Going to be driving from Finale to Amsterdam after the EWS. Looking to break the journey after 7-8 hours – so probably somewhere round Stuttgart. Would prefer somewhere pretty – old town etc rather than just another motorway hotel, but not miles off the route. Any suggestions?

I stopped in a B&B hotel in Karlsruhe the other day, hotel was five minutes off the motorway, really easy to get to. Pretty new hotel and Decent breakfast at B&B Hotels as well!!

Had a wander around the next day for a few hours and thought it was a really nice place. Lots of history and a buzzing city.

I’d recommend there.

Had an excellent lunch stop in a pretty village en route to a meeting with an automotive manufacturing concern in the area. Looked like the sort of place you’re after, will try and remember check my expenses for you on the morrow.

Stuttgart itself is really rather pleasant as well, worth a look for a bargain.

Check out Kirchheim Unter Teck, very nice little town near Stuttgart and just off of the Autobahn.

They all sound great, thanks for the suggestions. However it turns out we wont be that close to Stuttgart (one of the perils of trying to plan routes on a phone screen)- we’ll be further west on the A5 near Baden Baden, so Karlsruhe could work………

We did an overnight near Gaggenau (Unimog museum is there if that is of any interest). Look at the smaller surrounding villages – we had an air b&b apartment for 4 and was much nicer than a hotel. Think it was Oberweier.

Boblingen just off E41. Pretty town quiet with old centre good restaurants bars and hotels.

La Bresse is not too far from Stuttgart after a 7 hour drive. It has a bike park and a camp site and lovely mountain lakes. I was there for the world cup last week and fell in love with the place.

Great thanks! – will check those out. Unimog museum – 17yo son will love that!

In that case your son will probably also like the Speyer Technik museum which is also on your route. The hotel there is OK and has an adjacent gated motorhome camp area (could ask to park in there if got a car full of expensive bikes)

Porsche museum at Zuffenhausen to the north of Stuttgart is worth a visit