This question generally comes from two different perspectives:

1. You’re a motorsport, automotive or motorcycle enthusiast, but you don’t have a lot of track driving experience and you’re a bit intimidated by the world’s most challenging racetrack. You want to experience all The Ring has to offer, but you’re not certain you want to be behind the wheel on the Nordschleife.
2. You’re a spouse, partner, significant other or friend of somebody who REALLY  wants to go to The Nürburgring and you’ve agreed to (or are considering to agreeing to) come along on the trip.

If either of these perspectives comes close to describing you, read on!

So, do you have to drive The Nordschleife to have fun at The Nürburgring? The short answer is “no”. Particularly if you fall into category 1 from above, there’s a ton of stuff to do that will still make this a trip of the lifetime for you. If you fall into category 2, I want you to look at the picture at the top of this post and imagine what sorts of things you can do in a region of Germany with such unspoiled natural beauty all around you. Finally, if you’re coming to drive, read the list below and see some of the other things you can do while you’re at The Ring.

Here’s a short list of some of the things you can do on your Nürburgring vacation:

• Hiking: There’s plenty of this right around the track, but there are some nice parks with trails nearby too.
• Mountain Biking: Same as above and there are local companies who will rent you bikes and run organized excursions.
• Castles: There’s the obvious castle in the center of Nürburg that’s worth seeing, but there are numerous others within a short drive that are a lot of fun to explore.
• Photography: You can run the gamut here. Like photographing landscapes? Check. How about cars? Yup. Architecture or quaint German villages? Got that too. People watching and street photography? Sure thing. You get the idea- bring extra memory cards.
• Carspotting, Museums, Spectating: As I mentioned in this post before, those three things are amazing at The Ring.
• Other Motorsports Activities: There’s a go kart track on Ring Boulevard, it’s a pretty easy drive to Spa or Hockenheim and if you time your trip right, you can watch anything from F1 to endurance racing at The Nürburgring!

Not enough? How about taking a hot lap of The Nordschleife with a professional driver? Several companies will put you in the passenger seat for the ride of your life in a Nissan GTR, BMW M5, Aston Martin, Porsche GT3 or other performance car.

I hope you see there’s lots to do at The Nürburgring and every reason to get off the fence and go experience it for yourself! We’re ready to help when you’ve decided when to go.