Hey everyone, I'd like to share my recent Euro Delivery experience with 2 goals in mind. The first is to persuade you to do ED if you're still undecided - it's a great vacation and being able to experience the car to its full potential on the German Autobahn and Alpine roads should not be missed. The second is to help you plan your trip; as an aside, many thanks to those of you whose existing posts helped me plan my own trip!
Choosing to buy an M3 was not difficult. At my local dealer last summer I test drove a used 335i, a car I'd wanted for several years. It was quick, comfortable, quiet, and very composed. There was also an M3 on the lot and I drove it to see how it compared to the 335i. The handling, the V8, and especially the sound were intoxicating, and after that there simply was no going back to the 335i. Whereas the 335i was a very nice car, the M3 felt special. When I was ready to buy, David Aviles at Northwest BMW was helpful, offered an excellent price, and made the buying process easy.
My 2012 E92 M3 is Jet Black with the Anthracite cloth interior, 6MT, ZCP, moonroof, and satellite radio. To me, the joys of a clean black car trump the hassles, and since I'm planning on keeping the car 10 to 20 years (or at least until this eco cloud over the auto industry passes), I wanted the single-hump, sans-navigation dash that won't look outdated like the E39 M5's does today.
And now, the trip. Here was our itinerary:
Sat, 6/16: Detroit to New York to Munich
Sun, 6/17: Arrive in Munich
Mon, 6/18: Rent 135i, Dachau concentration camp
Tue, 6/19: M3 delivery at Welt, BMW attractions
Wed, 6/20: Castles Neuschwanstein and Linderhof
Thur, 6/21: Timmelsjoch and Stelvio passes to Lake Como
Fri, 6/22: Lake Como
Sat, 6/23: Lake Como to Milan
Sun, 6/24: Milan
Mon, 6/25: San Bernardino, Furka, Grimsel, and Susten passes
Tue, 6/26: Klausen pass to Zurich to Black Forest
Wed, 6/27: Black Forest to Stuttgart to Heidelberg
Thu, 6/28: M3 1200 mile service in Heidelberg
Fri, 6/29: Heidelberg to Nürburgring
Sat, 6/30: Nürburgring to Munich
Sun, 7/1: Munich
Mon, 7/2: Drop off M3, Wörthersee in Austria
Tue, 7/3: Hiking in Matrei, Austria
Wed, 7/4: Großglockner Hochalpenstraße and Kaprun
Thu, 7/5: Munich to New York to Detroit
Sunday, June 17
My friend Chris and I arrived at MUC airport around 10am and took the S-bahn to Munich Hauptbahnhof and then the U-bahn to our hotel for the next few days, Hotel Bristol near the Sendlinger Tor U-bahn station. The room was nice enough and the included breakfast was very good, but the street below was noisy in the morning with delivery trucks and people talking. I would recommend it for the convenient location but ask for a room facing the inner courtyard.
The rest of the day was spent walking around the Marienplatz and having a few beers with Stefan - the friend of a colleague and a local - at the Chinesischer Turm biergarten; this is a must-see while you're in Munich. It's inside the Englischer Garten park and feels like the quintessential biergarten with its Oompah music, tables shaded by walnut trees, and 1 Liter Maß beer glasses.
Marienplatz:
Chinesischer Turm biergarten:
Monday, June 18
We booked a 135i rental online with BMW On Demand and went to the BMW Welt at 9am to pick up the car. The process was seamless and the car sounded quite good in the Welt underground parking garage. We wanted to rent the car because (1) I knew the desire to plant my foot on the Autobahn would be strong in Germany and I didn't want to affect the M3's break-in period, and (2) my friend didn't really feel comfortable driving my new car but naturally didn't want to visit Germany without driving on its infamous unlimited highways.
From the Welt we headed to Dachau concentration camp and walked around for a few hours. As you might imagine it's a sobering experience but worth a visit. You could easily spend the better part of the day here browsing all the exhibits. A rental car isn't necessary though and you could also come by tour bus or train.
We next headed south along the A95 Autobahn towards Plansee. The highway gets increasingly hilly as you approach the mountains; as such it's very scenic but not the best to drive very fast. We stopped for a few pictures at the Plansee and then headed north in search of straighter, flatter roads.
