself any hassle.

Viel Spaß!

[2008M36MT]

I don't know if you "need" an international drivers license but it's a paper license you can get from AAA in 5 minutes. Of the 600+ days I've spent traveling through Europe, including Germany, I never needed it. You certainly don't need one to rent a car, a US license is sufficient in the major countries, Germany included. In fact the only time I was pulled over for speeding was in Switzerland after hauling ass through Poland and Germany. I just told them I had one and forgot it, but wasn't issued a ticket for it. It was the most hassle free stop ever. I was driving 190 kph in a 130 kph zone, they printed out the ticket and had me pay on the spot. I kept asking them what if I was speeding x over what would it be? They kept saying the faster you go the more you pay. Then finally one was like if you're asking if we'd take you to jail at a certain speed like in the US, we won't. I got a total of 3 tickets, speeding, too close to car in front, staying too long in left lane (I wasn't hogging, just the only one passing, so stayed in the left lane a bit too long), all told about $300 or euro (can't recall) paid on my CC. Super polite, super quick. Completely unmarked car, I passed them and they pulled beside me after and the passenger side cope held up a giant stop sign in the window.

[Tommy-G]

I would get ahold of the BMW European delivery itinerary and piggy back off that

[dradernh]

Each country has its own rules of the road. I found it worthwhile to study them before going over. Austria, for example, offers these as introductory material:

Austria by Road: https://www.austria.info/en/service-...-around/by-car Note the emergency gear you're required to carry.

The Vignette - Austria's Motorway Toll Sticker: https://www.austria.info/en/service-...y-car/vignette

[Atavus]

You need a Vignette for Austria and Switzerland. The Austrians at least offer a 10 day version, whereas the Swiss one covers just over a year.

[chassis]

Originally Posted by W288SH

Can anyone recommend family friendly car / driving themed vacation packages in Germany?

My wife is up for it as long as she can see some castles, and both of my kids (11 and 13) are car nuts like me.

Also - I've seen conflicting information about whether an international driver license is required for US driver license holders (my license is from the State of North Carolina). Anyone with experience?

I am not aware of "packages". I can suggest DIY self-guided itineraries.

You need to tell us which arrival airport you are using when you become land-based travelers. Frankurt? Munich? Somewhere else?

Suggestions:
- For driving, scenery, history, culture and food, the Schwarzwald roughy bounded by Strasbourg - Oppenau - Baden-Baden is excellent.
- Another nice area is Munich - Garmisch-Partenkirchen - Oberstdorf.
- Another idea is Munich - Salzburg - Innsbruck via Kutzbühel

For the past 30 years I have driven in:

UK
France
Netherlands
Belgium
Luxembourg
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Italy
Slovenia
Croatia
Denmark
Sweden

without an international driver's license.

Car rental agencies (I recommend Sixt) have the proper safety equipment in the car. Vignettes (toll stickers) are available at gas stations and rest stops prior to entering CH and AT.

[Gritty]

Originally Posted by W288SH

Can anyone recommend family friendly car / driving themed vacation packages in Germany?

My wife is up for it as long as she can see some castles, and both of my kids (11 and 13) are car nuts like me.

Also - I've seen conflicting information about whether an international driver license is required for US driver license holders (my license is from the State of North Carolina). Anyone with experience?

How long of a trip? I few into Munich. Rented a car with Hertz no international driving permit was needed, I believe the permit makes it easier to give you a ticket - that's all... Drove south through Austria and Italy. It's a beautiful drive through the Alps, castles and all. Spent a few nights in Dolomites at Alpinia Dolomites what a fantastic hotel. We kept going south staying in Lake Garda, Tuscany and Florence, but that was a big trip.

[Joachim]

If time is available a lot, @Gritty's tip for a route is tremendous, though it should be started in the southern Black Forest (e.g. from Baden-Baden) up over the Black Forest Highway (B 500), then Lake Titisee and over to Lake Constance ("Bodensee"). Avoid Freiburg if you're not eager to get robbed by anarchists and fined by crazy majors and cops. Visit downtown L.A., Miami or San Francisco instead!

From Lake Constance, with the German and Swiss alps always ahead and on the right, to Munich on a working day (markets, big modern and ancient city feelings). From there on any highway through Switzerland into Italy, as Gritty proposed.

If you're rich and have time enough, you may wish to have a glimpse of romantic upper Bavaria, driving from Munich eastwards, by chance visiting Germany's highest mountain, the Zugspitze (there's a train, no Rucksack necessary ).

Always look at G**g*e for at least three- or 4-star hotels in the country.

Three unforgettable weeks guaranteed.

After all, it's difficult to propose something which isn't like "USA in two days".

