Anyone with advice for Abenteuer & Allrad Bad Kissingen First-timers?

[tonydca]

Summer 2024 is approaching fast, and the big show at Bad Kissingen is scheduled for 30 May. - 02 Jun. 2024.

I am hoping to go for the first time this year, and was wondering if anyone has any pearls of wisdom to dispense?

I have heard that the campground is the best part of the show Unfortunately I will not have a camping vehicle myself (just a rental car), but are folks just free to roam around and ask questions of the other attendees/campers?

Also, any recommendations on places/towns to stay locally? That part of Germany is completely new to me.

Thanks!

 

[Ozarker]

So, you're heading to the Rohn Mountains of Bavaria, very scenic and the town is like Hot Springs, Ar. , it's a spa resort with mineral baths. Don't worry, plenty of Guesthouses serving beer. Bavaria has an interesting war history, but I'd suggest you drive on over to Berchtesgaden, to the Southeast, which is the best of Bavaria, there is an Armed Forces Rec area there. You're close to Austria at Bert-garden, the castle used for the Walt Disney parks and logo is located there and they have tours. Also, see Eagles Nest over looking the lake, this was Hitler's Bavarian HQ, very interesting place. If you are military be sure to list Austria on your Leave Document/Pass. Too bad you're not going to that area in October!

I have no idea about camping today or any event, go with the flow.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Yes, the camping and chatting with the visitors is the main attraction.
This is about 3/4 of the campers in 2015, so seeing it all takes some time. The show itself is a short free bus ride away. I am not sure about day visitor parking.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[mog]

I posted this before, but I had to spend about a half hour to find it, so I will repost the info on this thread.

I went in 2018 and it was awesome. Here are some suggestions from a 'first timer' there.

I would say one day for the official show if you get there at the opening when it is not too crowded, and one day for the camping area, which is just as interesting as the show.
I would recommend Friday, as on Thursday a lot of vendors have not arrived or are still setting up.

I had a car, but a train is a great option. Trying to drive to the show is a nightmare++. All visitors have to take a shuttle from the parking lot, and the vehicle line to get into that can stretch for 6+ kilometers! I highly recommend staying at Campus Bad Kissingen, Schurzstr. 2-6, 97688 Bad Kissingen, Germany +49 971 722611. These are school dormitories that they rent out. You can get a private room with a private bath. It is located less than 1/4 kilometer from the parking area where you catch the shuttle to the show. A perfect location, very clean and quiet and they have a wonderful buffet breakfast that is included. And a very reasonable price. I used Booking.com and it was 54€ per night for a private room and private bath. A very good Greek restaurant (El Greco) is less than 100 meters away.

By the way. Contrary to the normal German well-thought-out, planned, and organized way of doing things, the shuttle loading area is a free-for-all (think Bangladesh train station). No lines, no guidance, no organized bus arrival, so be prepared to be assertive to get on a bus, if you get there at the opening.

The camping area is amazing. I was there on Friday and Saturday. It really filled up on Saturday. I enjoyed it as much as the show. I had a hard time finding its location ahead of time on-line. And even when I was there, I could only find it by following Expo Vehicles, until I got close enough to find temporary signs. It is at the water treatment plant. The turn-in road is across the street (west side) from Casino 13, Würzburger Str. 27, 97688 Bad Kissingen, Germany The campground is 1.5 km from the train station, and the parking lot for the shuttle to the show is about 5km from the station.

BTW if you are flying into Frankfurt, I found it much cheaper and faster to rent a car (about 1/2 the price and time of a train). Just be aware that rush hour Frankfurt traffic is 7 times worst than Los Angeles traffic so avoid the rush hour if you want your sanity.

Also VERY IMPORTANT, Thursday, 30 May is Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) day, and 99.8% of everything is CLOSE. No restaurants, no grocery stores, no shops. Gas stations are the only thing open on that day.

Here are some maps (disregard map 'interest points', they are just what Google had) The 'Afz Campus' is Campus Bad Kissingen

Parking and bus area for the show


The camping area. I had no problem parking my rental car in the 'teal' area


Overview of the parking for the show and the camping area

 

[tonydca]

I posted this before, but I had to spend about a half hour to find it, so I will repost the info on this thread.

I went in 2018 and it was awesome. Here are some suggestions from a 'first timer' there.

I would say one day for the official show if you get there at the opening when it is not too crowded, and one day for the camping area, which is just as interesting as the show.
I would recommend Friday, as on Thursday a lot of vendors have not arrived or are still setting up.

