# If you only had one ED, ever: what'd be the one thing you absolutely couldn't miss?



## desertpilot (Mar 15, 2012)

My wife and I are in our early 30's and doing an ED on an F30 this September for two weeks. We know *jack *about Europe: I've only ever been to Ireland for work, and she spent a little time in London after right college, but otherwise...notta.

I'd love to think we'd get to do an ED more than once, but we'll probably be having kid(s) sometime shortly after this and I suspect finances will tighten down quite a bit for a long, long time.

I have zero ideas for our itinerary, aside from spending some time at the Welt for the tour. Well, that and we plan to be there during Oktoberfest so we want to catch at least a couple days of the celebration. I've read through the wiki and a bunch of threads but there's just so much, I'm struggling to land on must-dos.

So (especially for those who have been)...if you had only *one shot *at an ED, what is the one highlight or two you absolutely *couldn't *miss in Europe besides the Welt?


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## Ucla95 (Jul 23, 2004)

Nurburgring


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## cwsqbm (Aug 4, 2004)

That's a very personal question. Its basically "what's the one thing in Europe you must see." For some here, it might be Nurburgring. For others, Paris and the Effiel tower. For me, on my ED trip, Rome was the most important.

Imagine a person for Europe asking you "what's the one thing I must see while visiting the USA. I can't even begin to answer that question for a stranger.


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## cruise_bone (Jun 6, 2007)

Beer.


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## rmorin49 (Jan 7, 2007)

Unless you are absolutely sure you want to attend Octoberfest, there are many other things and places to visit that you and your wife may find more enjoyable. I have been to 4 Octoberfests and am of the opinion that there are many more pleasant places to enjoy a fine German bier.


Sent from my Kindle Fire using Bimmer App


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## tim818 (Sep 16, 2009)

ED and Autobahn mix perfectly.


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## laser (Aug 2, 2004)

With your wife ......... Paris for sure .... although it might hasten that kid thing you were referencing:dunno:


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## dandanio (Jun 20, 2008)

I was thinking the same thing before I left for my first ED. Now, three years later, I am already on my 2nd Bimmer and planning an ED in 2013 with a not-yet-then 1.5 year old.  Time changes perspective and ED is an awesome experience, that you crave to repeat!


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## Prost (Nov 23, 2005)

Ucla95 said:


> Nurburgring


If there is only one ED...yessssss, THE RING!


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## Me530 (Feb 17, 2005)

dandanio said:


> I was thinking the same thing before I left for my first ED. Now, three years later, I am already on my 2nd Bimmer and planning an ED in 2013 with a not-yet-then 1.5 year old.  Time changes perspective and ED is an awesome experience, that you crave to repeat!


Couldn't have said it better.


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## AggieKnight (Dec 26, 2008)

dandanio said:


> I was thinking the same thing before I left for my first ED. Now, three years later, I am already on my 2nd Bimmer and planning an ED in 2013 with a not-yet-then 1.5 year old.  Time changes perspective and ED is an awesome experience, that you crave to repeat!


We may end up back at the Welt again together...

;-)

I wouldn't miss the Welt, Fussen, or the southern Romantische Straße.


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## thumper_330 (Jan 3, 2009)

That's going to vary a lot depending on what you're interested in. However, for me I think my favourite memories of my ED are (in no particular order)

The Welt (obvious, but I spent the entire day at The Welt and still didn' think I got all of it!)
Rothenburg (awesome walled city, gorgeous and great night watchman tour)
Garmisch... and the beer halls therein
The Autobahn
Munich

That last might seem a bit odd, but I really enjoyed Munich the city itself. So much to see and do... like The Welt I don't think I gave it near enough time... and I spent three full days there.

I also found Dachau sobering but was damned glad I made the trip... it was an easy day trip but on the day I was there it was cold with squalling rain. Really upped the atmosphere


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## Trinitony (Feb 10, 2010)

desertpilot said:


> ...if you had only *one shot *at an ED, what is the one highlight or two you absolutely *couldn't *miss in Europe besides the Welt?


First I would eliminate big cities - ED is, after all, about driving your new car. So, in my mind, that eliminates Paris, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Madrid and Amsterdam. Then if it were my first time in continental Europe I would want to sample a few countries. With two weeks to spend I would pick 7 centers from which to explore these towns and countries. So here are my picks, not in any logical order:

Munich: Choose from day trips to Rothenburg, Neuschwanstein, Berchtesgarten (Eagle's Nest), Alpenstrasse, Salzburg.
Slovenia: Lake Bled and Ljubljana.
Florence: Explore city and Tuscany (San Gimignano, Lucca, Pisa, Cinque Terra).
French Riviera: Monaco, Cannes, Nice, St. Tropez, St. Paul de Vence, Eze).
Lake Como: Trip around lake.
Switzerland: Bernese Oberland (Jungfraujoch, Lauterbrunnen, Murren).
Alsace (Colmar, Riquewihr, Srassbourg).

This would give you a quick look at eight countries if you count Monaco and and the loop would consume 1600 miles (with most days less than 300 miles) not counting side/day trips.

