AUTOSTADT
WOLFSBURG - ATTRACTIONS
Volkswagen Factory Delivery Center, Museum & Pavilions
The
Autostadt Wolfsburg is the car customer delivery center and auto theme
park headquarters
of Volkswagen in northern Germany near Hannover, first opened in 2000,
next to the
factory. Arriving
by ICE high speed train at the Wolfsburg station, the symbol of the
VW in a blue
circle is unmistakable on the side of the brown brick of the original
power plant from 1938, still in operation, whisps of steam wafting
from its high stacks across the canal, and next to it the ultramodern
architecture of the Volkswagen Autostadt, marked
along the canal front by a sign announcing its 10 year anniversary.
The moving walkway across the canal from the Phaeno Exhibit carries
across the specially designed all-terrain test driving tracks and
over the canal to the entrance plaza. Tickets for a day of total
car immersion
are arranged at the information desk.
What to do at the VW Autostadt
Autostadt Knowledge Center
With an emphasis on
activities for kids, who might come with mom and dad to pick up the
family car, the Knowledge Center present design and
engineering principals with fun hands on interactive displays, where
children can design their own dream car or drive a peddle car on the
rally circuit track winding through the lower floor of the GroupForum
in the MobiVersum family world. Miniature car stations allow kids to
take their own drivers’ license test, and older kids can try a
hand at managing Volkswagen factory, at the interactive station directing
supply flow for optimum output, or experiment with sustainability by
discovering the family’s carbon foorprint.
Zeithaus Historic Car Museum
The
Volkswagen auto museum in its own four story structure of ramps and
levels, the Zeithaus, displays an impressive collection of
historic cars in in a sleek modern environment, from the gold painted
one-millionth Volkswagen to leave the assembly line in 1955, a replica
of the very first
motored car ,
designed by Carl Benz, attaching
a one-pistoned engine to a three-wheeled cart, , celebrating its 125th
birthday in 2011 to classic Bentley Phaetons and futuristic race car
designs, . The
museum
is not just Volkswagens but follows the development of the automobile
across the decades, many of the classic cars from the history of the
group brands, from European cars to American makes.
Brand Pavilions
Set
on islands of grassy knolls amid small lakes in the center of the complex
are the
Brand Pavilions, their own self-contained homages and
informational display to the car brands now owned by the Volkswagen Group.
The Lamborghini ultra-elite Italian sports car is demonstrated clinging
to a wall with its deafening throaty engine pipes roaring amid smoke,
flipping to the outdoors. The Audi Pavilion, almost a museum in itself
winds a circular path through the designs and models of the former Auto
Union company to the high-tech luxury marquee. Two car brands acquired
by Volkswagen more familiar to Europeans, the SEAT from Spain and Skoda
from the Czech Republic are featured in their own pavilions, exploring
their own long histories and rebirth as compliment to the company’s
other lines. The Premium Clubhouse underground pavilion houses both the
Bentley and Bugatti extreme upscale brands.
Car Towers
The
icons of the Volkswagen Autostadt are the Car Towers. Two-hundred feet
tall glass skyscrapers
of cars, operating not unlike a giant machine.
These sorts of towers can be seen at dealerships around Germany which
urban space is at a minimum, but the twin towers at Volkswagen are the
progenitors. Built as a holding garage for new cars coming off the assembly
line, before delivery to customers, the towers work on a computerized
system of lifts inside the towers and underground tunnels from
the factory and to the customer delivery center.
The Car Tower
Discovery ride is not quite an e-ticket, but visitors buckle into the
seats and take the
same computer operated ride of a car to be delivered up the center
of one of the towers to the 20th floor for a birdseye view of the plant
and
surrounding
lower Saxony countryside.
There's a movie of what happens behind the scenes underground. The
ride experience takes about 15 minutes and costs €8 for
adults and €4 for children.
Delivery Center
For customers, the Delivery Center (KundenCenter) is the car dealership part of the Autostadt. The Delivery Center houses the 360 panoramic movie and driving simulator. Otherwise, unless you’re buying a new Volkswagen, not a lot for tourist visitors.
All Terrain Test Tracks
One of the more unique
experiences at the Autostadt, the All-Terrain Driving Tracks are a
chance to drive a Toureg or Tiguan all-wheel drive
vehicle on a specially designed track recreating a variety of wild off
road extreme driving situations. An instructor takes you through a lap
to demonstrate the skills of negotiating driving on impossibly rough
roads, over boulders, along steep slope river banks, through a concrete
pipe and across a tilting see-saw bridge. After watching the instructor,
it’s your turn at the wheel. The two tracks can be driven by themselves,
together or with an added safe driving course. Each track takes about
30 minutes for €25. Cost to drive both is €45 and with the
safety course €50.
Canal Cruise
If you tire of cars and more cars, take a cruise on the Mittelland Canal and see the plant and facility from a different perspective, the deck of a panoramic cruise boat.
Factory Tour
The factory tour at the Volkswagen Autostadt is primarily for customers, in specially designed bus trams winding through city sized facility.
Restaurants
Nine restaurants provide
plenty of dining choices at the Volkswagen Autostadt all of them operated
by Mövenpick, the Swiss hospitality
company, with a range of menus and styles, from Asian to Italian, French
and even Austrian. The Pizza Kitchen in view of the kids car track is
a perfect family place, where kids can make their own pizzas. The Beef
Club offers gourmet steaks in an exclusive rich environment, where you
choose and match your choices while enjoying a view of the canal. Northern
Germany’s only 3 Star Michelin serves his unique creations at the
restaurant in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Wolfsburg Autostadt.
Visiting VW Autostadt Wolfsburg
The Volkswagen
Autostadt is open 365 days a year from 9am to 6pm, (except the 24th
and 31st
of December). Entrance cost is €15 for one day
or €22 for two days for Adults, €12/18 for reduced Seniors
and Military, €6/9 for children and students. A Family Ticket for
2 adults and all children is available for €38/57. The Car Towers,
All-Terrain Tracks and Safety Courses are extra. The Autostadt is easy
to reach by train, just across from the Wolfsburg Train
Station
served
by the German high speed ICE Trains, 30 minutes from Hanover, an hour
from Berlin, 2 hours from Hamburg or Cologne, and about 3 hours from
Frankfurt. By car, the Autostadt is off the A2 Autobahn with parking
for €3/day. To stay overnight, if the luxury Ritz-Carlton is not
in your budget, the Tryp Wolfsburg is just across from the train station.
If visiting the Autostadt Wolfsburg, also plan on a visit to the Phaeno
(see Phaeno
Exploratorium), just across the bridge, or catch a soccer
match at the Wolfsburg Stadium (see Wolfsburg
Stadium City Guide). © Bargain
Travel Europe
More:
Part 1 - Volkswagen Autostadt Wolfsburg History
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