Itinerary – Typical September 5-9 Day Tour!
Arrival Day! – Your “jet-lag” arrival day in Stuttgart-Pick up your luggage and take a taxi to the hotel, normally on the outskirts of Stuttgart, it’s about a 20 minute ride to our wonderful small German hotel. You are pre-registered at the hotel so check in, take a shower and a very short nap as you’ll do much better staying up, sightseeing or exercising out in the sunshine and into the “time” in Germany. We will “meet and greet” at 7:00 PM or 19:00 hours, in the lobby area.
Day 1-Tuesday – A fabulous breakfast awaits you and you’ll need it as you’ll experience a full-day! We’ll board our GAT Motor Coach/Cars and cruise off to Untertürkheim to visit the Mercedes-Benz V6 and V8 Engine Plant. Following the engine plant, an organized tour of the New Mercedes Museum. In the late morning, we’ll have our ”Kaffee und Kuchen Break” (Coffee/Pastry) for 30 mins or so. Then we continue in the Museum. Late lunch over at the Daimler Stadium…We will sit outside if the weather cooperates. Following lunch, we transfer to Mercedes-Benz in Sindelfingen and the Factory Visitor’s Center, where there will be some shopping time in the lovely boutique, followed by our VIP Tour of the S, E, and C-Class production. Who’s picking up a new car? When the Plant closes we board our transportation and return to the Hotel. Normally, our “Welcome to Germany” Dinner is at the “zum Paulaner” Restaurant in downtown Stuttgart.
Day 2- Wednesday – After breakfast, we’re off to the one and only Mercedes Classic Center in Fellbach for an in-depth look at the Mercedes Restoration Facility. Mercedes restores about anything they’ve ever built at this building and you will marvel and what’s here on display. Also, they have a unique gift shop with model cars not found anywhere else. From there, it’s a visit to the Daimler Memorial in Cannstatt. Stop over to VFB (Daimler Stadium) for Lunch. After a visit to the oldest Mercedes Store, we travel to the TV Tower for a panorama view of Stuttgart from high above. Afterwards it’s back to the Hotel for some “free time”. Everybody meets at 7:30 for our walk over to the Restaurant, to be announced. (TBA)
Day 3 -Thursday – Black Forest, ”Autobahn Touring Day”: After a leisurely breakfast, we’re off to the Black Forest and a drive through the fairytale countryside. We stop for lunch in Triberg, the cuckoo clock capital of the world, at the picturesque Restaurant - Hotel Pfaff with Peter, the owner. You sports types can walk up the mountain trail to Germany’s highest waterfall if you like. I’ll show you Alpirsbach and their quaint Brewery in the middle of the Black Forest. We’ll drive slowly back towards (normally over the panorama road) to Stuttgart. There will be a few surprises along the way, I’m sure,so have your cameras at the ready.
Day 4 – Friday – After fueling (breakfast), it’s off as we wind our way over to ”AMG’s Fantasyland” and the DTM World of HWA in Affalterbach. We’ll spend almost 2 hours looking at modifications being made to some of the world’s most treasured Mercedes-Benz S, C, E Class sedans & coupes , G-Wagens and CLKs, etc. Later, it’s a stop-over at G. Daimler’s Birthplace in lovely half-timbered Schorndorf and a stroll through this historic village. There, we will enjoy lunch outside in one of the delightful restaurants. After that full day, it’s back to the hotel. Our evening dinner location will be determined by the time we return to the hotel.
Day 5 – Saturday - Today is your FREE DAY! Have a leisurely time to do as you wish; e.g. spend the day shopping on Königstasse; Come with some of us to revisit the Mercedes Museum; take in one of the exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art; Walk through the botanical gardens of the famous Wilhelma Zoo; Stroll over to the city indoor market for a taste of “locals” or stop over at the “interesting Flee Market nearby; take a tour of Stuttgart or spend an afternoon at the Wellness Center near our hotel. We’ll meet for dinner at 6:30/18:30 for those who make it back in time.
Day 6 – Sunday - After the German ”Frühstück” (breakfast), we will journey north for an hour to the world famous Sinsheim Museum and spend the afternoon enjoying their Motor-Sport-Museum and the 3000 + exhibits filled with racing cars, airplanes, WW2 tanks, motorcycles and engines. When everyone’s had enough it’s back to the hotel via Sinsheim Castle and if the weather’s nice we will watch the gliders being propelled in the air. Our restaurant TBA as we may come back late.
Day 7 – Monday – Our short ride to Zuffenhausen and our special visit to the one-and-only Porsche Production Facility New Museum, Boutique and Delivery Center in Zuffenhausen. Factory tours begin at 09:30 and last about 2 hours. You Porsche buffs watch out for the latest Porsche Model parked on the roof of the Museum! Lunch at the Museum and then several delightful hours in the Museum and then back to the hotel via downtown Stuttgart.
Day 8 – Tuesday - (Optional) Early ICE High Speed Train to Frankfurt and THE largest Auto Show in the World, the IAA-or Frankfurt International Auto Show. Bring plenty of film and comfortable walking shoes for this! Nice long car-day that you’ll probably never forget-pace yourself. Return via the train to our Hotel in Stuttgart about 9:00 PM. (Frankfurt Show is every other year) .
Optional Day 8 - Check out of our hotel and off to Munich via Augsburg and the reformation and into our Munich hotel. Tour of the Munich’s City Center in a double-decker bus; Walking tour of the Vikturalien Market, Rathaus Platz, Downtown Shopping area; German Museum and the world’s 1st Mercedes Patent Automobile. Evening meal in the Augustiner Biergarten, this is a must for the flavor of Munich
Day 9 – Wednesday - Travel to Munich to enjoy the infamous Munich “Oktoberfest”, which we’ll visit in the afternoon before all the crowds arrive (seasonal). A visit to the BMW Welt Museum follows if we still have the energy. Later, we’ll travel out to our new German-Country Hotel on the scenic Ammersee (Lake Ammer). This is very quaint and comfortable and will give you another ”non-tourist” perspective of Germany and Bavaria-Bayern!