BMW Museum tour includes a ride through Munich and history

A car enthusiast's trip to Munich will no doubt have the BMW Museum on the schedule. But if you go before this November, the museum is offering an exclusive look into the world of BMW.

For $123 per person, you can book a special ride through the BMW universe. This is not from the seats of a crowded tour bus, however. The BMW City Tour is conducted with some of the automaker's iconic cars, such as the 326 and 335 Cabriolets of the 1930s, the 502 Cabriolet of the 1950s and the one-of-a-kind 3200 CS Cabriolet of 1962.

The chauffeur-driven city tour is a three-hour drive through Munich, passing historic sites such as Olympiapark, and several BMW landmarks. Stops include the BMW Tower, the company headquarters; the Classic Center, where craftsmen restore and maintain machines from BMW's past, and the Welt, a showplace and conference center.

Those on the tour can stretch their legs at stops such as a Champagne reception at the BMW showroom on Lenbackplatz, and they have the opportunity to look inside the Munich assembly plant, which is rarely open to visitors.

The tour ends back at the museum, where you'll get a gift box containing a certificate of participation, an entry ticket to the museum and a museum guide.

Tours beginning at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. are available on the first and third Sunday of each month from April to October. Tickets can be purchased at the BMW Museum information counter. To make reservations, call +49 (0)1802/118822. For more information, visit www.bmw-museum.com.

By Izzi Bendall