deadhead1960

On October 14th I will be traveling to Europe with my sister to meet up with a really great couple that I've met as a result of my Porsche interests. This will be my first time visiting Europe since I attended an exchange program as a teenager (1975). I will be flying into Venice and will meet up with my friends on the 15th. After spending a few days in Italy, we will travel by car to their hometown, Vienna, for a few additional days. Afterwards, I will drive with my sister to Munich, Stuttgart, Zurich and points in between on our return to Vienna. We will depart Vienna for the US on October 25th. That is the good part. Now for the great part. In my friend's garage sits an original 1973 Carrera RS and two 993 coupes. My friend is lending me one of his 993's for our journey to the cities mentioned above. I am open to meeting up with any Rennlisters who reside along the route I've mentioned. Please send me a PM and let's see what happens. I will be sure to take lots of pictures along the way. Becoming more excited by the day

bart1

Aweome!! You have a good friend.

nile13

I've driven this very route, last time in 2003. Fun. Especially in a 993, I would imagine.

Don't speed in Ausrtia. Take your time in the small towns, don't hurry. 10 days is not much at all. Don't try to see too many things. Enjoy the mountains and great many tunnels there. Europe, in my mind, is just about slowly enjoying life (I'm just back from 2 weeks in Spain myself... BMW 116d is a royal pain, an enigma wrapped around a half-baked diesel atrocity of an engine, but that's another story).

95C4VanIsle

Wow, what great friends to have!

Have a great trip and definitley post pictures when you return.

trabi996

You will be very close to Stuttgart=Porsche Museum, I would not miss that if I were you.

Monique

Enjoy, slowly as mentioned above...

vaujot

Indeed, it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from Munich to Stuttgart (significantly less in a 993 if the Autobahn is free). And the Porsche Museum is worthwhile. Having said this, your other destinations offer a lot, too.

deadhead1960

I have now added the Porsche museum to my itinerary...thanks for the feedback. Just means I'll have to go a bit faster on the autobahn to make up some time. My driving route (exclusive of Venice to Vienna) is Vienna to Munich to Stuttgart to Zurich and back to Vienna. I know the last leg is long and perhaps I'll stay overnight along the way. I am open to suggestions of sites to visit while I'm in Munich and Stuttgart and places along the way to stop. I have Venice and Vienna covered as we're staying with locals.

bart1

Make sure you are aware that the museum is closed on Monday - ask me how I know?!?!? What other types of things would you like to see around Stuttgart? Mercedes Museum? Nueschwanstein? I can recommend some restaurants and things, but I'd better check names first.

600RR

http://www.deutsches-museum.de/en/information/

orangecurry

Nordschleife? (Nurburg) Only 330kms further-on from Stuttgart.

nile13

I would get rid of Zurich in that itinerary unless you absolutely have to be there for some reason. I just don't see this trip in 10 days. You'll be OK doing it, but will regret it later after you are back to States, thinking about the blur you just went through.

That, plus I'm just not a fan of Zurich. Certainly not compared to Venice, Vienna and Munich.

One strong suggestion - use booking.com for hotels. I found them to be the easiest and most convenient short-order booking site. Plus they show small hotels and B&Bs which is very important in Europe. What I did on my recent trip is simply went from city to city and if I like the place I'd log on and make a reservation for that night or two at a hotel nearby. Worked like a charm. I hate having to pre-plan and than follow the plan exactly. That's not vacation, that's torture to me.

nile13

To add one more thing. The Bahn has unlimited speed limit... in a very few stretches nowadays. Watch the signs. They are everywhere, especially with any sort of construction going on.

Really pay attention. We are not used to speed difference between a car and the truck you're trying to pass easily being 60 miles per hour. On the autobahn that is the difference most of the time (say, you're going 230, he's doing 130 in km/h). That's like driving into a stationary wall at 60 miles per hour. We start to pass way too late here in the States as we are used to that difference being about 10-15 miles per hour at most. Guess what, I've learned quickly and scarryly that one needs to plan well ahead.

Also, driving for long periods of time at 200+ km/h is actually fairly fatiguing. So if you are driiving late, or are tired, slow way down and try to be comfortable. The two types of accidents I've mostly observed in Germany are 5-6-10 car pileup or a single car out 100 yards in the open field where the driver fell asleep or lost it and flew off the road. Pretty sobering when you see it.

Oh, and you'll quickly find out that 993 will return about 12-14 mpg at those speeds and gas is about $6,50 a gallon. Gets pretty expansive pretty fast. Having said that... it's more fun than should be legal.

deadhead1960

Mike....all great suggestions; I appreciate it. Zurich is a definite maybe. We have a cousin there that we'd like to see, just not at the expense of the entire trip. I will drive "conservatively" throughout my stay if for no other reasons that I don't know where I'm going and I'm driving someone else's P-car.

bb993tt

And that's a very good reason NOT to take it to the 'ring.