50th ANNIVERSARY PORSCHE TOUR #1
I am personally inviting you, my dear friends and customers, to join me in Germany and Austria this September to help me celebrate my 50th year of designing exciting tours for PORSCHE enthusiasts. As you know, I grew up in Austria and have many fond memories of my life there before coming to the United States as a teenager. Not only will this trip allow me to take you to the places I love, but it will also give me great joy to share this experience with you. I will lead this very special tour to provide insights into the countries I love, including some very personal post-WW II perspectives. Of course, all luxury accommodations, gourmet meals, cocktails and beverages, luggage van, planned nightly car wash, gasoline, taxes, tolls and gratuities are included per itinerary. I hope you will join me on this special celebratory tour!
~ Peter Sontag
Don’t miss out on all the fun – sign up today!
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
- Luxury accommodations
- Gasoline (at $11.20 per gallon)
- Cocktails, wine & beer in the evenings
- Multi-lingual guides
- NAVI Roadbooks
- Driving in Europe is Different booklet & briefing
- Escorted luggage truck for your large suitcases
- Meals included as noted (Breakfast, Lunch, Canapés, Dinner)
- Autobahn tolls and parking fees
- Gratuities and entrance fees
- Walkie-talkies on the road
- Pocket itineraries
- Who’s Who booklet
Itinerary
DAY 1 - Depart for Germany
Sunday, September 1st
Today you’ll depart from home for your first destination: Stuttgart, Germany. If possible, we recommend that you arrive a day early to get acclimated to the time zone differences. Ask about our Early Arrival program which includes accommodations, breakfast and dinner.
DAY 2 - Arrive in Stuttgart -- Sightseeing
Monday, September 2nd
- Arrive in Stuttgart
- Sightseeing by motor coach
- Welcome to Germany dinner
- Overnight at the Steigenberger Graf Zeppelin Hotel, Stuttgart
Upon arrival at the Stuttgart airport (STR), you will be met and transferred to our hotel, the Steigenberger Hotel Graf Zeppelin.
After checking in and refreshing, you may hop onboard our luxury motor coach for a delightful sightseeing tour of Stuttgart and its surroundings.
After your relaxing afternoon in Stuttgart, we will meet to enjoy an early Welcome to Germany dinner at one of the nearby restaurants, the Wirtshaus Lautenschlager.
DAY 3 - Driver’s briefing – Ludwigsburg Palace – Pick up PORSCHE
Tuesday, September 3rd
- Breakfast – Graf Zeppelin Hotel
- Mandatory Drivers’ Briefing
- Lunch at Graf Zeppelin’s Stüble
- Motor coach to Ludwigsburg Palace
- Pick up PORSCHES at PORSCHE Museum
- Dinner at Zeppelinos
Breakfast will be served at the Hotel Graf Zeppelin starting from 6:30 am. This morning, we will meet for our mandatory driver’s briefing. We will explain the “rules of the road” and European traffic signs plus give you tips on using our walkie-talkies that will keep us in touch on our drives. This morning we will also complete the rental paper work and Fast Lane Travel Waivers of Liability. Please bring your driver’s license with you to the briefing.
After our briefing, we will enjoy a typical Stuttgarter lunch in the Hotel Graf Zeppelin’s Stüble restaurant. We will then board our luxury motor coach for the short journey to Ludwigsburg and the lovely Baroque Ludwigsburg Residential Palace, one of the few Baroque buildings to have survived the tumultuous history of the last centuries unscathed. This palace stands out not just for its impressive size, but also for its sumptuous interiors and fabulous gardens.
After exploring the palace, our motor coach will take us to the PORSCHE Museum where the PORSCHE you selected will be waiting for you. The team at PORSCHE Drive will introduce you to your PORSCHE, including familiarization with the PDK Transmission, the Navigation Systems, and the various routes to be driven. We will drive back to the Hotel Graf Zeppelin where your PORSCHE will be securely parked overnight.
You will have some time to relax and freshen up before we meet in the hotel’s fabulous Zeppelinos for cocktails and a delicious dinner.