If you are really going to limit me to two places then I would choose the Bernese Oberland and the French Riviera. These two areas will give you a mountain and beach experience and both areas are beautiful in their own way.


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## alex md (Nov 21, 2005)

things not to miss
1.autobahn/Germany/
2. beer/Germany, Czech Republic/
3. mountains/Switzerland, Austria,/
4. lakes/Italy,Switzerland/
5.wine/Tuscany,Bordeaux/
6.culture/Italy,France/
7.beach/French Riviera or Portofino Italy/
8.food/all of the above
in general i would avoid big cities and concentrate on countryside and scenic drives
read wiki, tripadvisor and create a plan
Alex


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## Blauanzug (Apr 15, 2012)

If you are even thinking about octoberfest, tickets must be bought soon, but it isn't really all that amazing once you are out of college, it looses its appeal. First time in europe here are my top 4 recommendations.
1) Munich and the Welt
2) Paris
3) Northern Italy
4) Southern France

This is assuming you have ~2 weeks if you are going longer, ie a month. Then you should go to Rome and London. 

The Welt is amazing, but how do you spend 3 days there?:dunno::eeps:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

Trinitony said:


> First I would eliminate big cities - ED is, after all, about driving your new car. So, in my mind, that eliminates Paris, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Venice, Madrid and Amsterdam. Then if it were my first time in continental Europe I would want to sample a few countries. With two weeks to spend I would pick 7 centers from which to explore these towns and countries. So here are my picks, not in any logical order:
> 
> Munich: Choose from day trips to Rothenburg, Neuschwanstein, Berchtesgarten (Eagle's Nest), Alpenstrasse, Salzburg.
> Slovenia: Lake Bled and Ljubljana.
> ...


This is more or less what along the lines of what I was thinking and like to do in my drives in Europe - go to places you can't easily fly into, i.e. small towns, the mountains, etc.

It's hard to give a precise reply without knowing the OP's personal tastes but, as a general principal, avoiding larger cities (since you can't drive in them anyway) makes a lot of sense.


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## dkreidel (Aug 24, 2005)

Lake Como and Scotland


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## HerrK (Jan 9, 2010)

desertpilot said:


> I have zero ideas for our itinerary, aside from spending some time at the Welt for the tour. Well, that and we plan to be there during Oktoberfest so we want to catch at least a couple days of the celebration. I've read through the wiki and a bunch of threads but there's just so much, I'm struggling to land on must-dos.


Well what do you and your wife really enjoy doing together. Driving (The Ring or Dolomites), art (how many types can you name - it's there), history (war, religious, medieval, roman), shoppping, spa days, hiking, eating. It's the great thing about the Old World -the choices are abundant and literally endless. Then you can throw in a surpise for her and a treat for you - here and there. So when your changing diapers at 2 am you can drift back to the days BC (as in children). Planning should be almost as much fun as the adventure, if you put your heart in it.


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## FrankAZ (Feb 19, 2009)

desertpilot said:


> My wife and I are in our early 30's and doing an ED on an F30 this September for two weeks. We know *jack *about Europe: I've only ever been to Ireland for work, and she spent a little time in London after right college, but otherwise...notta.


Given your location and work destination it would have to be Wilschdorfer Landstraße 101, 01109 Dresden, Germany. Your wife will have a blast....

(Check out my location. I'm gonna guess that GID 10668463 means something to you. Call me for ED tips).

Frank.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

desertpilot said:


> ...
> 
> So (especially for those who have been)...if you had only *one shot *at an ED, what is the one highlight or two you absolutely *couldn't *miss in Europe besides the Welt?


This really depends on your tastes. Although *Ms. b-y* enjoys driving and is willing to put up with my interests in technology and automotive museums, she particular enjoys cultural events, probably more than shopping or swimming. So restricting your question to Germany, she would probably put concerts by the Berlin Philharmonic or those by almost any group in the Cuvilliés Theatre in Munich's Residenz at the top of her list. (This latter venue is the old court theater in the center of Munich and is also an architechtural marvel itself.)

The point of all this is not to try to convince you to go to the symphony. Instead, it is to illustrate that if you have a special interest--whether it is beer or classical music or modern art--you can find something truly unusual that might appeal to you.

[And, if you are a history buff as I am, you'll be amazed that Hitler's Munich office has been kept intact in what is now the FH Musik (formally, the Die Hochschule für Musik und Theater München at Arcisstraße 12). This is not publicized, but it is there. Possibly even more fascinating is the Bendlerblock, a complex of offices in Stauffenbergstrasse (formerly Bendlerstrasse), south of the Tiergarten in Western Berlin. This was the office of the Army High Command and now has a museum to the Resistence movement that was within the German Army.]


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## Mark K (Jun 5, 2010)

dandanio said:


> And then (Aug. 2013) I will take my wife for a 3 week long ED, mostly in Croatia/Slovenia and Central Europe.


I would strongly (and I mean STRONGLY) advise you to change that to September. Slovenija could be acceptable (not great, but acceptable) in August, but avoid Croatia completely unless you go strictly inland and well away from the coast.

