Gran Turismo Europa 2017

For 2017, the organizer have an updated route for our flagship event Gran Turismo Europa. This year it starts in Paris. While starting in Paris you can explore completely new places, like the Champagne district, the Mosel- and Rhine valleys, and the awesome roads of the Black forest. They also drive the Parc Jura valley in Switzerland and the famous Route Napoleon between Lyon and Saint-Tropez.

Event schedule
Each day will be roughly 4 hours of driving. Sometimes less, sometimes a bit more. Besides driving we will do stops for special activities and events along the road, like shopping, special restaurants, spa baths, vista points, photo opportunities, factory visits, and such. The time schedule for each day is: breakfast at 9.00, start driving at 10.00, lunch en route, arrival to the hotel during the afternoon, and dinner at 20.00.

Saturday 26 August - day one - Paris
Welcome to Paris and Hotel George V, situated on Champs-Elysses. This hotel is part of the four seasons family and is rated as one of the best - in the world. During check-in, you get your welcome pack with the roadbook and everything else you need for your journey. Later the same evening we have dinner in a privatized part of the hotel restaurant, which happens to have no less than three Michelin stars.

12.00 - Gran Turismo check-in desk opens in George V***** hotel
21.00 - Dinner and briefing in the hotel restaurant

Sunday 27 August - day two - Champagne and Luxembourg
Let us enjoy a Sunday morning in Paris together, take a stroll towards the Eiffel tower, and have breakfast in the hotel. We leave together from Champs-Elysees at about 11:00.

The next stop is at the Veuve Clicquot winemaker in the vicinity of Reims, right in the middle of the Champagne district. Here we will get a VIP factory tour and have lunch, and of course a champagne tasting.

After lunch, we continue east towards the Luxembourg where we stay the night at a Luxembourg classic - Le Royal Hotel. Dinner in the restaurant Le Cristallerie on the square Place d'Armes.

11.00 - Leaving Hotel
12.30 - Lunch at Veuve Clicquot in Reims
14.00 - Drive to Luxembourg
18.00 - Arrival to Le Royal Hotel Luxembourg *****
20.00 - Dinner in Le Cristallerie at Place d'Armes

Monday 28 August - day three - Mosel and the Nurburgring
Starting directly after breakfast, at 10, we drive northeast by the Mosel river. The road will follow the river, and sometimes you will pass over it on a bridge. It is all extremely picturesque as if taken directly from a Disney movie.

Our first stop will be in the city of Zell, where we have lunch. After lunch, we visit the Castle Eltz, which is probably one of the most beautiful German castles.

During the early evening, you will be invited to a special event on the racing track Nurburgring.

This evening we have dinner in the restaurant Pistenklause, where all the stars from racing and formula one have been at least once.

10.00 - Leaving the hotel
12.00 - Drive Mosel valley
13.00 - Lunch in Zell
15.00 - Visit to Castle Eltz
17:00 - Arrival to Dorint Hotel**** Nurburg
18:00 - Special event Nurburgring
20.00 - Dinner in Pistenklause restaurant

Tuesday 29 August - day four - Rhine valley and Baden-Baden
Today it is time for the Rhein valley. We start the day by driving towards Koblenz, and the “German corner” Deutsches Eck - the famous corner where the Rhein meets the Mosel and the symbol of the German unification. A perfect place to stop for a coffee.

Continuing by the Rhein we head south, towards Castle Schoenburg where we stop for lunch. Castle Shoenburg is a five-star location in the Rhein valley, with a fantastic kitchen and view.

After lunch, we set south in the Rhein valley towards Bingen am Rhein. From here we hop on the Autobahn and head down to Baden Baden, where we stay the night in the classic luxury hotel Maison Meissner.

10.00 - Leaving the hotel
10.30 - Koblenz, Deutsches Eck, and the Rhine valley
13:00 - Lunch in Castle Shoenburg
15:00 - Rhine valley continued
17:00 - Arrival to Hotel Maison Messner in Baden-Baden
20.00 - Dinner in Baden-Baden

Wednesday 30 August - day five - the Black Forest and Switzerland
Some say that the best roads in the world are in the Schwarzwald forest. Today it is time for us to find out for ourselves. After breakfast we set the course south on the awesome road 500 towards Wilder See and Mehliskopf, all the way to our lunch stop for the day - Die Bergstation in Oberried. A place with the most magnificent view in the area.

After lunch, we head south, on the Autobahn, and crossing the border into Switzerland. Our final destination for the day is Neuchatel. The hotel for the night is Beau Rivage, just on the bank of the lake. Dinner at 20 on the hotel terrace.

10.00 - Leaving the hotel
10.00 - The Black forest
12:00 - Lunch at the Bergstation
14:00 - The Black forest continued
17:00 - Arrival to hotel Beau Rivage in Neuchatel, Switzerland
20:00 - Dinner on the hotel terrace, facing the lake

Thursday 31 August - day six - Parc Jura, Jaeger-LeCoultre, and Lyon
Just southwest of Neuchatel we have Parc Jura. Yet another set of beautiful roads for you and your supercar. Here is also the "valley of watches", where many of the most exclusive timepieces are made. We stop for an exclusive tour of the Jaeger-LeCoultre factory, where we also have lunch.

Later, we continue driving through the alpine roads of Switzerland, until we pass through the border back into France. After joining the French highway system, we drive to the center of Lyon and the Hotel Bellecour. Another five-star hotel on this trip. Dinner is in a bistro on market street, walking distance from the hotel.

10.00 - Leaving the hotel
10:30 - Parc Jura roads 12.00 - Factory visit Jaeger-LeCoultre
14.00 - Continue driving Parc Jura
18.00 - Arrival to Hotel Bellecour, Lyon *****
20.00 - Dinner in Bistro market street, Lyon

Friday 1 September - day seven - Saint-Tropez
Route Napoleon. The road that EVO magazine claims is the best in the world. What a great way to finish this week. Our first stop is in the city of Gap, where we have lunch in Relais Saint-Hubert. The real fun part of Route Napoleon starts after lunch and continues all the way to Castellane, where w stop for coffee and ice cream. A Gran Turismo tradition from many years back.

During the late afternoon, we arrive at Saint-Tropez and check-in to the Byblos hotel. Time for a moment to freshen up before we meet at the pool area for drinks at 20.00. We get picked up by coaches to go to the restaurant L’Opera at about 21:00.

10.00 - Leaving the hotel
12.00 - Lunch in Gap
14:00 - Route Napoleon
16:30 - Coffee and ice cream stop in Castellane
18.00 - Arrival to Byblos, Saint Tropez *****
20:00 - Drinks by the pool area
21.00 - Dinner in L'Opera

Saturday 2 September - day eight - Saint-Tropez
The restaurant L'Opera is one hell of a party venue. If you are not a little tired today, you were probably doing something wrong last night.

Don’t worry about getting up early. Byblos is serving breakfast until 12. All hotels should have breakfast until noon. Then early birds, like some of us, can have breakfast three times the same day.

Lunch is very late today - at about 15.00 in a beach club called Bagatelle Beach. As always, lunches in Saint-Tropez is a lot of fun. The closing dinner for the event is in Restaurant Rivea in Byblos Hotel at 20.00.

15.00 - Lunch in Bagatelle Beach Club
20.00 - Dinner in Ristorante Rivea

Sunday 3 September - day nine - Saint-Tropez
Thank you for joining us on Gran Turismo Europa 2017. We hope to see you again in 2018.

13.00 - Check out from Byblos Hotel