Auto Europe has released a list of top self-drive destinations in Germany based on its internal reservations data, with many offering a variety of activities that may appeal to Millennial travelers. Travel Agent has rounded up all the info you need to put together the perfect road trip.
Nuremberg, known for malty red-beer and sandstone cellars, is an ideal setting for history buffs and foodies to check out. It has recently been revived as a new urban center and is situated between Frankfurt and Munich, making it an accessible driving destination.
Along the way, travelers may want to check out the well-known Nuremburg Castle, a historical center and medieval fortification which once represented the power of the Holy Roman Empire. The site is also a stop along a ten-hour tour of the city led by Gray Line Munich, which offers views and explorations of half-timbered buildings, as well as a visit to Hauptmarkt, where Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (Christmas Market) is held, with train transportation from Munich.
There are also several dining venues including Albrecht Durer Stube, which serves authentic Bavarian meals and seats 65 people in a 450 year old half-timbered house in the heart of the old town. Animal lovers will also want to visit the Nuremburg Zoo to catch a glimpse of monkeys, polar bears and exotic birds. There is also a water exhibit with dolphins and colorful fish.
The city of Stuttgart offers architecture, culture, dining, and art. It's home to the Cannstatter Volksfest, where travelers can participate in German Oktoberfest celebrations with lighter tourist traffic. After a day of driving, travelers may want to take a detour to Strotmanns Magic Lounge, which hosts live magic shows, light dining and a variety of beers.
Meanwhile, car enthusiasts should head to the Porsche Museum, which has over 80 vehicles in its 60,277 square foot exhibition area.
In the port city of Hamburg, Germany’s second largest city, road trip travelers who enjoy nightlife and entertainment may want to check out the Reeperbahn, also called “Kiez", which is known as Hamburg's entertainment district hot spot. The area has the theatre Operettenhaus, numerous table dance bars, nightclubs and student clubs, and every two weeks it also becomes a popular spot for football (soccer) fans because of the well-known FC St. Pauli that plays its home games at Millerntorstadion on the Heiligengeistfeld.
After the party is over, travelers can settle in for the night at the the City Hotel Monopol, situated off Spielbudenplatz and centrally located on the Reeperbahn. Schmidts Tivoli, the St. Pauli-Theater, the TUI Operettenhaus and the well-known police station Davidwache are all within the immediate vicinity of the hotel. Grosse Freiheit and the Fish Market are also just a short walking distance away. The family-run hotel has 82 rooms, all equipped with cable television, telephone and full bathroom. Soundproof windows allow guests to have quality sleep even when the clubs and bars on the Kiez below are still open.
Recognized as the center of German advertising and fashion, Düsseldorf has nightlife, carnivals, shopping, and trade fairs. From the city travelers can drive to Belgium and the Netherlands as well as other locations along the Rhine River.
For a quick day stop, Carlsplatz Markt has more than 60 stands offering exotic fruit or regional vegetables, fresh fish, as well as meat and poultry from local vendors. Fresh bread and pastry, cheese and unusual items, confectionery and coffee specialties can also be found, as well as a variety of flowers and plants. The market is popular with both locals and travelers.
Road trip travelers looking to get a breath of fresh air should also visit Königsallee (which translates to King’s Avenue), an urban boulevard in Düsseldorf. Königsallee is noted for both the landscaped canal that runs along its center and for the fashion showrooms and luxury retail stores located along its sides. The site also hosts open air fashion shows.
Photo by bluejayphoto/ iStock / Getty Images Plus/ Getty Images
Travelers driving through Berlin have access to a city known for politics, media, culture and science, as well as historic attractions.
After a long day of road-tripping through Europe, travelers can sit down to a meal at Restaurant Bieberbau, located at 15 Durlacher Street, which serves both traditional German and international cuisine in a setting designed by sculptor and master plasterer Richard Bieber. Dishes include three separate fixed menus (including a vegetarian option) with appetizers such as “marinated char” and “wild prawn with seaweed salad” and second courses including “pan fried monkfish with kohlrabi.”
After dinner, travelers looking to stay for the night can check in to the Circus Hotel, located in the center of the city near the boutique shops of Hackescher Markt, the galleries of Scheunenviertel, and the museums of Museum Island. The hotel offers a variety of accommodation options, as well as flatscreen TVs, a Circus-Tablets, organized tours, concerts, history talks and events, bike hire, laundry service and a library.
Also, history buffs will not want to miss a visit to the Belin Wall Memorial. The Berlin Wall Memorial is the central memorial site of German division and is located in the middle of the capital at the historic site on Bernauer Strasse. The memorial contains the last piece of Berlin Wall with the preserved grounds behind it.
In Frankfurt, the largest financial center on the continent, travelers will find a variety of activities and attractions.
For fans of cinema, there is the German Film Museum (Deutsches Filmmuseum), dedicated to the medium of film, its history both past and present and how it influences culture through exhibitions and screenings in its own cinema. Road-trippers on a tight schedule can also stop in to view a movie at the in-house cinema, which shows a spectrum of artistically notable film productions as well as classics.
Travelers looking to enjoy the open air in the city should visit Gerechtigkeitsbrunnen (Fountain of Justice), a cobbled square located in the Romer District. The site once served as the spot for coronations during the time of the Holy Roman Empire, and highlights Johann Hocheisen’s sculpted fountain of the goddess Justitia surrounded by historic structures and outlined by the skyscrapers of the city’s financial district.
The Bavarian capital of Munich is mostly known as the host city to the world's largest Oktoberfest. Self-driving experiences offer views of the Bavarian Alps, storybook villages and castles.
For a taste of the city’s history, travelers can visit the Residence, an interior decoration museum. For five hundred years the facility in the middle of the old city was the residence and center of power of the Bavarian dukes, electors and kings. The rooms of Duke Maximilian I (Kaisersaal, Steinzimmer and Reiche Kapelle) shows the palace construction art of the 17th century. The ancestral portrait gallery and the Reiche Zimmer represent courtly rococo according to drafts by François Cuvilliés, while the classical apartments in the King's Building date back to drafts by Leo von Klenzes.
For a more lively experience in the city at night there is P1, a well-known nightclub in Prinzregentenstraße which was started as a club of U.S. army officers and is now the number one nightclub in Munich. After a night of partying and dancing, tired travelers may want to book a stay at the Hotel Laimer Hof, a quaint boutique hotel run by husband and wife Alexandra and Sebastian Rösch. The recently updated guestrooms offer quiet space within the bustling city, with amenities including minibars, television with free english SKY Movie and Sport channels and complimentary Wi-Fi. Also, located nearby the hotel is Nymphenburg Palace, another popular attraction for travelers.