DAY 4 - Drive to Salzburg – PORSCHE Traumwerk (~ 380 kms)
Wednesday, September 4th
- Breakfast at Hotel Graf Zeppelin
- Depart Stuttgart for Salzburg
- Visit and lunch at Hans-Peter Porsche TraumWerk
- Check in at Sheraton Grand Salzburg
- Mozart Dinner Concert
Breakfast will be served at the Hotel Graf Zeppelin starting from 6:30 am. Please remember to check out and have your large luggage in the lobby ready to be loaded in our luggage van.
We will depart Stuttgart and drive mostly on Autobahns toward Salzburg. Not far from Salzburg is the Hans-Peter Porsche TraumWerk where we will stop for lunch and a tour of classic cars.
TraumWerk houses Hans-Peter Porsche’s private collection of tin toys and a model railway exhibit of around 190 trains from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. It also includes a selection of Porsches from his personal collection: a Porsche 904; the Porsche 356 that made three appearances at the Liège–Rome–Liège rally; the problem child, a Porsche 959; an Austro-Daimler (a gift from his son); the one-liter XL1 from Volkswagen; a Porsche 914 Targa; a Porsche 944; a Porsche 928; and a pale blue Porsche 912 (a Christmas gift for his mother in 1966).
After our visit, we will continue our drive into Salzburg and check in to the luxurious Salzburg Sheraton Hotel. You’ll have some free time to relax and refresh before we meet again to be transferred to Baroque Hall for a Mozart Dinner Concert. Enjoy an evening lit by candles, enjoying historical recipes, and musicians in authentic costumes.
DAY 5 - Drive to Gmünd – PORSCHE Automuseum Pfeifhofer (~247 kms )
Thursday, September 5th
- Breakfast Salzburg Sheraton Grand
- Drive to Gmünd
- Lunch at Alpenrestaurant Fallerhütte
- Visit PORSCHE Automuseum Pfeifhofer
- Dinner and drinks at Salzburg Sheraton Grand
Breakfast will be served at the hotel starting at 6:30 am. This morning, we will depart in our Porsches for a scenic drive through Alpine mountains to Gmünd.
We will stop for lunch at the charming Alpenrestaurant Fallerhütte deep in the Alps before continuing to Gmünd, where the first vehicle named Porsche was built.
Because the Porsche construction office had to move away from Stuttgart’s bombing raids in 1944, a new location was set up near Gmünd, 320 miles from Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen. Gmünd is the birthplace of the Porsche type 360 Cisitalia Formula 1 car drawings, the 1948 Porsche 356/1 roadster prototype and the 356/2 coupes and convertibles. In 1982, Helmut Pfeifhofer opened the first private Porsche car museum here in Gmünd, displaying rare and unique Porsche classics.
After our tour, we will return via scenic roads to Salzburg. This evening, we will enjoy another delicious dinner and drinks at the Salzburg Sheraton Grand.
DAY 6 - Drive to Vienna, Evening at the Opera ( ~160 kms )
Friday, September 6th
- Breakfast Salzburg Sheraton Grand
- Drive to Vienna
- Lunch at Landzeit Strengberg
- Pre-Opera Dinner
- Evening at Vienna Opera
Enjoy a final breakfast in Salzburg before we depart in our Porsches for Vienna. Please remember to check out and have your large luggage ready to load into our luggage van.
We will stop at an Autobahn rest stop for lunch at Landzeit Strengberg. The Autobahn rest stops have an amazing selection of food.
First, you will indulge in an early dinner at the Hotel Sacher before transferring to Vienna’s magnificent Opera House. Even if you don’t like opera, just being in this stunning building is an experience to remember. During Intermission, you’ll be treated to canapés and drinks in the opulent surroundings. It will be an evening to always cherish.
DAY 7 - Vienna Sightseeing
Saturday, September 7th
- Breakfast Hotel Sacher
- Lunch on tour
- Sightseeing in Vienna
Enjoy your bountiful breakfast this morning at the Hotel Sacher.
Following breakfast, Peter will take you on a guided tour of the city where he grew up. One of the places you’ll visit is Zentralfriedhof, the cemetery where notables such as Beethoven and Shubert are buried.
Peter will take you to one of his favorite places for lunch in Vienna. Your tour will continue after lunch before returning to the Hotel Sacher Vienna mid-afternoon. The rest of the afternoon is yours to enjoy as you wish – perhaps shopping or relaxing at the spa.
