Wörthersee Guide

Worthersee Guide 2020:

 

  • WHEN TO GO. We’ve always gone 2-3 weeks BEFORE the actual GTI Treffen event… that’s when everyone is there! We tend to go 2 weeks before the show, in 2021 the actual show is actually on May 12th - 15th, and will be there from 2nd -9th May although most people will be there anywhere from April 28/29th - 10th May.

  • BE ORGANISED. You’ll need to remember a lot of things, especially if you’re driving. These include: Passport (original & paper copies), Car Insurance Docs (recommend 3 copies), V5 Vehicle Document (original & copy), MOT Certificate (original & copy), National Rear Badge (GB), First Aid Kit, Travel Kit with multiple Breathalysers, Triangle and High Vis, Proof of Destination (print outs of hotel confirmations and route plans). Make sure to let your insurance companies know what countries you are travelling to and on what dates and make sure you are covered to drive in Europe. Finally if you’re in convoy it’s always a good idea to bring some walkie talkies so you can all communicate easily, you can grab these off eBay for around £10 each and are very worth it!

  • INSURANCE/BREXIT. As it stands, you don’t need anything extra to drive in Europe due to ‘Brexit’ looming, apart from telling your insurance, and we’ve been issued a ‘Green Card’ which outlines which countries we’ll be travelling through.

  • EUROTUNNEL. Folkestone to Calais EuroTunnel is what we use and what i’d recommend. Easy to book online, EuroTunnel.com, costs about £70-£80 each way depending on your car, so around £150 return, you book a time slot but can turn up usually an hour either side of that slot I believe, but always best to try and be early incase of traffic delays etc. TOP TIP. If you book as an ‘Over 6ft’ vehicle you will be able to access the wider carriage, highly recommended if you’re in modified cars and if you have nice wheels. Your other option is the ferry, however we never do this as it’s not very low car friendly, and does take a bit longer although it can be slightly cheaper. When travelling after the tunnel through France and then Germany a Top Tip is to AVOID Cologne, the city and surrounding ring round tend to be hot spots for being pulled in high performance or modified cars so we tend to avoid where we can.

  • STOP OVER. We’ve done the Nurburgring twice, and Stuttgart to visit the Porsche Museum last year. We usually stay for 2 nights on the way out somewhere in Germany, usually about a 7 hour drive from Calais (450ish miles). Staying 2 nights gives us time to visit the ring or museum on the Saturday and go for some food etc. Our hotel was basically next to the museum for 2019 and was £67 a night. Stopping off somewhere in Germany is usually a good idea, not quite half way but a good stop off point en route to Austria, which is around 6 hours (350 miles) on from Stuttgart if you choose to stop over there. 

  • TOLLS & TAX. There are a few tolls, one going into Austria, and then a couple throughout. It’s best to budget around €50 in tolls for the trip depending on the route. You will also need to get Austrian Road tax from a services before you reach the toll which is around €20, once you’re at the stage the views from every services are absolutely breathtaking.

  • MOUNTAIN PASS CHECK POINT. Once you’ve crossed the tolls you’ll start to head through the mountains, where you’ll find the ‘Instagram famous’ BP Garage, it’s around 45 minutes after you cross the border. Make sure to stop, you won’t want to miss the views and you’ll see our stickers on the signs and all over! Make sure to send us a picture of it when you stop and #SlammedUK!

  • NEXT STOP WORTHERSEE. At this point you’re about 2 hours out depending on how you drive (within the speed limits please) and where you’re staying, so enjoy the drive through the mountains and the numerous tunnels while the excitement grows as you get closer and closer!  Do be aware that most the tunnels have speed limits and speed camera’s on exit which will flash red if you’re caught, however i’ve personally not had any fines come through as a result, and even if you do I don’t believe there is a way they can enforce them but don’t take my word for it.

