Looking for a place to see the most beautiful, eccentric, and impressive collection of cars ? Then, you have to be in WOLFSBURG! Wolfsburg is a city in the Lower Saxony  region of Germany and lies along the Aller river and Mitteland Canal. It is home to the factory of Volkswagen, the most popular car brand in Germany. At one point in 2003, when the fifth generation of Volkswagen Golf was introduced, the  city was baptized as Golfsburg.

THE AUTOSTADT

Located next to the Volkswagen factory, the Autostadt in Wolfsburg is a themepark dedicated to cars, specifically Volkswagen. Entrance to the park is 14 euro pp, with free boat tour on Maritime Panorama Tour and entrance to some of the shows in the tents (you have to get separate tickets though from the Kassa).  And because we have our card for ANWB, Netherlands car club, we received a discount of 4 euro pp.  And believe us when we say, that the entrance fee is all worth it, maybe more! It is a big playground for everyone : children and adults, men and women alike. It has something to offer for everyone : from simple circus workshops for children to car testing drive for  men! Though, I must write that the panorama tour which lasted for about an hour was not so special, and may I even add, so boring! (so you could scratch that out!)

The reception hall or the Piazza

The Group Forum and Piazza, which serves as entry hall , is impressive with its big globe hanging on the ceiling and under it  are some small globes in different colors.  The Autostadt  has different pavillions dedicated to some  daughter-companies of Volkswagen, like Seat, Audi, Porsche, Lamborghini, and Skoda. These pavilions show the latest models of the said brands, giving the visitors the chance to inspect and feel them. There are also some informations about the development and designs of the said cars.

 Some of the sportive classic cars on display at Zeit Haus

The most impressive place in the park is the Zeit Haus. Here we can find an exhibition over the evolution of the vehicles in Europe, starting from a simple three-wheeler car to the most advanced that we have today. It also showcases the first models, the  finest, most expensive, and extra ordinary editions of the leading brands in car industry like Bugatti, Porsche, Lamborghini and of course, the Volkswagen.  Some of the cars on display are really unique and one of a kind. One tip : the Zeit Haus is composed of 4 floors and it is advisable to begin on the uppermost floor and work your way to the ground floor to have a better grasp or understanding of the evolution of the cars on display.

 Evolution of Automobiles

The Autoturme and Turmfahrt are two high towers found inside the park where the newly manufactured Volkswagen cars are displayed. Here you can see how the car is being picked up by a machine and brought to the garage to be delivered to the buyer.

The Autoturme and Turmfahrt

During summer, the park organizes various shows for the visitors. There are circus acts, acrobatic shows, music or small concerts and workshops for children. During our visit to the park, we were able to watch three shows (we have booked them in advance and received separate tickets for them, free of charge). We watched a small circus act from the Cirque Bouffon in Gartenbuhne,  which we found entertaining and very good. There was also a big act from the group called Race Home Company in Hafenbuhne, which we found childish, amateuristic and boring! The best act was performed by the group Transe Express at 11.00 pm at the Aerial Stage. That was really mouth-opening, impressive and extra-ordinary!  Aside from that there was a short concert given by Szenario where the musicians played very good with the drums, guitar and violin!

Some of the latest models

 Aside from these attractions, there was also the park’s gardens where visitors could stop, relax and have a bite or drinks. There are a number of restaurants and shops (not that we have the need for that; as we just returned in the camper to have dinner and came back again for the evening shows).

At the Autostadt grounds

All in all, the Autostadt is a totally new car experience for us! It is a complete successful day we have spent in Wolfsburg! Maybe next time, Hans will try the All-Terrain Track and ride a Volkswagen in some of the park’s specially designed difficult driving terrain.

 My favorite classic old-timers

THE ALLERSEE and SCHLOSS WOLFSBURG

After having a car-full day, we decided to explore other parts of Wolfsburg. With our bicycles, we went to visit the nearby castle, Schloss Wolfsburg. This Renaissance castle was built in 1302 and now serves as City Museum. It is also famous for its nicely landscaped Baroque gardens. At the back part of the castle is a small bridge where funny enough, hundreds of lovelocks are hung.

 Not so far from the castle is the Aller Park. It is a 29 hectare park, which offers various recreational activities for everyone. There is the Volkswagen Arena for the football fans; there is the Badeland, a big swim recreational area; an ice skating plaza, bowling plaza, discgolfcours, monkeyman or tree adventure, and playground for children. And for the water fans, there is the ALLERSEE where one can have sport activities like swimming, canoeing, kayaking, paddling up, beach volleyballing, motorboating, or just simply sunbathing. Hans and I just simply biked around the park and the Allersee.

 WOLFSBURG…SHOPPING CITY

Another attraction the city of Wolfsburg has to offer is its Designer Outlets. Located just a bridge away from the Autostadt, the Designer Outlets has more than 70 designer brands in mode and fashion. Famous marks as Levi’s, Adidas, Mickael Kors, Abercrombie & Fitch, Desigual, Benetton, Calvin Klein, Nike, and Pepe Jeans among others offer their products here on attractive prices! Aside from this, there is also the city center where a number of shopping centers are also found. It is shop till you drop in Wolfsburg…Unfortunately, my wallet was not that thick, so all I did was windowshopped .

OUR CAMPSITE

Campsite : Autostadt VW

                   Stadtbrucke    38440   Wolfsburg

Coordinates :   N:   52.43517      E:  10.79878

It is at the reserved parking area for campers at the parking lot by Autostadt. Fee is 6 euro per day, including electricity and water. But because we didn’t have the need for such, we just parked at the P3 for 3 euro per day (with permission from the parking authorities). The area is of course, ideal to visit the Autostadt, and also the city center, the castle and the Allersee. We stayed here for three days, from July 5-7, 2016.