European honeymoon advice please

Well after 11+ years of being together my Fiancee, Martha, and I are finally getting married October 1 of this year. We're going to be staying in Europe on honeymoon for about a month. Initially were thinking we would like to stay in London, Paris or Versais, Nurburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Modena, Rome and/or Positano. As for me I would really like to visit/ tour the Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW factories. Maybe even get a ride around the Nurburgring in the "Ring Taxi".

Martha and I would like opinions, observations, advice from those of you who've lived, done, or have advice for us on our trip.

TIA
Rich.
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
Paris or Versais, ... Positano.

Regarding Paris and Versailles, the latter is a 30 min. train ride from Paris, so it makes more sense to me to stay in Paris and day-trip to Versailles. Although the Palace etc., could easily absorb two days if you are that interested in the age of the Sun King (and believe me, I am, I am).

Positano is absolutely wonderful, and with Paris is by far the most romantic of the cities you mention (I have not been to Germany except for a few days in Black Forest).

I did the Italy car guy thing last spring and frankly was underwhelmed by what I did: visit Ferrari museum, visit Lamborghini museum, take Lamborghini factory tour. Both museums were for me big disappointments, although the array of Ferrari F1 engines is impressive. You can see most of the cars at Concorso Italiano and/or Bevery Hills. Lamborghini factory tour was fun if you like car factories. Lamborghini museum is way less interesting than Ferrari and this is coming from a '69 Lambo owner; again, nothing you won't see at a typical Concorso. So my advice re: Modena and Emilia-Romagna is go there if you love the region (food, especially), not just for the car stuff. Stay in Bologna and just walk around and eat.

But Positano.... We got in at night in the dark. Stayed in hotel about halfway down the hill from the highway. Got up in the morning and walked out on the balcony: just about fainted the view was so beautiful. Of the places you mention it is to me the most "honeymooney".
 
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Rich,
When you request European honeymoon advice, I assume you mean the Europe part, and that you'll manage the other part.
My son is a Mercedes technician (here in Australia), and did a big Europe tour about a year ago. I've looked at 300 photos he took in the Mercedes museum and it looks fantastic.
I haven't been in all the places you suggest, but there are wonderful things to do and places to see in London, Rome, Paris, etc. I particularly love the food, fashion, and style in Italy.
Have a great time.
 
For a honeymoon type trip I'd reco Paris and Rome as major places to stay for several nighs, with day (or overnight trips) to some of the nice places in proximity. Paris is a must-see for honeymooners - a walk down the Champs with a view on top of the Eiffel at night will make for good mood setting for long night of you know what in the hotel later..... There are many beautiful gardens in Paris for resucitation the next day too. From Paris you can easily visit Fountainblue or Versaille - both worthy of half a day or more.

From Rome you can visit many of the great Italian sites...some closer, some not so. Sienna is a great tuscan town for honeymooners - very romantic. Drink some wine in the main piazza on a warm summer night.

The south of France is wonderful. If you drive from Paris it'll take a day to get there with determined driving. Or, take two or three days to work your way down and enjoy some wonderful wine tasting in the Loire. The autostrada is OK as far as making time - speed limit is 140kph but I normally do 160-200kph and never had any trouble. But the non-autostrada back roads are much more interesting. And, the french food in the countryside is much better than in Paris, despite what the Parisians say - it's wonderful, and reasonable in cost. When you do get to the south, stay away from Monaco/Cannes in the middle of the summer, it's major gridlock. The hill town are more enjoyable and less touristy. Check out Grasse for example, nice town and there's a bunch of perfumeries in the area which give good tours (your wife will enjoy). In August it can be wise to have booked places to stay as it gets crowded (most of France is on holiday for all of August). However, any other month and you'll be able to find nice b&b places as you go - just look for the little "Gites de France" signs along the side of the road, turn in, up the drive and most of the time you'll find a grand old french house with room available and a cheery host family.

Just a few ideas for you.

Have fun!
 
