Germany Guide
Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland
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The Nürburgring
The Eifel, the tranquil region immediately north of the Mosel Valley, is known for sleepy villages, gentle hills and bare heathland, but famous for the incongruous Nürburgring ( 
02691/30 26 30, 
www.nuerburgring.de ), a racetrack that's one of motorsport's most hallowed pieces of tarmac.
Among aficionados, its Nordschleife (north loop), completed in 1927, is widely considered the toughest, most dangerous and most demanding purpose-built racetrack in the world. With 73 curves along its 22.8km length it proved so hard to master that over the years it's claimed dozens of lives, including those of four Formula One drivers. Jackie Stewart dubbed it "The Green Hell", though he chalked up three wins here, including one of his finest ever in the rain and fog of 1968. Some eight years later Niki Lauda's near fatal crash here caused race organizers to move things to the Hockenheimring near Mannheim in 1977, though the building of the Südschleife in 1984 brought Formula One back and it now alternates with the Hockenheimring as the venue for the annual German Grand Prix.
Other motorsports and novelty events, such as old-timer races, also regularly use the track, but when these aren't on it's possible to drive the Nordschleife (€21; generally daily 9am– dusk, but check the website first). Despite common misconceptions to the contrary, German road law applies: speed limits exist, though not everywhere, and passing on the right is prohibited. For an inside view of the real deal and speeds of up to 320kmph, book a seat in the BMW Ring-Taxi (March– Nov Mon– Fri 10am– noon; 02691/93 20 20, http://bmw-motorsport.com/ms/ringtaxi.html ), who charge €200 for up to three people and will take kids taller than 150cm. It's popular and often booked up months in advance, though last-minute cancellations are not unheard of.
The Nürburgring is situated 90km southwest of Cologne and 60km northwest of Koblenz. The nearest train station is at Mayen from which bus #344 leaves (daily Mon, Wed & Fri at 9.15am, returning at 3.04pm). On other days Adenau is the nearest hub (bus connections at 11.20am, 3.20pm & 5.20pm; return journeys at 12.17pm, 4.17pm and 6.17pm).