Our rental 135i at the Plansee near the Austria-Germany border:
The A92 east of MUC was more conducive to high-speed cruising and we both hit 250kph between clumps of traffic. We dropped the car off at the Welt around 6pm and then walked around the nearby Olympiapark. Dinner was at Nürnburger Bratwurst Glöckl in the Frauenplatz; it has a biergarten atmosphere and the sausages were quite good.
Tuesday, June 19
Delivery day! We reached the Welt and finished signing the necessary paperwork in the Premium Lounge. Andy worked with us and I laughed when he explained that "the insurance policy is for €100,000,000, which should still be enough for two young guys in an M3." The Munich Plant Tour in English is at 11:30am and is a must-see for the fascinating processes and tricks that go into building BMWs. I emailed the Welt a few weeks prior (infowelt@bmw-welt.com) and simply asked for tickets. If you're picking up your car the guided tour is free.
Inside the BMW Welt (this photo is from my 2009 trip to Munich since some of the Welt displays were under construction during ED):
BMW "Four-Cylinder" headquarters across the street from the Welt:
We headed back to the Welt around 1:30pm and spotted my car on the Delivery level. This is when the excitement really begins! The car was no longer a Purchase Order or VIN number but rather my new car in the metal. We grabbed a snack in the Lounge then met Peter, my Delivery Specialist, at 2:10pm.
My car as viewed from the Premium Lounge:
We made the walk down the stairs and Peter explained the features of the car while adding informative tidbits along the way. He reminded me to take the first aid kit and warning triangle before dropping the car off at LogInOut, and that the "Super" Benzin (octane RON 95) was enough for the car and more expensive "Super Plus" wasn't necessary.
I stumped Peter by asking how to program my M button preferences, but as you can see he checked at the manual quickly and then showed me how to do it for individual vehicle keys. He said it had been a long time since he'd done it for a non-iDrive-equipped car.
I couldn’t resist driving the car a bit despite the early rush hour traffic and put the first 22km on the odometer before parking in the Welt's garage overnight with the free ticket Peter had given me earlier. We then headed to the BMW Museum (some of these pics are also from 2009):
We met Stefan again and had dinner at the Georgenhof restaurant in the Schwabing university district. The beef goulash was fantastic and we watched the UEFA soccer game over a few excellent Augustiner beers.
Wednesday, June 20
Chris and I picked up the car at the Welt and took the A99 and A96 Autobahns west to stop briefly in Dießen am Ammersee, a small and picturesque lake town.
On the way to Dießen:
Town of Dießen:
Heading south we stopped at Gasthof Adler in Halblech for lunch:
Towards Schloß Neuschwanstein it began to rain progressively harder and downright poured while we were on the Marienbrücke, so we didn't stay long. A colleage from Germany recommended viewing the outside of Neuschwanstein and then saving our money for the interior of Schloß Linderhof nearby. Here is the M3 in front of Neuschwanstein:
And from my 2009 archives, here is the castle when it's not pouring, as seen from the Marienbrücke:
We entered Austria and bought the required toll vignette, passed the Plansee again, and arrived at Linderhof at 6pm to discover their tours were over for the day. The surrounding gardens are free though and quite impressive.
Schloß Linderhof:
We drove on some nice back roads to Huben, Austria for our overnight stay at Haus GstreinHuben. This "Gasthaus" type of accommodation - essentially a bed & breakfast - cannot be beat for the price as long as you don't mind stepping out of your comfort zone somewhat. Basic German is helpful but most owners speak good enough English where you can comfortably communicate. If you're willing to take the "risk" you get friendly hosts, an idea of the local flavor, and usually a breakfast full of homemade foods. Our room in Huben cost €67, including breakfast.
Thursday, June 21
In the morning we woke up to fresh mountain air and the sound of cowbells:
We drove south out of Huben towards the Timmelsjoch pass. Pay the €14 one-way toll and you get wide roads, sweeping turns, and beautiful views:
Passing into Italy we took the SS44 to SS38 west. Traffic is relatively heavy on this two-lane road as it strings together one town after another. Eventually it got us to the Stelvio pass.
