For those of you that have done Euro Delivery, what would you have done differently?

What would you have taken with you?
How would you have scheduled the factory tour, museum tour, VIP meal?
Etc. etc.

We'd love to gain insights from your experience.

 

I did BMW ED on a new M3 not a Porsche but I think some of the same thoughts apply.

1. Don't schedule too much. I heard it a lot before I went but didn't listen. I crammed my 5 day schedule full and all we did was run around and drive the whole time without much time to stop and really look around.

2. Don't just do all car stuff, we pretty much did and kind of regret not taking in more of the culture/local flavors of different parts of Europe.

3. Porsche museum was cool, kind of small and maybe a few hours of looking around. The steakhouse inside the Porsche Museum was ok, not great. The BMW museum was awesome, probably 2X the size of the Porsche Museum, MB museum was huge and awesome and you could easily spend 4-5 hours in there if you took your time.

4. If you go later in the year try and do it before Oct/Nov where there's a potential for snow or you may miss some nice mountain pass roads or you'll have to get snow tires which is pricey and a hassle.

5. If you have to pick between Nurburgring and Spa, go to Spa 100%. Nurburgring was cool but it's kind of a mess with it constantly being closed on public days due to people crashing etc. Spa was incredible, the track was fast and a lot of fun. It flowed very well and had good sight lines so you could learn it quickly.

 

Thanks Cosmos! Great info

 

+1

100% This is why I am parking my new 911 CS in Berlin and spending 3 days in that way cool city. Also, I am limiting my seat time to 2-3 hrs / day. Also, parking spots can be very tight in Europe; and adds stress in a new car. I suggest if in a city to park the 911 at hotel and use U-bahn/Metro etc. Easy, quick, cheap and stress-free.

Absolutely. Do some research on the cities / areas and make a plan to see some sites; and enjoy local fare.

Merc museum is the best. But I love the racing Porsches. BMW Welt/museum also

Spa is my fav track, bar none. Touristfahren days at the 'Ring can be a zoo.

Consider driving into the Bavarian or Austrian Alps: some fantastic roads and scenery. The lakes near Muenchen are also charming.

Re food: this time of year is Spargel season (white asparagus). Make sure to try it. It is served chilled w/ vinaigrette, but most typically as a side to a hot dish w/ butter or Bearnaise. The classic spargel dinner is ham, potatoes (which taste better than ours), und Spargel. If in Berlin there's an amazing deli restaurant called Rogacki; they will have it there http://www.rogacki.de/ - but it's available all over Swabia, Franconia where it is grown.

If in Muenchen make a stop at the market square, Viktualienmarkt http://www.muenchen.de/int/en/shoppi...lienmarkt.html

 

Plan your routes in advance and look at some hard copy maps as well as use GPS. Most GPS devices will get you to your destination, but they may take you on routes you would rather not take. If you want Autobahn to explore high speeds, for example, you may find GPS taking you on back roads or even some unpaved ones (you can minimize the latter if you set your device to avoid unpaved roads).

The Autobahn system has signs, but often they don't specify east-west or north-south, so the key is to know in advance which towns on the way to a major city are coming up so you can navigate towards the right smaller town/direction if you miss a turn or take a detour.

Try not to get spoiled by the good road manners of most Autobahn drivers! They will move over for you as you approach at a higher speed, and generally not hog the left lane. It's amazing how well the system works, and I'm convinced driving in the U.S. would be so much more efficient if people drove that way here. In the U.S., drivers see an open left lane as an invitation to zone out at 55mph because they can't rear-end anyone in front of them. On the Autobahn, the left lane is (mostly) only used for overtaking.

 

I have been revisiting the topic as this fall I'll be doing my 2nd ED.

couple things that worked or that I want to do better:

I think it's really important to take a few really good hard copy maps

bring pepto bismol- nothing worse than stomach problems in a foreign land

instead of booking all my hotels way in advance and sticking hard to a schedule, make a list of 2-3 places per city that might work, and call them when you are on the way

order whatever interior options that will allow for multiple charging ports in your car

always brush up on some language skills, just being able to say please and thank you goes a long way

meet up with more RL'ers while there!!

 

+1. Hard copy maps are a really good idea.