[Toddbmw]

Just got back from Germany last week.
Drove from Frankfurt to Nuremberg (not Nurburg), Munich, Stuttgart, Black Forest, back to Frankfurt.
Drove 2300kms on the Autobahn and back roads.
Visited a number of art and auto museums and Christmas markets.

Some suggestions.

Porsche Museum in Stuttgart, BMW Welt/Museum in Munich.
Did not go to the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart, heard it is a very good one to visit.
Go to the Old City section of Nuremberg, you drive through a very narrow entrance, park and walk around, visit Albrecht Durer's house.

There is a huge cathedral in Ulm (Where Albert Einstein is from) that is being repaired.

Neuschwanstein Castle, south of Munich. Look into tickets before you leave, you will/should purchase them ahead of time, and plan on a full day.

Burg Frankenstein (Fronkensteen Castle ) south of Darmstadt, which is south of Frankfurt. Which is on top of a mountain, great road with switchbacks to get up to it.

Schonau im Schwarzwald (town in the Black Forest, bought cuckoo clocks), great two lane roads to and from off of the Autobahn. Then we went to Titisee Neustadt, which is more of a tourist town with a lake.

[Joachim]

Originally Posted by Toddbmw

Then we went to Titisee Neustadt, which is more of a tourist town with a lake.

Cruise through the town's numerous tributary valleys to escape the Indians and Japanese and find yourself there a 3-4 star hotel or restaurant. You will see non museal 350 years old farm houses and genuine Black Forest landscape. Tourist information ("Kurhaus") may help.
The phrase in the picture may be translated best by "Knock me down with a feather!", adapted to the Black Forest.

Anyway, an overall fine suggestion by Toddbmw!

[floridaorange]

Originally Posted by 2008M36MT

I don't know if you "need" an international drivers license but it's a paper license you can get from AAA in 5 minutes. Of the 600+ days I've spent traveling through Europe, including Germany, I never needed it. You certainly don't need one to rent a car, a US license is sufficient in the major countries, Germany included. In fact the only time I was pulled over for speeding was in Switzerland after hauling ass through Poland and Germany. I just told them I had one and forgot it, but wasn't issued a ticket for it. It was the most hassle free stop ever. I was driving 190 kph in a 130 kph zone, they printed out the ticket and had me pay on the spot. I kept asking them what if I was speeding x over what would it be? They kept saying the faster you go the more you pay. Then finally one was like if you're asking if we'd take you to jail at a certain speed like in the US, we won't. I got a total of 3 tickets, speeding, too close to car in front, staying too long in left lane (I wasn't hogging, just the only one passing, so stayed in the left lane a bit too long), all told about $300 or euro (can't recall) paid on my CC. Super polite, super quick. Completely unmarked car, I passed them and they pulled beside me after and the passenger side cope held up a giant stop sign in the window.

great share!!

[Toddbmw]

Some more pointers.

Hope you or someone in the family knows German. If you stick with the tourist areas, people will know English, outside of that, it is a surprise if they speak English.
My wife speaks German, we visited her cousins for part of the trip, and she was the tour guide, since there were places she wanted to visit. If anyone asked me a question, I just said Nien Deutsch, and pointed at her.

Almost everything is closed on Sunday's. Restaurants are open.
On Monday, many restaurants are closed, and it seems stores closed during lunch hour through the week.
Stick with German restaurants, ask if they have an English menu, some of the ones we ate at did, and about 1/2 of the hosts spoke English.
We ate at an Italian restaurant which was OK, not great, and they do not know
how to serve a hamburger, the meat was cooked good, just dressed up the burger too much.
We focused on eating German dishes, sometimes had to veer off depending on the menu.

The exchange rate is great ($1.04), taxes are built into the prices of an item, so you just add up what you are buying. Restaurant food is reasonably priced, again, no tax added, and you do not need to tip. We did tip a couple or three Euros, which most servers appreciated and thanked us. The smallest paper Euro is 5, under that it is 2, 1 Euro coins and smaller change, bring a change purse.

Ensure you have a data plan for your phone, you will be doing a lot of searching. Searching for attractions, restaurants, museums, etc.

We used the very good nav setup in the Audi A4 we rented to get around. Provided speed limits (and unrestricted sections ) on the Autobahn to keep the speed in check.
At least with Sixt rental's, there were very few cars available with a clutch.
I reserved an A3 with a clutch, and it was not available so got an upgrade to an A4 with Auto.
"See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation and that’s really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them".

This sign is your friend on the Autobahn (no speed restrictions).

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Toddbmw

"See, you know how to take the reservation, you just don’t know how to hold the reservation and that’s really the most important part of the reservation, the holding. Anybody can just take them".