If you are expecting the driving nirvana portrayed by Top Gear, you will be somewhat disappointed. It appears they had the road closed for their shoot and in that case I can see the appeal. But the realities of a narrow, imperfect road surface lined with stone barriers and oncoming traffic make the drive a little more demanding. The first few switchbacks are fun but after awhile watching and waiting for cyclists, motorcycles, and other cars around the next bend gets tiresome (to negotiate some of the turns requires the whole width of the road). Despite this, it's some impressive road construction that yields unbelievable views at the top:
The drive down the other side is much more enjoyable:
From there we continued on the unremarkable SS38 to Lake Como. We took SP72 down the east side of the lake to Varenna where we caught the car ferry to Bellagio:
Bellagio:
Our hotel was Hotel Il Perlo Panorama which had a very nice guest terrace overlooking the lake. The included breakfast was decent and there was a shuttle to town a few times each day; from the hotel expect a 30 minute walk to Bellagio down (or up) the hill. Parking was sufficient and the hotel owners were very accommodating, though our garden-view room was nothing special.
Friday, June 22
We spent the day taking the ferry to various tourist sites in Bellagio, Varenna, and Como. The lake is very nice but expect a touristy atmosphere. One full day was enough for us.
Walking down to Bellagio from the hotel:
View towards Varenna from Villa Monastero:
Saturday, June 23
We left Bellagio, drove through Como, then filled up at a rest stop outside Milan. At this Agip gas station, Super+ is the equivalent of the "senza piombo" recommended on the fuel filler cap:
Milan is a nice city and I'm glad we stopped. Italian cities have a more relaxed feel to them than do many of the cities I've visited in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. I wasn't going to park my new car in a congested Italian city like Milan, though, so we parked instead at the Molino Dorino commuter station and took the subway into the city. Since it was the weekend I had my choice of parking spaces.
Near the Duomo subway stop is a take-out restaurant called Luini Panzerotti, offering "panzerotti" which are donut-like pouches filled with various ingredients. The dough is very soft, somewhat sweet, and the simple tomato and mozzarella filling I chose made this quite a treat. I would highly recommend stopping, but keep in mind they're closed on Sundays.
At the end of the day we drove 15 minutes from Molino Dorino to Poli Hotel near Legnano. This was a reasonably-priced contemporary hotel with plentiful underground parking. There were many excellent foods available for breakfast and the whole hotel seemed quite new. The comparatively luxurious air-conditioned room was a nice change of pace.
Sunday, June 24
Back in Milan we visited more of the tourist attractions and had lunch at the Brek cafeteria/restaurant near the San Babila subway stop. Below is the famous Milanese Duomo (cathedral) and the view from its roof:
Would a visit to Italy be complete without seeing a red Ferrari?
Monday, June 25
I was quite excited for this day as we planned to drive several Alpine passes on our way into Switzerland. We left Legnano north on the A9 which became the A2 in Switzerland, then merged onto the A13 heading east. A few miles down the road we got off the A13 highway and jumped on the Route 13 two-lane road that parallels the A13. We followed Route 13 up to the San Bernardino pass, where it became increasingly cloudy and began to rain.
We continued on Route 13 north headed towards Bonaduz. This road was lightly traveled and had some interesting sections that were enjoyable despite the incessant drizzle:
A small parking area encouraged us to stretch our legs and peer into this impossibly deep ravine:
At Bonaduz we headed west along Route 19 through Andermatt and then over the Furka pass:
At the bottom of the Furka pass we turned north onto Route 6 and then immediately began to climb the Grimsel pass:
Next we headed west onto Route 11 over the Susten pass. It was still raining and at the top the car said it was 44F outside; this made for some chilly (and quick) photo stops:
Heading north on Route 2 we stopped overnight in Gurtnellen at Gasthaus Bergheim. The owner was very friendly and though she spoke no English, my German was enough to get by. After dinner and a beer at their family restaurant we discovered the room was quite rustic when compared to the Poli Hotel from the previous night. Luckily I had my laptop and a hard drive full of Top Gear episodes!
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