Figure on parking at your hotel once you get to your destinations and try walking or taking local transit if your sightseeing is not far. Finding parking around popular tourist sites can be a challenge.

Be flexible on your schedule. Part of the fun and advantage to having a car is that you are not bound to train or air schedules.

Try to have a mix of Autobahn and twisty road driving. If you don't have hard copy maps, this can be difficult as there are no "entertaining road" settings on GPS units (great idea for an app or add-on, though; someone should write one!).

 

I wanted to do a "seat of the pants" trip without hotel reservations but I realized that most of the places that are attractive for me to visit are attractive to others...I will be going in 39 days, the beginning of the 'high' season. Last thing I wanted to do is take my wife to some dirtbag hotel. So of the 24 days that we will be in Europe, 22 nights have been reserved.

 

I've been fortunate enough to travel extensively, particularly in Europe. If I had to give one piece of travel advice, which also pertains to European delivery, it would be to avoid over-ambitious itineraries. It's easier said than done and it's advice that is almost always ignored by those trying to fit everything into what may be an infrequent overseas vacation.

 

As everyone says, limit your schedule, it's easy to get a bit nuts. Our first ED, was too packed and we really didn't have to time to really soak everything in and relax. While it was a fun adventure, we killed ourselves.
The second time around we only booked hotels the first two nights (The included hotel room first night and the a second night locally after picking up the car on day 2). We had very loose plans and ended up changing them and staying in the Alasce region, it was fall (late October) so fall colors were in full swing. Found some of the rally routes in the mountains for some really fun drives. The 2nd time around the trip was far more enjoyable and we really took in the local sights/culture.

 

I ride motorcycles and Garmin GPS units for bikes do have a twisty road setting which will completely keep you off freeways. You have a choice between twisty road setting (actual setting on the Garmin) and shortest rout setting.

 

Can you share some details about your second itinerary? I'm in the process of finalizing my ED trip this July and a swing through Alsace is on the agenda. Would love to get a better sense of how long your trip was and how you paced it.

 

I did European Delivery last month and spent a couple of days in the Alsace region on the way back to Stuttgart. I drove from Grindelwald, and stopped at Haut Koenigsburg (castle) on the way to Strasbourg. The castle was worth a visit and Strasbourg is a great small town. I stayed overnight at the Regent Petite France, which I'd recommend. I only stayed one night and didn't feel cheated, but maybe you could stay a second if you have more time. The next day, we drove to Heidelberg and stayed at a mediocre hotel in the old town. Not as charming or memorable as Strasbourg. The castle is the highlight, but it's mostly an outside visit. Surprisingly little to see in the castle itself. I thought we were missing something, but was assured by the staff that I'd seen all there was to see.
Overall, I enjoyed my time in Alsace, but I have to say that from a geographic standpoint, it doesn't compare with the beauty of the Alps. I felt kinda empty leaving the Alps and driving to the flatter and more mundane terrain of Alsace.

 

Piking up my Spyder in Stuttgart June 7. I have 4 weeks and no hotels reserved but will be doing Germany - Switzerland - Italy - Slovenia - Croatia - Austria. Hope to do as many Alp Mt passes as possible.

Saw this on the KTM bike web pages.

http://grandtour.myswitzerland.com/n...397.1462548147

 

I buy the Michelin hard copies for the areas I will be in. I have got a good collection now (from all trips not just ED) and make nice mementoes (mark your route). They also come in really handy for back 'B/C-road' driving.

100% re learn some local courtesy words (youtube is useful for ****.) It makes locals better disposed, IMO. Then you too will like being there more (Paris is great if you do this; only had 1 bad experience).
To this I would add basic numbers, like 'Nummer drei" (number 3) so you can tell the service station attendant which pump you used.

I am meeting an RL'er getting his GT3 RS - lucky devil - and if anyone is around in Stuttgart in 2 weeks we'll be there.

Re planning trip I did not stress re my comment on the Alps: but research some good driving roads beforehand. There's a lot more than just Stelvio Pass or the 'Ring In Bavaria a nice road trip - especially w/ family in the Romantischestrasse ('Romantic Road'), for example.

Oh, and adapter plugs; USB 12V for car (I take 2 phones). And also I use an Xcom Global MiFi to provide cheaper wifi when I am not in a hotel.

* and I wish I had planned Leipzig track time well enough ahead *