That's one of the thousands of spot-on observations in that series.

I "reserved" a Charger the last time I flew into CLT, got to the rental agency, and they had a Challenger and a 16-passenger van left. I got the Challenger, and the guy with a wife and two kids who came in right behind me got the van. He was not happy!

[X7 Recruit]

This thread has been good for so many laughs… some of the info is spot on, other bits, not so much.

Just a couple of notes…

- speeding in Switzerland gets very expensive very quickly, and they will take you to jail at a certain point (and confiscate your car) have no doubt.
- rural areas you will often have a tough time finding English speakers, but in the cities you’ll have no problem. This is true pretty much anywhere.
- ‘nien Deutsch’ doesn’t mean anything. ‘Kein Deutsch’ is the equivalent of your kid responding to your text with ‘k’ - and about as polite.
- while the Black Forest is nice, pretty much nobody goes there aside from tourists, and I’ve never seen a cuckoo clock in twenty years between Baden Württemberg, Bavaria, and Switzerland. You’re better off heading across the border to France, or zipping down to Switzerland, or continuing in from Neuschwanstein and seeing the Innsbruck region of Austria, which is (IMO) 1,000 times nicer than the Schwarzwald, and with far better food and wine.
- tipping is most certainly not optional in decent restaurants, unless you want to reinforce their opinion of the f-ing tourists who never tip. You certainly don’t have to tip 20%, but 5-10% is pretty much obligatory (and always appreciated) everywhere you go.

[M5Rick]

^ I think 'service charge' may be added on the bill in most decent eateries so no need for tourists to tip when not needed.

[X7 Recruit]

Originally Posted by M5Rick

^ I think 'service charge' may be added on the bill in most decent eateries so no need for tourists to tip when not needed.

Again, based on 20+ years of travel on the continent, I have only seen this for groups of 8 or 10+. Restaurants in DACH/I do not do this, and my experience ranges from simple roadside ‘diners’ through to Michelin rated restaurants.

On that note, the Michelin guide is a great, free, tool for use while traveling in EU. While many of the starred restaurants are happy to pass on inflation numbers to customers, the bib and other rated places are often the best in town, and without taking out a second mortgage.

[M5Rick]

Originally Posted by X7 Recruit

Again, based on 20+ years of travel on the continent, I have only seen this for groups of 8 or 10+. Restaurants in DACH/I do not do this, and my experience ranges from simple roadside ‘diners’ through to Michelin rated restaurants.

On that note, the Michelin guide is a great, free, tool for use while traveling in EU. While many of the starred restaurants are happy to pass on inflation numbers to customers, the bib and other rated places are often the best in town, and without taking out a second mortgage.

Yes there is a premium for going to starred eateries, the higher the stars the more likely for sure a wallet munching bill. As you say other rated places like for instance a Hard Rock or TGIF restaurant will be just as good without the pomp.
There are some that don't even accept cash which I don't bother with.

[Dang3r]

Originally Posted by Toddbmw

This sign is your friend on the Autobahn (no speed restrictions).

Just to correct your false impression of this sign: When you see this anywhere into Germany, that means all previous restrictions are deleted.
This means onto roads outside of cities/towns/communities but maximum speed 100kp/h
On Autobahn additionally to previous speed limits the overtaking prohibition, time bound speed limits (between time xxAM and xxPM e.g.) and weather caused limits.
Just to mention that: The recommended speed onto autobahns are 130kp/h. This would be the trigger for all accidents, if one or more causes are involved and any insurance have to pay. So for example if your are flying with 200kp/h onto the left and someone swings out in front of you from the right side and you crash, it doesn't matter that there was no speed limit, you would everytime earn a piece of the guilt because of your driven (legal, but high) speed.

[X7 Recruit]

Originally Posted by Dang3r

Just to correct your false impression of this sign: When you see this anywhere into Germany, that means all previous restrictions are deleted.
This means onto roads outside of cities/towns/communities but maximum speed 100kp/h
On Autobahn additionally to previous speed limits the overtaking prohibition, time bound speed limits (between time xxAM and xxPM e.g.) and weather caused limits.
Just to mention that: The recommended speed onto autobahns are 130kp/h. This would be the trigger for all accidents, if one or more causes are involved and any insurance have to pay. So for example if your are flying with 200kp/h onto the left and someone swings out in front of you from the right side and you crash, it doesn't matter that there was no speed limit, you would everytime earn a piece of the guilt because of your driven (legal, but high) speed.

…and people WILL pull out in front of you. Whether malicious or simply lazy and not checking the mirror, be assured that you will, sooner or later, have to stand your car on its nose.