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Stuttgart, Germany

Stuttgart Schlossplatz [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Frank Hörner]
Stuttgart Schlossplatz [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Frank Hörner]

Charmingly situated in the heart of one of Germany`s largest wine-growing regions, this vibrant metropolis fascinates visitors from all over the world.

The state capital of Baden-Württemberg delights tourists not only by virtue of its magnificent panorama, its impressive gardens and parks, its fine squares, splendid palaces and buildings in a wide range of architectural styles, but also by its cultural and culinary diversity and its typical Swabian ingenuity.

Automobile Industry in Stuttgart

Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart, Germany [photo: Julian Herzog / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)]
Mercedes-Benz Museum Stuttgart, Germany [photo: Julian Herzog / CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0)]

One main attraction for visitors to Stuttgart is the Mercedes-Benz Museum.
On a total area of approx. 17 000 square meters on 9 levels, some 160 vehicles are on display. These include not only the earliest models – such as the Gottlieb Daimler Motor Carriage and the Motor Car patented by Karl Benz, both dating from the year 1886 – but also the latest series production vehicles.

The other spectacular automobile museum in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen is the Porsche Museum.

Art

Stuttgart is home to world-class art. Stuttgart State Gallery (Staatsgalerie, https://www.staatsgalerie.de/en.html ) with its outstanding art collection is one of Germany`s most popular art museums. The classical architecture of the old building houses outstanding paintings of the 19th and 20th century, especially of the Classic Modernism, from Expressionism through to Picasso`s later ouvre, as well as contemporary art. The adjoining New State Gallery, the postmodern masterpiece designed by the famous British star architect James Stirling, presents works of various eras from Gothic to the 18th century.

The Old State Gallery presents works of art from the Middle Ages up to the 19th century, with not only Old German, Italian and Netherlandish painting but also paintings and sculpture from Classicism to Impressionism.

20th century art is to be found within the postmodernist architecture of the New State Gallery. Here the focus is on Classical Modernism and postwar art. The extension designed by Wilfried and Katharina Steib contains the Graphics collection comprising over 400 000 works. A further “temple of art” is Stuttgart Museum of Art, a glass cube opened in 2005, which at night seems to hover above the Königsstrasse like a light sculpture.

Since 2005 the Stuttgart Museum of Art (Kunstmuseum, https://www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de/), located right in the heart of the city on Schlossplatz (Palace Square), has enhanced the diversity of art and culture on offer in the state capital of Stuttgart in a unique form. The spectacular glass cube enthralls by virtue of its elegant simplicity, particularly at night, when the glass façade begins to shine with a luminous radiance and reveals the stone core of the structure´s interior.

Visible from afar, this glass cube attracts a broad spectrum of art lovers with three or four major exhibitions a year, often of works by contemporary artists. The full extent of the museum, however, only becomes apparent on entering the actual collection: by incorporating a disused system of tunnels, the subtle and sophisticated design of the architects Hascher and Jehle made it possible to enlarge the exhibition area to a total of 5000 sq.m. Here, in constantly changing exhibitions, the museum presents the most outstanding works of the municipal art collection, which originated in 1924 with a donation by Count Silvio della Valle di Casanova and now comprises over 15 000 works of Classical Modernism and contemporary art. Stuttgart´s art collection is famous for the world´s most important collection of works by Otto Dix.

Key works by artists such as Adolf Hoelzel, Willi Baumeister, Fritz Winter and Dieter Roth make a visit to Stuttgart´s Museum of Art a truly memorable experience.

Stuttgart Königstrasse [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Thomas Niedermüller]
Stuttgart Königstrasse [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Thomas Niedermüller]

Museums

Other museums also give fascinating insights: Württemberg State Museum (Schillerplatz 6, 70173 Stuttgart; https://www.landesmuseum-stuttgart.de/) in the Old Palace not only illustrates the history of the region, but also stages impressive temporary exhibitions, from the Stone Age, Celts and Romans up to modern times.

The House of History (Haus der Geschichte, Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 16, 70173 Stuttgart; https://www.hdgbw.de/) documents the political history of southwest Germany over the past 200 years, while the Linden Museum at the Hegel-Platz 1 (https://www.lindenmuseum.de/) is one of the leading museums of ethnology.

The two state natural history museums, the Museum Schloss Rosenstein (Rosenstein, 70191 Stuttgart; https://naturkundemuseum-bw.de/) and the Museum am Löwentor (Rosenstein 1, 70191 Stuttgart; https://naturkundemuseum-bw.de/), vividly bring to life the diversity and evolution of life forms, including long-extinct animals such as the dinosaurs of the Triassic period or the large mammals of the Ice Age.

Performing Arts

In the evening we recommend a visit to the famous Stuttgart Ballet (https://www.stuttgart-ballet.de/) or the award-winning, internationally acclaimed Stuttgart State Opera (https://www.staatsoper-stuttgart.de/) at the magnificent Opera House (https://www.staatsoper-stuttgart.de/en/).
For theatre lovers Stuttgart offers a wide choice of shows at over 40 different venues. Top artists, magicians and cabaret thrill audiences with international vaudeville at the Friedrichsbau (https://www.friedrichsbau.de/).
Stuttgart`s highly-acclaimed orchestras travel the world as musical ambassadors for the city. The SWR Radio Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgart Philharmonic (https://www.stuttgarter-philharmoniker.de/), Stuttgart State Orchestra (https://www.staatsoper-stuttgart.de/en/staatsorchester/), Stuttgart Chamber Orchestra (Kammer Orchester; https://stuttgarter-kammerorchester.com/en/ and the International Bach Academy (https://www.bachakademie.de/en/) impress by virtue of their exceptionally high standard, wonderful sound and artistic diversity.