DAY 8 - Drive to Zell am See (~ 440 kms)
Sunday, September 8th
- Breakfast at Hotel Sacher
- Depart for Zell am See
- Lunch in Spielberg or Steirereck am Pogush
- Dinner and drinks at Schloss Prielau Hotel
Breakfast is served this morning at Hotel Sacher. Please check out and have your large luggage ready to load on our luggage van. We will depart in our Porsches for a delightful drive through the middle of Austria to Zell am See.
We will stop in Spielberg, known for the Red Bull Ring, a Formula 1 racetrack that hosted the Grand Prix of Austria from 1970 to 1987, for a delightful lunch at Genuss Specht.
After our stop for lunch, we will continue on to the north side of Lake Zell to our hotel for the night, Schloss Prielau Hotel. The Schloss dates from 1425 and over the centuries, it changed owners many times. In WWII, the Hofmannsthal family was dispossessed of the castle by the Nazis, but after the war the family estate was returned to them. In 1987 the Porsche family bought the property and converted the castle into a hotel and a gourmet restaurant with a Michelin-starred chef. After we check in, we’ll enjoy a fabulous dinner with drinks.
DAY 9 - Drive to Tirol, Hotel Interalpen Tyrol (~ 190 kms)
Monday, September 9th
- Breakfast Schloss Prielau Hotel
- Drive to Telfs, Austria
- Canapés and drinks at Hotel Interalpen Tyrol
- Dinner and drinks Hotel Interalpen Tyrol
Eat a hearty breakfast this morning at the Schloss Prielau Hotel before we depart for Telfs, Austria and the fabulous Hotel Interalpen Tyrol. Remember to check out and have your large luggage ready to load into our luggage van. Our drive today is not long, and we will arrive at the Hotel Interalpen in the early afternoon. The wonderful staff there will greet us with canapés and drinks as we check in and get settled. The Hotel Interalpen is always a favorite and at this hotel, even your Porsche will get pampered!
You will have time to enjoy the hotel before we meet again for pre-dinner drinks and a fabulous dinner in Alpine splendor at the Hotel Interalpen.
DAY 10 - Free Day at Hotel Interalpen Tyrol
Tuesday, September 10th
- Breakfast at the hotel
- Free time in the morning
- Lunch on your own
- Free time in the afternoon
- Drinks and dinner at the Hotel Interalpen
You’ll start your day at the Hotel Interalpen Tirol with a delicious breakfast at your leisure. The rest of the day is yours to do whatever you desire. Rest, relax, or enjoy the amenities that the hotel has to offer.
Lunch will be on your own, either at the Hotel Interalpen or wherever you may wander.
In the evening we’ll meet for our pre-dinner drinks, followed by another spectacular dinner.
DAY 11 - Return Drive to Stuttgart (~330 kms)
Wednesday, September 11th
- Depart Telfs for Stuttgart
- Lunch at Autobahn reststop
- Drive to Stuttgart and PORSCHE Museum
- Return PORSCHES, transfer to Hotel Graf Zeppelin
- Drinks and dinner at Restaurant Plenum
After a fabulous breakfast at the Hotel Interalpen Tyrol, please have your large luggage ready to load into the luggage van and check out. We will drive through scenic countryside and also enjoy another wonderful run on the Autobahn on our drive back to Stuttgart. Along the way, we will stop for lunch at a charming and colorful Autobahn rest stop. You’ll be amazed – it’s nothing like a rest stop in the U.S.
We’ll arrive back in Stuttgart in the afternoon when we must sadly return the PORSCHE we’ve fallen in love with! After returning our PORSCHES at the PORSCHE Museum, we will transfer back to the Hotel Graf Zeppelin and check in once again.
Tonight, we will enjoy a Farewell Dinner at the renowned Restaurant Plenum, reminiscing about the wonderful adventure we shared.
DAY 12 - Return Home or Travel Onward
Thursday, September 12th
Enjoy your last wonderful breakfast buffet at the Hotel Graf Zeppelin.
Then, in accordance with your flight schedule, you will be transferred to the Stuttgart Airport (STR) for your flight home or to wherever you are traveling next.