Autostadt

Autostadt opened in 2000 beside the Volkswagen plant as the place where customers collect new cars, and the collection process was designed as an event: two glass silo towers, forty-eight metres high, hold around four hundred cars each, stacked in a spiral and delivered to the ground by automated lift in about forty-five seconds, visible through the glass. Around them a landscaped park holds pavilions for the group's brands and the ZeitHaus, a museum of automotive history with cars from many manufacturers, not just Volkswagen. Factory tours run into the plant, which is one of the largest car factories in the world.

What you actually see

• The car towers - two glass silos delivering vehicles by automated lift.
• The ZeitHaus - a car history museum covering many manufacturers.
• The brand pavilions - separate buildings for each group marque.
• The factory tours - trips into one of the world's largest car plants.

When to go

April to October for the park; the site is open year-round. Factory tours must be booked ahead and do not run at weekends or during plant holidays.

Honest expectations

Factory tours book out and are unavailable at weekends. Tower deliveries happen on customer schedules, not on demand. It is a brand experience.

Nearby

Braunschweig lies southwest; Hanover is west.