  • WHERE TO GO: There are loads of places and small locations to visit when in Worthersee, a lot of it is just driving around and exploring your self, but a few places you’re guaranteed to see cool cars and meet cool people are: TurboKurve in Faak, basically a large curve in the road with a huge car park one side and then a big food outlet / supermarket the other side with toilets, ice cream, usually music and a great place to meet a lot of people and cool cars as it’s always busy. Then you have Velden, where the majority of restaurants and bars are along with the all important CASINO, when in Velden you will see that cars line the streets and people stand along the strip and sit outside the bars all night watching the cars go past, if you’re going to spend an evening in Velden it’s a good idea to get there early. Reifnitz is another key location and where you’ll find the famous ENI petrol station, here you’ll find the main car wash around Velden but expect to queue for a long time and if you want to park up to check out the cars all around it’ll cost you €5. Also in Velden you’ll find the famous ‘Yellow Hotel’ down by the lake, officially known as the Falkensteiner Schlosshotel Velden and starts from around £650 a night! You are able to park up opposite along the road although you’ll likely get a parking ticket (payment optional) you’ll always be able to see a range of ultra cool cars outside the front of the hotel usually reserved for the high rollers! The Pyramidenkogel spiral observation tower which overlooks the whole of Worthersee is also a MUST visit in my opinion, it’s only a 20minute drive from Velden and it’s a fun drive, all the way up the mountain hairpin after hairpin but be warned it will be hard on the car! You’ll also notice the corners of the mountain the whole way up lined with people sitting, standing, cheering, holding signs that you can only imagine say ‘SEND IT’ in Austrian, it’s quite an experience on the way up and back down. Once you’re at the top the actual viewpoint tower costs around €10 to get the lift to the top and you even have the option to slide back down, would recommend! The Alpenstrasse in Villach is another awesome location, its’ another windy hairpin road all the way 2000+ft to the top of the mountain with a toll of around €11, a small fee for the views you get to see at the top.

  • FOLLOW. These pages will help you keep up to date with what’s going on while you’re out there! Follow @Lowatthelake, @Worthersee2o2o, @Worthersee_official and us @officialslammedUK on Instagram to keep up to date with whats going on!

  • POLICE. Now this is a hot topic… and one that i’ll cover but not had a huge amount of experience as i’ve not actually been pulled over in Worthersee… yet. Generally I think the Police are OK provided you have all your paperwork in place and know what you’re talking about. However you will get fined for driving too low, being too loud, or having front tints, so have some spare cash in the car, but not too much as if they see it they will up the fine on the spot! As with all Police if you’re polite and respectful generally you should be ok, if you get fined for having a loud car, and you have a loud car, pay the fine and move on, arguing your case will generally just make the fine bigger. If they are questioning the legality of your modifications ask them to call your insurance, provided you have everything declared your car is fully legal and they can’t penalise you. With regards to tyre sizes etc. if your car has a valid MOT and you can prove this, your car is legal to drive and they can’t contest that, although i’m sure they will try. Best advice would be to try not to drive too low, too loud, or too fast around the built up busier area’s like TurboKurve and Velden, wait for more remote roads and mountains and make sure you stick to the speed limits!

  • COSTS. This is probably THE most frequently asked question we as a group get. I’ll run through some costs of what we’re doing this year then you can amend it to what you’re doing, where you’re staying and what you’re driving. Budgeted Costs PER PERSON:
    - ACCOMMODATION: Total: £370 pp. 10 nights inc. 2 nights stay on the way out at the Nurburgring and 1 night on way back again at the Nurburgring.
    - FUEL: Straight piped N/A V8 R8 (Average 25MPG) - £800 (with passenger) based on 2500 miles (roughly) so £400 each.
    - FOOD/DRINK: Food shop £100 - Eating Out £200
    - SPENDING: £200
    - FINES: £100
    - TOLLS: £50
    - TOTAL: £1420.00
    Now obviously these will fluctuate depending on where you’re staying, how long you go for, what you’re driving, what you do food-wise etc. but this gives you an idea of some of the costs for the whole trip. I’d recommend budgeting for £1500 per person for the whole 10 day trip and experience of a lifetime.

  • RETURN. We usually stop at the Nurburgring on the way home, and we usually stay at the Linder Nurburgring Motorsport Hotel. It’s generally about £90-100 for one night per room (£50 each if you’re sharing) and is literally a 30 second walk from the actual Nurburgring, you can see it from the windows and you’ll hear cars and bikes THE WHOLE time you’re there, it’s an amazing place to be and would recommend staying there. 
    The drive back from the Nurburgring to Calais is around 5 hours (300 miles) depending on traffic and the route you take, so not actually that far at all, and then you’re back on the EuroTunnel home!     

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