Tourist drives are open, public driving sessions run by several race tracks, best known on the Nürburgring Nordschleife: you turn up without booking ahead, effectively pay per lap (at the Ring through a credit system) and drive under the road traffic rules that apply. A track day is a booked day on a circuit closed off for the event, with a capped field, a drivers' briefing and, with us, instructors there all day. Both have their place, the only question is what suits you and your first time.
Public driving sessions that anyone with a suitable car can join without booking ahead. You pay through a credit system, effectively for the laps you actually drive. The upside: the cheapest and most spontaneous way to get onto a race circuit at all. The downside: the field is completely mixed, from rental cars to very experienced drivers, there is no fixed structure and no instructors included, and on busy days there can be more traffic on the circuit.
A booked day on a circuit that is closed off for the track day, with a capped field. With us that means: 50 starting places in total, a maximum of 30 cars on track at the same time, controlled by a traffic light. Before driving there is a drivers' briefing, mandatory for every driver, after which instructors are there all day, ride-alongs at no extra charge. The upside: a plannable structure and, in practice, a lot more track time in one go, because the field is capped. The downside: a higher price per day, and you reserve your place in advance instead of turning up on a whim.
How we implement open pit as a format in detail, instead of fixed group sessions, is explained in more depth in the guide Open pit lane.
These four points come straight from the Nürburgring's official driving regulations for tourist drives:
You do not need to book, you drive spontaneously during opening hours. What that means for how the day runs, and how a track day differs in structure, is covered in the comparison above.
These are the fixed parameters that apply to every one of our dates:
The honest answer depends on what you measure. The single lap is cheaper with tourist drives, you only pay for what you actually drive. The day as a whole often works out differently with a track day: a driver ticket with us starts at 749 €, and that includes open pit all day, instructors at no extra charge and a passenger already included. We deliberately do not quote other providers' prices here, they change constantly and are not our business to track.
How to properly compare offers on that basis, price per hour of track time rather than just the ticket price, is explained in more detail in the guide What does a track day cost.
Whether tourist drives or a track day, in both cases you are driving your own car, and in both cases it is worth checking your policy first. Some contracts treat a closed, booked circuit differently from a public driving session on an open race track, there is no universal answer to that, it depends on the wording of your own policy. The suggested wording for putting that to your insurer in writing is in the guide Track day insurance.
If you want to dip a toe in and see whether driving on a race circuit even suits you, tourist drives are the cheapest and most spontaneous way in, with no booking at all. If you want to actually learn to drive, get better lap by lap and have guidance along the way, a track day gives you more structure, more track time in one go and instructors who are there all day. Many people end up doing both: a lap of tourist drives to get a first taste, then a booked track day for the next step.
The honest part: We do not offer tourist drives or dates at the Nürburgring ourselves, that is a separate offer run by the ring. We run track days at the Red Bull Ring and at Bilster Berg.
If you decide on the track day, the guide Your first track day is the next step, it answers the basics before you book.
Next date is Sat 12 Sep 2026 at the Bilster Berg. With us that means: open pit all day, instructors included.
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