My wife and I decided that next summer we're going to Deutschland, but we're kind of stuck on when to go. My understanding was that summer was a bad time since all the tourists would be there, but it's tough for my wife to get out of work until mid-June (she's a teacher).

Any advice on when to travel? We're planning on heading to Stuttgart, seeing the museums, renting a fun car, driving some good roads, etc. Any recommendations on a good rental company (we'd like to get something fun, probably up to 150 Euros/day) or a good hotel (Marriott chain is preferred since I'm a gold level member) are appreciated. Vielen dank!

Chris

 

Had a trip planned out a while ago that didn't quite come to fruition: I'd strongly recommend spending some time in the Black Forest and the area near Bodensee (Lake Constance). It's really quite stunning, and the nice thing is, you'll be in the region already with Stuttgart.

 

I hope she's a car girl - Germany can provide an absolutely fantastic vacation if you love cars but it's no place I'd take someone who isn't. Although the south is gorgeous.

IIRC, Hertz have (had?) pretty nicely equipped 997S' within your budget.

North of Europe usually have vacation in July, mid-Europe in August and southern Europe in September. Why don't you sync it with the Teamspeed Euro Rally thing? Not that you'd have to join in, but it would be nice to have you move over to the slow lane as we come up behind ya . . .

 

LOL... nice.

A 997 would be even better than what I hoped for (I figured a decent quick Audi or something). She knows we're going to the Porsche museum, the MB factory, etc. She lived in Germany for years, so we're going to drive down to her old home in Garmisch, etc. Should be fun.

 

Stick to the south and pop over the border from some spirited driving in the Alps (Stelvio pass comes to mind), perhaps even spend some days in Italy or the French Riviera? Germany north of say Stuttgart/Munich is pretty boring.

Btw if I remember correctly there are a few companies in Germany which specialize in renting out exotics - fairly affordable.

 

Try to visit Germany in the last two weeks of June, it's just before summer holliday in most country's.

Don't forget to visit the Nurburgring Nordschleife! (I would try to visit the Stelvio too!)

Peter

 

I'm planning a trip to Germany next summer as well!

Definitely plan on visiting the nurburgring where you can rent a tuned 997 GT3 RS or a 996 GT3 Cup (Home of 'ring rentals and instruction)

 

That will be an awesome trip Chris. Definitely check out the Black Forest region, and if you cross over into Austria, make sure you check into whether they still require that pesky toll sticker for the highways.

 

Yep, they most certainly require the vignette! And don't think you'll be able to slip through without it. I stopped counting after I saw the 10th sticker-enforcer/spotter .... in under 2 hours.

 

lol...yes.,the Austrians are pretty anal about that Vignette thing...

for rental cars,you might want to try AVIS,since they offer 911s,Panameras and Cayennes as well
The rates for the P-cars start at 189 Euros a day

If you decide to rent something else than a P-car you should give Sixt a try.
They offer a great variety of well spec`d cars and cover pretty much every German brand and car model
I`m sure you could make a reservation for the 3 series/C-Class/A4 category and could get a decent upgrade at the counter if you ask politely and tell them a little story etc
Prices are in considerable ranges as well ,so this might be the best rental co to go for if you don`t want a P-car

Concerning hotels,I think you can`t go wrong with the big names but there are definitely some nice secret spots to stay at..but I guess that`s something the locals of the Stuttgart area might know better than me.


I don`t think there is any specific time when not to travel,other than end of July and early August,since the roads are clogged with vacationers who are in a rush to get out of the country or to their destination in Germany.

On your way through southern Germany you could visit RUF and/or Techart and Gemballa as well

I highly recommend to spend some quality time in or around the Garmisch area,enjoy the local food,drive along some of the smaller less frequented roads that go uphill to some small villages and take a deep breath in a world that seems to have abandoned Blackberrys,Notebooks and all that stuff



edit :
Jox,
nice avatar that you got there...lol
must spread some first..