I'm an American living in Munich so I can give you some advice about it. First off, if you don't have reservations for Munich in the early part of October forget it. Oktoberfest is crazy here and you will not able to stay anywhere in the area unless you made reservations about a year ago. Anyways it is very nice in Munich, and the BMW factory is very cool. Even better is the Deutsches Museum. Its the best technical museum I have even been to. There is not so much related to cars (the have a separate car/train and aircraft museums in the surrounding area) but they have a lot of technical stuff. I haven't been through France so much, but I have been through Italy which is very nice. My favorite place in Italy is Bologna, and its the place where Ducatis are made.
 
Well after 11+ years of being together my Fiancee, Martha, and I are finally getting married October 1 of this year. We're going to be staying in Europe on honeymoon for about a month. Initially were thinking we would like to stay in London, Paris or Versais, Nurburg, Stuttgart, Munich, Modena, Rome and/or Positano. As for me I would really like to visit/ tour the Mercedes, Porsche, and BMW factories. Maybe even get a ride around the Nurburgring in the "Ring Taxi".

Martha and I would like opinions, observations, advice from those of you who've lived, done, or have advice for us on our trip.

TIA
Rich.

Things have been good for 11 years? Why screw it up?
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Here are some of my ideas:
I was very lucky and I sort of got spoiled by staying in fabulous hotels all over Europe in my previous job. Invariably they were all Five star which sort of prejudiced me a little but here goes:

Nurburgring: Hotel Tiergarten in the village and the Piston Klaus (Restaurant and Bar
in the basement is full of motorsport memorobilia). The girl who is one of the drivers of the Ring Taxi, Sabine Schmitz drinks in there occasionally.
Berlin: I love it. Again so many places to see that are steeped in recent history.
Hotels - brilliant - I like especially the Kempinski Adlon on Unter den Linden - just on the old communists side of the Brandenburg gate. Kurfurstendam Strasse (Kudam) is quite an area especially at night. There is another Kempinski on Kudam wich, if anything , has a better breakfast but not quite as new and used to be known in the 70's and 80's as a bit of a knocking shop. Some of their bedrooms have Tempur foam beds which if you never tried it is just amazing. Some great clubs and bars on Kudam and the church has been left just as it was in 1945 after the allied bombing. Recent historic places such as Checkpoint Charlie have been preserved in the Allied Museum in the Dahlem area.
I love going to Berlin just before Christmas when there are market stalls on Kudam selling all sorts of Christmassy trinkets and Gluhwein. (Hot spiced wine)
Bologna : Very Traditional captial of Emilia Romagna. Oldest uni in the world and so much good music, Brilliant Food, Brilliant wine. Home of my favourite toy - the Ducati. Maserati used to be based here as well but they upped sticks and moved to Modena. Modena is between Bologna and Milan so it's quite an easy day trip from either city.
Nice: I include Nice because it is very touristy, the hotels are a bit jaded, but it's an easy airport to aim for and easy to visit Monaco, Cannes and St. Tropez from Nice on day trips in a rental car. The areas to go to near Monaco for the best viewpoints are Tete de Chien or Cemetier de La Turby (actually still in France car parking is easy and the view over Monaco is the best ever) and for places in Monaco I would defer to Peter MCluskey and his advice. A small crepery up in La Turbie run by two sisters and seats about 8 people maximum is nice and not that expensive. Then drive around the Corniches around Monte Carlo for some beautiful cliffside roads.
London: Let me know and if Im around I'll drive you around London by night which will give you some idea of places to go and see the next couple of days. So many places to see and if you are a Culture Vulture and a Foodie, then you'll never tire of London. Then we have so many other fantastic places outside of London as well.
Milan: So many really good quality hotels and restaurants. Basically the Northern hub of Italy and the Galleria (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele) is quite well worth a visit along with the Duomo (Cathedral) which is adjacent. The northern part of Italy is a wine drinkers heaven with so many really good vinyards from the west to the east coast.
p.s. - Paolo lives here in Milan so well worth getting in contact with him.

