Baden-Württemberg Overview

Baden-Württemberg is situated in the south-west of Germany. It’s largest city is the State’s capital, Stuttgart, but it also includes the cities of Heidelburg, Baden-Baden, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Mannheim, Heilbronn, Pforzheim and Ulm. The State is one of Germany’s most popular tourist destinations, particularly as it is home to Lake Constance and the famous Black Forest.

Getting to Hockenheim

The easiest way to get to Hockenheim is to fly to Frankfurt or Stuttgart, and pick up a rental car at the airport. It will take you about a hour to drive to Hockenheim from Frankfurt and about an hour and twenty minutes to drive there from Stuttgart.

The Hockenheimring

The original motor racing circuit at Hockenheim was built in 1939, and it was used as a test track by Mercedes-Benz. Although the German Formula 1 Grand Prix was initially held at the country’s main racing track, the Nurburgring, it was used for the 1970 Grand Prix, as there were concerns about the safety of the Nurburgring following the death of Formula 2 driver Jim Clark in 1968.

Changes were made to the Nurburgring and Formula 1 returned there in 1971, but in 1976, it was still deemed to be unsafe. Although the 1976 Grand Prix was still held at the Nurburgring, the decicion was made to move future races back to Hockenheim. The decision was validated when Niki Lauder, the reigning World Champion, suffered serious injuries in a crash during the 1976 Grand Prix. The Grand Prix was held in Hockenheim until 2007, when the decision was made to alternate between Hockenheim and the Nurburgring.

The Hockenheimring is 2.842 miles long and drivers aim to complete 67 laps of it.

Hockenheim Hotels

Many people choose to take advantage of the camping facilities at the Hockenheimring, as it means that they don’t have to drive to and from the circuit each day and can enjoy the race weekend atmosphere to the full.

However, if you would rather stay in a hotel, there are a number to choose from within Hockenheim itself. Most of the hotels in Hockenheim are independently owned, although there is one chain hotel, the Ramada Hotel Hockenheim. The 3-star Ramada Hotel Hockenheim has 80 rooms and is only 850 metres away from the Hockenheimring. Other hotels in Hockenheim include the Hotel Kanne and the Hotel Zur Pfalz. They do fill up quickly, so make sure that you book your room well in advance of the Grand Prix if you want to stay in Hockenheim.

Alternatively, you could stay in Frankfurt or Stuttgart and use your airport hire car to drive to the circuit.

Hockenheim Attractions

For motorsports enthusiasts, Hockenheim’s most important attraction (apart from the track itself) is the Hockenheim Motorsports Museum. The museum, which is part of the Hockenheimring site, contains a range of exhibits relating to the history of motorsports, including a number of historic cars.

Other attractions within Hockenheim include:

• The Hockenheim Tobacco Museum – Hockenheim has a long history within the tobacco industry and this museum houses a range of exhibits, including photographs, pipes and tools.
• The Aquadrome – This swimming pool complex includes a wave pool.

If you hire a car during your stay, you can also drive to the cities of Heidelburg, Frankfurt and Stuttgart, or explore the beautiful Black Forest.

Essential Information

The time in Germany is one hour ahead of the time in London, and the currency used is the euro.

1. Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach is only about an hour’s drive from Orlando, so it’s the perfect place to visit as part of an Orlando car hire holiday. Daytona Beach has more than 23 miles of white sandy beach and in the early history of motorsports, cars would be tested and raced on the sands here. Some parts of the beach are still accessible by car today, but it’s also a great place to go for a stroll.

Daytona Beach still has strong links with motorsports. It’s home to the Daytona International Speedway and hosts many motorsports events throughout the year. Other attractions in Daytona Beach include museums and galleries, several golf courses and some excellent shopping malls.

2. The John F. Kennedy Space Center

The Kennedy Space Center is one of America’s most famous tourist attractions. It will only take you about an hour and a half to drive there from Orlando in your hire car, but make sure that you head off early, as it will take you a full day to really explore the centre.

Attractions at the Kennedy Space Center include: the Shuttle Launch Experience, in which you can experience what a launch feels like for astronauts; Space Shuttle Plaza, where you can see a full-sized replica of the NASA Explorer space shuttle; the NASA Rocket Garden; the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where you can see a real rocket from Saturn V; and the U.S Astronaut Hall of Fame.

You can also take a guided tour of the space center and, if there is a shuttle launch taking place during your holiday, you can book tickets to watch it (the next shuttle launch is due to take place on the 7 February 2010).

3. St. Petersburg

It will take you less than 2 hours to drive to the city of St. Petersburg in your Orlando hire car. St. Petersburg is situated on the coast, on the Tampa Bay peninsula, and the area is known for its white, sandy beaches.

Whilst in St. Petersbug, you can feed pelicans from the pier, visit the Salvador Dali Museum, explore the city’s Sunken Gardens or spend some time in the Great Explorations Children’s Museum. You can also take a boat trip or use your hire car to drive to the beautiful Fort DeSoto Park.

The prize includes accommodation, meals and onboard entertainment on one of AMAWATERWAYS five-star river cruise vessels, together with return flights from the U.K. and airport transfers. The winner can chose to take a Danube cruise, a Mosel cruise, a Rhine cruise or a Main cruise.

You can enter the competition via the BBC Homes and Antiques Magazine’s website – simply complete the online form with your details and the answer to the question, and submit it. Entries must be received by 6 January 2010.

Conde Nast Traveller is offering readers the chance to win two nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation in The George Hotel in Hamburg. The George Hotel is an independently-owned hotel, situated in Hamburg’s St. Georg quarter.

You can enter the competition by answering the question on the Conde Nast website. Please note that the prize does not include travel or insurance costs.

Entries must be received by 3 March 2009 and the prize must be taken before 21 November 2009 (certain dates may be excluded).

Image courtesy of: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Heidas

The prize includes return flights from London City Airport to Berlin and two nights’ accommodation at the Grand Hotel Esplanade, a five star hotel located in the cultural district of Berlin. It also includes a meal for two in the hotel’s restaraunt, tickets for a city sight-seeing tour and two passes which will enable you to get into more than 70 of Berlin’s museums and art galleries.

You can enter the competition via the Germany Tourism website. Entries must be received by the 20th of January 2009, and the holiday must be taken before the 31st of August 2009.