Whenever I ask my petrolhead friends to join me for a little trip to the Nürburgring, the response is mostly negative. Too far, too dangerous, will not risk crashing my car on the racetrack, the track will be mostly closed due to accidents, and all kinds of other arguments. As I prefer not to go alone, I end up going mostly with friends from a very select group who share my passion for the Nürburgring. Still, I believe that this place, also know as the Green Hell, is worth a visit for everybody.
Located in the beautiful Eifel mountains, the surroundings are worth a visit alone. Not only are there plenty of hiking possibilities (even along the racetrack!), the curvy roads are a lovely drive by car or motorcycle. Both Rhine and Mosel rivers are a drive away and both rivers cross beautiful valleys worth spending a few days driving through and enjoying the scenery. Even a hike along the track is beautiful with some steep sections.
Hiking alongside the Nürburgring 
Reaching summits on a hike within the Nürburgring 
Typical hotel room view: nature, hills, and eh…a sportscar..
In terms of car spotting or being spotted, the track surroundings are heaven. Along the Nordschleife track, often open to public, there are several viewing sites such as ‘Adenauer forst’, ‘Bergwerk’ (both assessable via the town Adenau), ‘Breidscheid bridge’ (right in the middle of the town Adenau), and many more.
Party time at the Adenauer forst viewing site 
Watching driver Sabine drift a ‘Ring taxi’ through Brünchen
At parkings of restaurants such as the ‘Pistenklause’ it is not uncommon to spot cars worth half a million euros. While there are specialities like a pizza with Schnitzel, I would recommend to stick to more traditional pizzas!
Typical car park at Pistenklause 
Pizza with Schnitzel anyone?
Then there is the entrance to the Nordschleife, filled with race cars of various brands ranging from Ariel to Ferrari, Renaultsport to Porsche, waiting for their owner to step in and take them for a lap around the 21 km track.
Car park at the entrance 
Plenty of epic cars around 
Spyder meets Spyder at the entrance 
The nearest petrol station is visited by plenty of candy too 
Very brave to take this car to the Green Hell
One of my personal favorite places is not the main entrance but the second entrance, half-way down the track in the town of Adenau. It is calmer than the main entrance, and has a few bars with large terraces and plenty of tables to sit down, have a bratwurst, and watch the cars pass by on the track. Occasionally a car will enter the racetrack for a one-and-a-half lap through the gate right next to the terrace.
Hanging around with my buddies at the Adenau entrance 
Bratwurst with fries obliged meal!
During the ‘tourist drives’ opening hours it is possible to buy a lap ticket, and enter the track yourself. Make sure you understand the rules (such as, in contrast to other race tracks, overtaking on the left side only), as well as the emergency phone number (all explained on the greenhelldriving site). It takes time to remember all 73 corners (play-station does help!) but by driving within your limits you can enjoy one of the most beautiful tracks in the world. One nice option is the possibility to rent a modified Suzuki Alto or Renault Clio which mitigates the risk of crashing your own car, and still get a proper lap time. Or if you prefer not to drive why not take a seat in a Ring taxi next to an expert in driving the Nürburgring?
Me on an extremely hot and quiet weekday 
New or unsure? Rent a car! 
Famous banked corners 
Wheels off the ground in my 348C
Around the new Formula-1 track (known as ‘GP Strecke’; sometimes also open for public driving) there is ‘Ringwerk’; an indoor boulevard with plenty of shops (sometimes linked to brands such as Aston Martin) and sometimes car exhibitions. Certainly worth a visit in case of rain or track closure.
Any car fan’s wallet contents will decrease when visiting these shops 
Make an extra fast toast in this one… 
Exhibitions inside Ringwerk
On some occasions, also this Formula-1 track is open for tourist drives so you can do a time-limited driving session on a current Formula-1 track.
Local making some business calls in the pit lane before doing a lap on the F1 Ring 
That moment when some dude in a Ferrari F40 took me for a drive on the F1 Ring 
Waiting for the famous Eifel fog to pass before I participated to a race on the F1 Ring
So even if you are not in the mood to drive on the racetrack, I believe a trip to the Nurburgring is a nice day out; there are plenty of things to do, from watching the cars pass by, walk around the hilly track, or visit stores. And who knows…the Nurburgring virus may actually hit you!
Ciao!
Robin
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