Ok, reality check time. You're probably not going to spend your holiday in Wolfsburg.

If you've been round the grounds of England this particular german away day is on a par with that hike to Sunderland or Luton.

It's on the football map but think gritty, industrial. Imagine it on a freezing cold and rainy February Saturday, as it was when I went,  and you're probably not going to rush back in too much of a hurry.

Life in a northern town: The German city of Wolfsburg.

So if you're hoping to find a charming, small german town when you head to Wolfsburg you're probably going to be disappointed. Very disappointed.

However, it does have more in common with Sunderland and Luton (also it's twin town) than you may think - and that's a motoring heritage.

Step outside the main train station and you're in the city that's home to Volkswagen. If you're in any doubt glance left and the giant VW sign on the plant and chimneys across the river will give you a clue.

Some cities gain a big car plant. Wolfsburg was quite literally built for it, in the 1930s, initially called Stadt des KdF-Wagens. It took the name Wolfsburg after the nearby castle after the war.

Today it's an industrial town and whilst in the opposite direction to the VW plant there are smart shopping streets stretching out giving signs of life - before kick off, anyway - on first impressions it's a fairly workmanlike place with little to grab the imagination.

It's a plant: The Volkswagen plant to be precise. And the huge white blob is the VW logo but you'll have to take my word for that.

My time in Wolsfburg was but a few hours - getting off at the wrong station at nearby Gipforn station not helping matters (how were we to know there were two?) - so if i've done it down and you want to set the record straight, drop me an email.

If you do find yourself here overnight or with a few more hours to spare, there are two places that may be worth checking out.

You could try the Autostadt, an open air homage to motoring created, would you believe it, by VW and sitting right next to their plant. The extensive and futuristic attraction has pulled in two million visitors a year since opening in 2000.

Or you could check out the bizarre looking building to the left of the railway station, Phaeno - a highly rated hands on science museum.

Frankly though Wolfsburg is probably somewhere to pop through for a day trip, a feel of a real Germany city rather than somewhere on the tourist trail.

Wolfsburg by night: The city skyline, with the stadium on the right. (Photo: Cubanito)