Going to Nurburgring in Spring

[artieg30]

Hello Beyonders,

i'm planning a two week trip to Germany in April and have added the Nurburgring to my itinerary. After an hour of research on Google it appears there's not a lot of ways to get to the Nurburgring other than by car or public transit (which is terrible as it's ~5hrs to get there from Munich).

Ultimately i'll be renting a car from Munich and driving to the ring. has anyone done this before? Any complications, any thing to watch out for? Also I dont speak German, are the signs in German or are they in English or use a numbering system?

Would love to hear from anyone out there that's gone from to and from Munich to the ring. Thanks!

[E36M3]

It is an easier drive from Frankfurt, but as long as you can read a map or use a GPS system you will be fine.

[Mitsu3000gt]

A lot of rental car companies won't let you take your car around the ring anymore, if that's what you had planned. It's technically a public road/highway but they got smart :) .

[Phuqu]

Make sure the car has Nav. Have it set to English prior to leaving the airport. Sometimes the menu can be hard to decipher if it's in a language you don't understand. The rental company can help out. Much easier in the airport than on the road

Careful what rental company you use. Some have tracking on the cars and they will know if you are on the Nurburgring. They will/can ban you from renting again. Don't ask me how I know that. They even go so far to send you a registered letter to your home address.


Watch out for speed cameras. They are well marked though.

Enjoy the lane discipline that they have. It's the only place that you can guarantee slower people stay right. If you consider 160+ slow.

[artieg30]

Thanks for all the info guys! I am aware that they monitor the car somehow so i'll only be taking a car to the nurburging but won't be driving it on the track.

I'll probably be taking the BMW taxi around the ring, I have come across car rental companies that rent out a couple exotics for you to drive on the ring but the prices do seem very steep. Has anyone here rented from these companies and if so would you say you got your money's worth??

[chkolny541]

Originally posted by artieg30
Hello Beyonders,


Ultimately i'll be renting a car from Munich and driving to the ring. has anyone done this before? Any complications, any thing to watch out for? Also I dont speak German, are the signs in German or are they in English or use a numbering system?


i rented a car and drove from austria to a small town just below munich last fall. Its super simple, just make sure to get a GPS set in english, as the roads are insanely confusing, tons and tons of random exits i found, so lots of weaving. Rental was cheap enough though, like 120 euro for 4 days with unlimited km. But you also need to consider petrol cost, its fucking expensive, something like 1.40 euro/L, so a fill up ends up being quite pricey in canadian dollars.

Also make sure there is even a taxi or rental available at nurburgring. I sorta looked into it before and i was shocked how early things got booked out, months in advance.

[DeathBy240]

If you are going all the way there, you HAVE to drive on the 'ring. I went in '09 and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. A buddy and I rented a race-prepped E36 M3 and it was the perfect car - handled very well but didn't have so much power that we'd kill ourselves or others. Since you don't know German, the best way to book a car is through Dino at nurburgringuk.com. Basically he's an English speaking agent for most of the car rental places at the track. It costs the same to book through him as it would be to book directly with the German rental company, but it's easier.

Let me know if you want more details. I've helped a few others arrange trips there since I've been.

Here's a vid from our trip:
JXXok8AOS_k

[msommers]

Here is what I did:

http://forums.beyond.ca/st/337454/getting-to-the-nurburgring/

There are only a few buses that go back to Koblenz during F1 races (so I'm not sure what to do in your case) and if you miss one, well I have no idea what happens. There are hotels there that you could watch the race as well, I can only imagine how expensive they are and if they aren't booked already.

The hotel that I stayed at in Boppard wasn't fancy by any means, but Boppard is a frigging awesome little town where English is not an issue and everyone is really friendly. I'd recommend the hotel I was at, I'll dig up the name if you're interested. Breakfast was amazing every day and John is an extremely friendly Englishman.

I drove to the ring with some crazy Austrians and it took probably an hour if I recall. Traffic is a total shitshow, you know when you're close. I was forced to take the bus + train back to Boppard as the Austrians had their van towed :rofl:

Book early for the Taxi. I tried and it was never available, I'm not sure they even run it anymore.

[hrdkore]

i went there last year have been to lazy to upload my ring experience, my and my buddy booked the bmw taxi, unfortunately i don't believe they do that anymore. But you can still rent a car to take onto the track! just have to pay for that and the entrance fee. Just have to be careful since cars and bikers are on the same time.

We also rented a car from munich and drove to frankfurt we were able to arrange with the company to return the car at the airport in frankfurt. That's also an option.

[artieg30]

thanks for all the info guys! yeah i looked at the shuttle busy as an alternative but it appears they only run this service when the F1 race is in town. I probably won't be in town at that time as i believe that happens closer towards summer?

I'd love to take a car out on the ring but the costs seem pretty steep just from taking a quick look at the link you posted. Also how is insurance dealt with there? on the site it mentioned you need some sort of breakdown insurance if your car shits the bed on the track, does that still apply if i'm renting it from one of these companies? Also what's the liability like if i crash on the ring with one of these rentals??

[rojhero]

I went with hrdkore last year and it was such a great experience. If you're going to be driving over there you might want to consider getting the IDP (international drivers permit). It is not required in Germany, but useful in case you drive in other European countries. It also comes with a booklet explaining all the different traffic signs. I uploaded the pictures of the Nurburgring to Project Technik:

http://www.projecttechnik.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4368

I read that the ring taxi was still available with a M3 instead of the M5 before. I think it's better to be driven around unless you have track experience and know the Nurburgring well from a game console.

I'd also go to the Porsche or Mercedes museum on the way. Definitely check out the BMW museum/Welt while you are in Munich. Try to book some factory tours too. Here are some pics:

!http://www.projecttechnik.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=4323

If you're driving on the autobahn, be prepared for one of the best driving experiences of your life. There's nothing like driving at speeds you'd go to jail for here while getting passed like you're standing still. Lane discipline is critical and be careful since not all of the highway is derestricted.

Hope you have a good trip!

[msommers]

Just to expand a bit more on the museums Roj talked about.

The MB museum in Stuttgart is amazing and cheap, a must see if you're in Germany. You get the most advanced audio-guide I experienced in all of Europe and I think it was like 4 euros to get in. I wasn't terribly impressed with the BMW museum in Munich. Also to get the factory tour there, book it (if you can even get a spot) well before you leave. I tried to get one when I was there in July and it was booked solid until September, the only way being if someone was a no-show.

[DeathBy240]

Originally posted by artieg30
I'd love to take a car out on the ring but the costs seem pretty steep just from taking a quick look at the link you posted. Also how is insurance dealt with there? on the site it mentioned you need some sort of breakdown insurance if your car shits the bed on the track, does that still apply if i'm renting it from one of these companies? Also what's the liability like if i crash on the ring with one of these rentals??

Is it expensive? Yes. Are you driving at your limits on one of the most storied race tracks of all time? Yes. Seriously, it's an experience you'll never forget and I know if I went all the way there and didn't drive it, I would have been incredibly disappointed.

You don't have much for insurance. If I crashed the car I was driving, I owed the company €15,000 if it was my fault. And the company takes your passports as collateral so it's not like you can just run away. The day I went, there was a ton of bikes on the track in the morning and that was probably the scariest part... other than when I almost got clipped by the Porsche (on the video). If you have doubts about your driving skill, don't do it. But if you have any confidence at all, go for it. One of the best experiences of my life, racing on that track, being passed by Ferrari's, TVRs, and passing a few back...