My cousin lives in Rovinj (a must see); she parks her car at her parents house mid July and doesn't drive it again until first weekend in September. My dad doesn't leave the house on a rainy day in July/August and absolutely hates having to drive on sunny days for those two months.

Let me know if you need any recommendations if you decide to go to Istria. I would strongly suggest Split-Rijeka drive (or inverse, it doesn't really matter) on Rt8. But again, definitely not in August.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

DrivenByF30 said:


> Having just completed my 5,000 km ED journey,
> i can tell you that: if you are short of time,
> just pick only 1 or 2 places and really take the time to enjoy them!


Nice settings - is there video posting here (or YouTube) with driving on this route?

My turn.
I will spend more time in Italy (love that country) specifically Tuscany and surrounding areas - Sienna is a must. :thumbup:
Italian and french riviera - north of Nice, around the Route Napoleon area, Balcon de la Mescla, Aix, Avignon, etc. Provence area.
Rome, Paris - no, thank you! :thumbdwn:
Some alpine villages, we was rushing our first ED - really would like to see them more close then from autobahn.
One of my sad moments - on the way to LAX realize that I forgot my new video camera, purchased just for this vacation, at home.


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## dandanio (Jun 20, 2008)

Mark K said:


> Let me know if you need any recommendations if you decide to go to Istria. I would strongly suggest Split-Rijeka drive (or inverse, it doesn't really matter) on Rt8. But again, definitely not in August.


Before we end up hijacking the thread, I started a new one and would like to ask for your recommendations.
Thank you!


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## Tanning machine (Feb 21, 2002)

JSpira said:


> This is more or less what along the lines of what I was thinking and like to do in my drives in Europe - go to places you can't easily fly into, i.e. small towns, the mountains, etc.


+1. Have some optimism about finances and time for travel in the future. Paris, Rome, London, Amsterdam, etc. are all pretty easy to fly to from the U.S. Think of places you would need to rent a car to get to and go to those.

Beyond that--do you want to see historical cities? Do you want to do outdoorsy things (hiking, etc.)? Natural beauty? It's all there.

I would buy a guidebook with photos for Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and maybe Italy and more eastern European countries. Flip through and see what looks interesting. Then plan an itinerary.


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## Stonehauler (Apr 24, 2012)

Lots of great advice here already.

My two cents

First, how long do you plan on going? a few days, a week, 2-3 weeks, a month? It makes a difference. I have been to Europe once, but that was 27 years ago, so things have changed a bit.

Make a list of things you must see/do (Paris, the Louvre, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Munich, Saltzburg, French Riveria, Berlin, Zurich, river tour down the Rhine, Rome, King Ludwig's castles, London, Eagles Nest, the ring, etc)

Find out what places you can and and can not (or should not) go with a ED car.

Unless everywhere you want to go accepts ED cars, do the following order.
Go places where you can not/should not take ED cars
Pick up car,
Break in car on side trips, distance driving while not doing excessive speeds
Once the car is broken in, do some of the more intense things such as those listed above (the ring, autobahn, etc)

An easy way to start thinking of things to do is think of themes, such as:
Museums
WWI/WWII historical sites (Anne Frank house, Eagle's nest, etc)
Wine tasting
Beer halls
The Glockenspiel (downtown Munich)
Castle/Palace Tours
See the sights of "The Sound of Music" (this is what my parents did on their trip)
Monasteries/Abbeys/Churches
River Tours (the canal tours in Amsterdam are good, as is a cruise down the Rhine) You might also want to see if there is a cruise on the Danube.
Roman Sites
Automotive conquests (autobahn, the ring, etc)

I am sure there are many others, but I would suggest you pick one, two, or three overall themes for your trip which will help you figure out what you want to do. When I went, we did one day, plus the next morning in one place, then drove to the next city we wanted to go to. We covered a good portion of (West) Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxumburg, Lichtenstein, Denmark, the Netherlands, and Belgium in three weeks.

One final note. If you decide to consume alcohol during your trip, make sure you are stopped for the night. Once you drink, don't drive again until the next morning, and only then if you sober.


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## Blackbird (Oct 13, 2009)

It would have to be the Gloss Glockner Hockalpenstrasse (perhaps with
Stelvio thrown in).

Proof is here:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495802&highlight=



desertpilot said:


> My wife and I are in our early 30's and doing an ED on an F30 this September for two weeks. We know *jack *about Europe: I've only ever been to Ireland for work, and she spent a little time in London after right college, but otherwise...notta.
> 
> I'd love to think we'd get to do an ED more than once, but we'll probably be having kid(s) sometime shortly after this and I suspect finances will tighten down quite a bit for a long, long time.
> 
> ...


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

Stonehauler said:


> Lots of great advice here already.
> 
> My two cents
> 
> ....


I liked your approach. I copied the major part of it to the Wiki here.

Thanks :thumbup:


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## Banjo (Aug 7, 2007)

*Favorite Euro Driveing Experience*

Well, I've driven every European country from Hungary to Portugal (with U.K. and Ireland, too), and the thing I remember most fondly was crossing the Gloss Glockner. That was FIFTY-NINE years ago (in an XK-120...which cost $3,500 new!), and I still remember it vividly. NOT TO BE MISSED!


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