Attractions

The unique SI-Erlebnis-Centrum Stuttgart (https://www.si-centrum.de/) offers a wide range of leisure activities, from fantastic musicals to over 19 theme restaurants, the Stuttgart Casino and the SchwabenQuellen, a complex comprising over 6000 square metres of sauna and bathing facilities.

A visit to the unique “Wilhelma”, Europe`s largest zoological and botanical gardens (https://www.wilhelma.de/), is also an enjoyable experience at any time of year. The combination of some 10 000 animals and plants and magnificent Moorish buildings set in a historical park will delight young and old alike.

Also highly recommended is a visit to Stuttgart`s “Sternwarte” (astronomical observatory) (https://www.sternwarte.de/) on the Uhlandshöhe and to the Carl Zeiss Planetarium (Willy-Brandt-Straße 25, 70173 Stuttgart; https://www.planetarium-stuttgart.de/)

Mineral Springs

Stuttgart`s mineral springs are the second most prolific in the whole of Europe. Those who value the medicinal qualities of mineral water can relax in one of the three mineral spas in Stuttgart`s Bad Cannstatt district: the Mineralbad Leuze, the Mineral-Bad Berg and the Mineral-Bad Cannstatt. Each day 22 million liters of invigorating mineral water gush from their 19 springs – a natural resource which on this scale is unparalleled in Western Europe.

Stuttgart Festivals

Stuttgart`s traditional festivals also enjoy international popularity: the great, family-friendly Stuttgart Spring Festival, the elegant Summer Festival with its white pavilions, countless fairy lights and lanterns, and Stuttgart Wine Village, with over 120 lovingly decorated wine arbors set up around the Old Palace.

At the end of September it`s time for the more boisterous Cannstatt Beer Festival – which began in 1818 as a thanksgiving festival – with its countless fairground attractions and vast beer tents holding up to 5000 guests.

The Advent season sees the opening of the Stuttgart Christmas Market. First documented as early as 1692, it is today one of the biggest and best of its kind in Europe. Hundreds of lovingly adorned wooden huts with artistically decorated roofs entice visitors to wander round in the nostalgic atmosphere against the magnificent backdrop of the Old Palace.

Regional Kitchen

Ofenschlupfer [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Jean-Claude Winkler]
Ofenschlupfer [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Jean-Claude Winkler]
Maultaschen mit Kartoffelsalat [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Jean-Claude Winkler]
Maultaschen mit Kartoffelsalat [photo: Stuttgart-Marketing GmbH / Jean-Claude Winkler]

And last but not least we must mention the “stars” in Stuttgart`s gastronomic firmament: Stuttgart is renowned for its Swabian cuisine but also for a first-class international cuisine. Many award-winning chefs have successfully established themselves here, and along with the Swabian “Wengerter” (wine growers) they gladden the hearts not only of Stuttgart`s inhabitants but also of epicures from all over the world.

StuttCard — savings for visitors

Stuttgart's StuttCard - discounts for attractions, sightseeing, and more
Stuttgart’s StuttCard – discounts for attractions, sightseeing, and more

The handy credit card size fits into every wallet and is the ideal companion for a city trip to Stuttgart. The StuttCard gives you free admission and reductions on the regular prices of more than 50 partners in the Stuttgart Region. 

The StuttCard can be purchased as a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket for adults – while the StuttCard PLUS option includes free travel on the entire VVS (Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart) Stuttgart Transport and Tariff Network.
Presentation of the StuttCard guarantees you free admission to nearly all museums and places of interest. Art lovers can enjoy the Stuttgart State Gallery (Staatsgalerie Stuttgart), the Stuttgart Museum of Art (Kunstmuseum Stuttgart) and many other galleries in the region, such as the National Schiller Museum in Marbach.
Automobile enthusiasts will love the unique museums of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche and the Stuttgart Television Tower.
The new Märklineum in Göppingen, scheduled to open in autum 2020, is also one of our StuttCard partners. And those interested in the region’s stately homes can visit the palaces of Ludwigsburg and Solitude, or the Royal Burial Chapel free of charge. With the StuttCard visitors can also experience history at first hand, for example with a visit to the Theodor Heuss House.

More info: https://int.stuttgart-tourist.de/en/o-stuttcard-experience-stuttgart

Climate & Temperatures in Stuttgart

Average temperatures

Juli/August: 60-80 F (average of 25 degrees Celsius)
Winter: average around 32 F (0 C)

Stuttgart Visitor Info & Getting Around

Population

Ca. 630.ooo (est. 2020); 590.000(December 2002)

Airport

Flughafen Stuttgart – You can reach Stuttgart Airport via the exit roads on the A8 (No. 53) or the B27.

Web: https://www.stuttgart-airport.com/

Transportation

Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS)
Transportation Authority for Subway, Bus, Tram. Regional trains)

Location

The City of Stuttgart is located in Southwest-Germany centre of Europe in the Federal State of Baden-Württemberg. The River Neckar flows through the town. Total area of the city is about 207 qkm.
Height above sea level: 207 – 549 Meter

Tourist Information / Official Stuttgart Tourism & Visitor’s Bureau

The No. 1 contact points for visitors to Stuttgart is the Tourist Information Centre “i-Punkt”, opposite the main train station, and the Tourist Information Centre “Stuttgart Airport” .

Web: Stuttgart Tourism

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