Pack up. Lock in.
Documents
- Passport (6 mo validity)
- International Driving Permit
- Credit cards (no FX fee)
- €200–300 cash
- Travel insurance card
- Print backup of itinerary
Tech
- Type F adapter ×2
- USB-C charger 65W
- Power bank (Ring-spot walks)
- eSIM activated (Airalo)
- WhatsApp installed
- Offline Google Maps
- Camera + spare battery
Clothing
- 1 black going-out fit (Berlin)
- Lederhosen (rented)
- Closed shoes for Wiesn
- Layered jacket (Eifel cold)
- Driving shoes (Ring)
- Light scarf (Sept evening)
Misc
- Earplugs (clubs + sleep)
- Day backpack (15L)
- Reusable water bottle
- Advil / paracetamol
- Electrolyte tabs (Wiesn)
- Snacks for car days
- Flights — book BER multi-city (out BER, return MUC or BER) before the March price climb
- Rental car — Sixt / Europcar windows open now; book BER pickup → MUC drop with the one-way fee priced in
- Eifel lodging — race weekend is 18–20 Sep · book before April or it’s gone
- Wiesn tent reservation — primary releases were Feb 2026 · check resale daily
- München Airbnb — ✓ Homaris Apartments booked — 12 guests, Fri 18 → Sat 19 Sep
- Nordschleife rental — Rent4Ring opens 6 mo out; popular cars (M2, GT4) sell fast
- Berlin + Köln + Stuttgart — Airbnb / hotel · plenty of stock
- BER airport hotel — Steigenberger or InterCityHotel · LH1962 lands 22:35
- Lederhosen rental — Bavarian Outfitters reservation
- Pistenklause — call Hotel am Tiergarten for a 12-top Thursday evening
- Ring Taxi — official BMW M5 CS · book direct via the Nürburgring
- Museum entries — Porsche / Mercedes / Autostadt online
- Neuschwanstein — timed entry releases (if doing the optional day trip)
- Travel insurance — annual or trip · ~$60
- Driver’s license — IDP from AAA · $20 · do this
- EU adapter — Type F · pack 2
- Group dinners — Berlin / Munich · book any name place 2–4 weeks ahead
- Pre-flight checks — passport > 3 mo validity, IDP, cards travel-noticed
- Cash withdrawal — €200 each · brauhaus + Wiesn deposits
- WhatsApp group — share rental QR, Homaris address, LH1962 details
- Offline maps — Google Maps for München · Berlin · Eifel
- SIM — eSIM through Airalo · €15 for 10 days
Wiesn surge
Hotels 2–3× normal — but Munich is ✓ booked (Homaris). Trains München Hbf cap on Saturday opening; the apartment is a 600 m walk, so skip the U-Bahn crush.
ADAC race
Eifel beds clear out around the 1000 km race. Book before Köln. Bad Neuenahr is the fallback at 35 min out.
Track insurance
Standard rentals void on the BTG. Track-only rentals from Rent4Ring / RSR / Apex are the only insured route. Lap pricing scales by class.
Berghain door
Group of 12 American men: 0% chance as a pack. Pairs only, 30 min apart. Have a backup club picked.
Weather
Sept Eifel can hit 8°C overnight. Pack layers. Track-day rain plan: Ring Taxi runs in light rain · own laps stop quickly.
Cash-only spots
Pistenklause, many brauhäuser, Wiesn beer queues. Hold €200 cash minimum.
One-way drop fee
BER → MUC one-way scales by category — modest for economy, real for performance. Always pull live quotes before locking.
Wiesn cap
Tents close when full · 12:00 some days. If turned away, Augustiner-Keller down the street has 5,000 outdoor seats.
At the door
- Phones away in queue
- Don’t talk in line
- Pairs, not packs
- Black, no brand logos
- If rejected, walk away
- Cash for cover
Brauhaus protocol
- Coaster on glass = stop
- Pay each round
- Tip 10% rounded up
- Köbes is gruff · don’t take it personally
- Don’t switch Kölsch ↔ Alt
Wiesn rules
- Stand on bench yes · table no
- Don’t tip the Maß over
- Tip 10% per Maß
- Brez’n strap on the stein
- Cash · €10 deposit per Maß
Photos
- No phones inside Berlin clubs · lens stickers at the door
- OK in biergärten + brauhaus
- OK at Wiesn (during the day)
- Never photograph someone without asking