I had a car, but a train is a great option. Trying to drive to the show is a nightmare++. All visitors have to take a shuttle from the parking lot, and the vehicle line to get into that can stretch for 6+ kilometers! I highly recommend staying at Campus Bad Kissingen, Schurzstr. 2-6, 97688 Bad Kissingen, Germany +49 971 722611. These are school dormitories that they rent out. You can get a private room with a private bath. It is located less than 1/4 kilometer from the parking area where you catch the shuttle to the show. A perfect location, very clean and quiet and they have a wonderful buffet breakfast that is included. And a very reasonable price. I used Booking.com and it was 54€ per night for a private room and private bath. A very good Greek restaurant (El Greco) is less than 100 meters away.

By the way. Contrary to the normal German well-thought-out, planned, and organized way of doing things, the shuttle loading area is a free-for-all (think Bangladesh train station). No lines, no guidance, no organized bus arrival, so be prepared to be assertive to get on a bus, if you get there at the opening.

The camping area is amazing. I was there on Friday and Saturday. It really filled up on Saturday. I enjoyed it as much as the show. I had a hard time finding its location ahead of time on-line. And even when I was there, I could only find it by following Expo Vehicles, until I got close enough to find temporary signs. It is at the water treatment plant. The turn-in road is across the street (west side) from Casino 13, Würzburger Str. 27, 97688 Bad Kissingen, Germany The campground is 1.5 km from the train station, and the parking lot for the shuttle to the show is about 5km from the station.

BTW if you are flying into Frankfurt, I found it much cheaper and faster to rent a car (about 1/2 the price and time of a train). Just be aware that rush hour Frankfurt traffic is 7 times worst than Los Angeles traffic so avoid the rush hour if you want your sanity.

Also VERY IMPORTANT, Thursday, 30 May is Corpus Christi (Fronleichnam) day, and 99.8% of everything is CLOSE. No restaurants, no grocery stores, no shops. Gas stations are the only thing open on that day.

Here are some maps (disregard map 'interest points', they are just what Google had) The 'Afz Campus' is Campus Bad Kissingen

Parking and bus area for the show
View attachment 812987

The camping area. I had no problem parking my rental car in the 'teal' area
View attachment 812988

Overview of the parking for the show and the camping area
View attachment 812989

Thanks for taking the time to post such a detailed response!!

I did not realize that the camping area is in a very different location from the "show" grounds. (if I am reading your post correctly)

It sounds like you recommend walking to the shuttle area, squeezing onto shuttles and going up on day(s) when you want to visit the show, and driving to the "teal" parking areas on days you want to visit the campers.

Do you recall if there is a separate charge to visit the campground as a non-camper? - Not sure what the customs/protocol is for people just wandering around the area (visitor pass or other form of day pass) or if that is part of the attraction of the whole event.

Thanks again for your input!

 

[mog]

You can drive to the parking area for the show, BUT the traffic is the worst I have seen in my life. Literally 4 km of stopped traffic. The only way to get to the show grounds is to ride the shuttles, there is NO driving to the show grounds unless you are a vendor.

4.2 km driving from the bus loading parking to the campground area. 6.2 km from the campground to the show grounds (no driving there), 5.8 km from the bus loading parking to the show grounds (no driving there).

The shuttles are very nice Euro-style buses and very comfortable. And even more comfortable when you see the traffic on the roads. The buses have priority lanes and travel. The craziness in loading I experienced was because I was there well before they started running the buses (I wanted to get in right at the start before the show was crowded) and a thousand other people had the same idea. I would guess that after the initial rush, the shuttles are running very smoothly (remember this is Germany).

It is no problem driving to the campgrounds as you are going opposite the main traffic heading to the show parking. You can also take side streets which I did to hit up a pizzeria for chow

There are no restrictions and no charge walking into the campgrounds. They have control points for vehicles coming in, but not pedestrians. And no restrictions on parking in the 'teal' area. Most people there are 'camping', and not a bunch of 'overseas tourists', so not a lot of cars in that area. Also, no restrictions on walking around the campground as a visitor, and everyone loves to talk about their rigs. Quite the Expo camaraderie. People have camp areas set up and fire circles, so I always ask if it is OK to get close to a vehicle to take photos and look at cool ideas (there are tons of brilliant ideas incorporated there), and of course, no one has issues and a good way to start a conversation. Most people think it is quite cool that a tourist has traveled from America just to see 'their' vehicle.