Rome: It's got to be done and the sites to visit are so numerous. All I would be doing is saying the same thing as the guide books. Loads and loads of places to see. Food again - some brilliant restaurants away from the touristy areas and be guided by the concierges and tell them you are not a millionaire - even if you are. Hotels just sumptious if you maintain a minimum of 4*.
 
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Guys, great advice! Please keep it coming. Martha and I obviously want to make this as memorable as we can. As much as it is our honeymoon it will also be the first time we've taken a vacation since 2002 as I can be somewhat of a workaholic.

Alan, Al, T., Dalton, and Cliff I truly appreciate your advice.

Dave, If our time tables align I may have to take you up on your offer. Dinner is on us...deal?

A couple of additional Q's:
1: Does anyone know the best place to rent a Porsche while in Germany?
2: Is there any insider info out there to assist in setting up tours with Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes.
3: When going from site to site train or car?

Rich.
 
Rich,

Regarding 1:, I've rented s-class mercedes and porsches from Europcar for reasonable prices: www.europcar.com. They have offices around Germany.

One s-class mercedes I rented from them I took to the 155mph limit and kept it there for a good 15-20 minutes on a very early run back to the airport with a GT3 right on my bumper. My wife was asleep in the passenger seat the whole time. As we were pulling into the airport she woke up and looked at her watch and said "hhhmmm, looks like we're ahead of schedule...."
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Within one country , especially Germany, the Autobahn systems are generally good and the convenience of your own car outweighs any othe mode. The trains are superbly comfortable and if time is on your side, say from Germany to Italy, it would be my choice and the prices are very very good. The airlines are now not a lot quicker what with all the extra security. ie Paris to London is served by Eurostar which is very comfortable especially in 1st class, its city centre to centre (very close ) and takes about 2 hours. For me to fly CDG - LHR I normally allow six hours of my day for a flight I once actually did in a b757 in 25 minutes wheels up to touchdown.
Hertz have some decent Mercs and Avis have their Supercar range but prices for both can be a bit crazy.
 
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Rich, I can endorse David's comments about train travel. Lin and I have had some great train trips (eg. from Amsterdam down to Paris, with some stops). It can be comfortable, relaxing (compared to driving), very fast if you catch some of the 200kph trains, and allows you to eat, drink, watch the scenery, etc. Rentals are great, of course, when you need to nose about on your own.
 
Rich,
I concur with Dalton and David. Take a train. It is a wonderful way to travel and much more civilized than planes unless you have access to private aircraft. Besides, you can look at the countryside and feel that you have really seen how the locals live.
Garry
 
I agree with all of the comments so far. The train ride through Switzerland is wonderful.

A couple of museums not mentioned:
- the old Schlump Museum in Moulhouse - largest collection of Bugattis and other wonderful cars.
- the Panini Museum, just outside Modena/Reggio Emilia - the Maserati museum, privately owned, and you have to book in advance.

If you want to stay in a wonderful place in Emilia, I suggest Arnaldo's in Rubiera, half distance between Reggio Emilia and Modena. Maranello is not far, about 30 minutes by car. Food is excellent. I really like the Tortelli verde. Can't quite understand why better wine isn't produced in that area (I hope you like Lambrusco - not the junk they export to the USA and UK).

I would avoid Florence and Venice, but you must hit Rome. I lived there for 2 years in my university days, and its a wonderful place to visit. While I wouldn't visit Harry's Cafe on Via Veneto, it gives you a throw back to the Dolce Vita days.

The whole Amalfi coast is fantastic, again, a must see.

One other point about Maranello. In the piazza by the museum, there is a shop that sells motor sport (read Ferrari) parafanelia. They also rent Ferraris for as little as 10 minutes to as much time as you want. I was with a cousin and his family and my cousin rented a 355, 430 and 458 with videos, and he spent 1000 Euros for one hour driving time. The drive took us into the hills above Maranello, and believe me, I would still be in jail if the police caught us.
 

Jim Craik

Lifetime Supporter
Rich, congratulations,

Getting married was the best thing I ever did!

My wife worked in Europe for several years and we spent alot of time in the Neatherlands, the Duch are wonderful people and Amsterdam is one fun city!

