Presented in partnership with:
Orchid Euro
Kleen Freaks
Audi Collection USA
Thule
The 2018 Itinerary.
Thursday 3rd May 2018 – Meet at Amsterdam Airport
You are welcome to fly earlier to spend some time in Europe! Rendezvous at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport, with collected luggage in the morning (we suggest a flight arrival time around 10am ideally). We will then drive to Emden, Germany to collect the USA cars. Dinner near Emden, and then we’ll drive to the hotel… Welcome to Germany! Cleaning products will be distributed, as exclusively provided by Kleen Freaks, based in Ireland.
Friday 4th May – VW Wolfsburg Factory
A short drive from the hotel, the famous Wolfsburg Factory will be in sight. The day will include a special tour of the famous factory – not the usual tourist tour, and a visit to one of the museums. We’ll have lunch with the Volkswagen R GMBH group as their guests at the Headquarters, and finish off the visit to this famous city at the Autostadt with a ride up one of the two impressive Towers that house new cars waiting for delivery (in 2017 some of the group were treated to a very exclusive trip to the very top of the tower). We’ll then make the hardcore Autobahn drive south towards Munich.
Saturday 5th May – Munich and the ‘See
The group will have free time in the morning at the famous Olympia Park in Munich, where you can choose from activities including viewing the city from the Olympia Tower, visiting the BMW Museum, shopping in the famous flea market, or otherwise enjoying the area. Afterwards, we’ll affix the Austrian road tax stickers to the vehicles, as we’ll soon be in Austria! Driving south for a late lunch in one of the world’s best rest stop restaurants (seriously!), we’ll finish the drive through the beautiful Alps in the afternoon and arrive at the luxury apartments in Worthersee, where the nightlife will be going strong!
Sunday 6th May – Wörthersee Begins
Lay in bed for a while and relax after all that driving, and then we’ll head to the famous ‘Turbo Corner‘, one of the most popular ‘GTG’ (Get Together) locations at the event and have lunch in the buffet there. This is just one of the many spots we’ll visit, including of course the ENI fuel station, where cars can be washed and new friends made.
Throughout the next week we’ll not only have the Worthersee excitement, but also a variety of other things to see and do.
Monday 7th May
A group visit to the Pyramidenkogel, the world’s tallest wood look-out tower, will give an opportunity to view the entire Wörthersee lake, where the daring can choose to take the slide down from the top. This is also a popular meeting place for Volkswagen owners, so although parking is at a premium, it’s worth the wait! Free time for the rest of the day, with chances to visit the best car meeting locations and see the best cars Europe has to offer.
Tuesday 8th May
We will have a sneak preview of the offical VW GTI Treffen area. For the rest of the day, you have the option to explore the GTGs and local roads, or for a day trip such as making the 90 minute drive to the private Porsche museum in Gmund. This is the location where Ferdinand Porsche lived and worked, and the first post-war Porsche sport cars were built. The evening will have ample opportunities to drive the local spots around the Lake Wörthersee.
Wednesday 9th May – GTI Treffen
The official GTI Treffen begins! Select cars may be invited on the official VW stage for interviews. The show encompasses an entire village, so it’s easy to spend several days checking out the cars and exploring. As well as there being lots of food options in the town.
Thursday 10th May – GTI Treffen
Our second day at the GTI Treffen, with more of our USA owners being invited on stage with their cars to be interviewed in front of the crowds. This is an exclusive opportunity offered to very select cars, and we are thrilled that all of our tour group cars will be able to do so if the owners wish. Free time to enjoy the Treffen, and the surrounding areas through the day and evening.
Friday 11th May – Bled, Slovenia / Porsche Gmund / Italy
The group will have the choice, also depending on the weather to either stay in Wörthersee area or to make a 1 hour drive east, into the beautiful country of Slovenia. We will drive through the countryside to Lake Bled, which has a historic church located on a tiny island in the center of the water. There will be time for photos and exploring the lake, followed by lunch. If the weather isn’t so good, we can choose to drive southwest and cross the Italian border for some quick shopping and photos.
Saturday 12th May – GTI Treffen – and leaving Austria
Our final day at the GTI Treffen and Wörthersee, with one final car remaining on stage in our display area. The remaining cars will have time to revisit any favorite GTG spots, with your last chance to buy the final souvenirs at the Treffen, and pack our bags. We’ll then drive north towards Munich, and stay in a hotel over the German border to avoid the Sunday traffic.
Sunday 13th May – Porsche Stuttgart – (To be confirmed)
We’ll visit the excellent Porsche Museum located in Stuttgart.
Monday 14th May – Audi Neckarsulm / Nurburgring
We’ll visit the Audi factory in Neckarsulm, where the historical factory now produces the Audi R8, alongside other current models. Audi will welcome us with a private tour of the A6/A7 production lines, during which we can choose to wear the lovely clothing provided by Audi Collection USA.
Tuesday 15th May – Nurburgring Evening track time
A relaxing morning, followed by some track time on one of the world’s most famous road courses! The Nurburgring is open to the public (Touristenfahrten) on this day from 5.30pm until 7.30pm approximately. We’ll arrive before this time to make sure that the cars are ready, and so that you can purchase entry tickets ahead of the gate opening time.
Wednesday 16th May – Return the USA Cars and head home
The USA cars will be returned to the VW port in Emden, and we’ll be transferred back to Amsterdam for a flight home. This will mark the end of our guided tour; have a safe flight home if you’re flying on the evening of the 16th, or later if you decide to stay longer! If your flight is in the morning of Thursday 17th, we can arrange a hotel and transfer to the airport at an small additional cost.
In 2017 we were honored to be selected as one of the 3 GTI Freundeskreis crews, and as the first ever non-European based group!
Each year 3 groups join the ‘GTI Circle of Friends’, and are awarded with an exclusive display and hospitality area on the main GTI Treffen stage. It almost doesn’t need to be said, but we are so grateful to VW Germany and their partners, and all of last years crews, for nominating us for this amazing opportunity.