I also very much enjoyed the South of France, Nice is a great spot and very near to Monaco & northern Italy.

If you go near to Belgum, be sure and go by Spa, a beatutiful place with the worlds greatest track!
 

Seymour Snerd

Lifetime Supporter
+1 on train travel in Europe, especially the high-speed inter-city lines. You can explore in more detail using the German railway system website, which covers all of Europe:

DB BAHN - TravelService - Query page:&

Do keep in mind that trains, like cars and airplanes, vary. The "non-express" local town-to-town trains can be slow, bumpy and old, although sometimes in their own way charming. So keep an eye on how many stops, and the train's "brand" (TGV, Eurostar, Thalys, etc.)

Other sites:

ItaliaRail - Italy Train Ticket and Rail Pass Experts
Welcome to TGV-EUROPE.COM
National Rail Enquiries - Train times & tickets

And not do diminish the above, but you might be surprised at how advanced the "freeways" (autoroute, motorway, etc.) in Europe are. Wide, smooth, fast. And toll-financed. Keep your visa card handy. And my favorite thing of all: they take the "stay out of the left lane unless you're passing" rule seriously.

I have to take exception to "avoid Florence and Venice, go to Rome" and the remark about Belgian food being superior. Simple generalizations like that about any major cultural center in any country are inherentlyl bad advice. These are matters of personal taste and every place of cuisine has its own special attractions and issues.
 
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Alan,
+1 on what you said. However I do agree with David that Bologna has some of the best quisine in the world. It seems that the best chefs in Italy ended up there and even the local trattoria's are excellent.
 
Alan,Garry,
+1 on that! Bologna and Northern Italy are fantastic! Rimini, although a bit "touristy"
is excellent as well. Don't forget San Marino too.
 

David Morton

Lifetime Supporter
Use Milano Maritime (near Rimini ) for a REALLY nice break. A brilliant stop off as well is Imola and some of the best restaurants I've ever been to.
 
RICH,
Although I've been married for 40 years, I took my wife to France and Germany last year. She planned the trip to Paris. You need to be in Paris for a year to see it all. Took the TGV. Got to Frankfurt and rented a car. Garmin GPS with the European road chip is a must. We went to the German F1 at the Nurburgring and drove back to a walled town each day and drank German red wine.
I will suggest a place to stay that overlooks the Rhine River. I surprised my wife with the castle Auf Schoenburg (1,000 years old). We arrived at late Castle Hotel Restaurant Schoenburg Oberwesel Rhine River Germany Schönburg Rooms Terrace Events Meetings History Culture Map Schonburg German Castles Hotels Vacation Lorelei Loreley Coblenz Koblenz Bingen Burghotel Rhein Burg Lodging Room
evening, and were welcomed by the staff to our quarters (chocolates, fruit, wine). Then had a 7 course dinner. Way to much but impressive.
Beautiful canopied bed with the windows open to the Rhine on a moonlit night. Next morning down to the town and onto a boat up the river past the Lorelei Lorelei - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Then to St. Goarshausen for a walk up to the largest castle on the Rhine. The 3rd weekend is time for Rhine in Flammen Rhein in Flammen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Fireworks all along the river.
I'll send you a link to my pictures
Then I took my wife down to Heidleburg as she has not been their and the Army sent me there for 3 weeks at a time. We love southern Germany and I always drive. Munchen is my home base for Germany and Austria. My son went to university in Munich so his mother was in and out of the country while he was there. I take a 4 day weekend trip from Charlotte direct just to get some good wheat beer.
Just remember to set you watch when you get there...or you may be left at the train station.
If you drive get familiar with the signs.
FYI Ben Lovejoy's Nurburgring Nordschleife website
Rail Map of Germany with German Destinations you can reach by Train
Porsche Museum - About Porsche - Home - Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

The Porsche museum is about two years old. If you want a tour of the factory, call PORSCHE USA IN ATLANTA BEFORE YOU GO AND MAKE RESERVATION.
That is about the only way to get into Zuffenhausen. I love that word.
Regards
Grady Wilson
 
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