Stuttgart holidays

How to reach Stuttgart

• Flight time: Flights to Stuttgart from London take around 1 hour 40 minutes.

• Transfer time: From Stuttgart Airport, 15km south of the city centre, S-Bahn lines S2 and S3 run to the Hauptbahnhof in around 30 minutes.

• Price: A standard S-Bahn ticket from the airport to the city centre costs around €4.20. Expect to pay between €30 and €35 for a taxi to the city centre.

Best time to visit Stuttgart

This will depend on what you want to get out of your trip, and the weather might play a part in your decision too.

• April to June: Average temperatures in spring range from 10°C to 22°C, rainfall is moderate, around 40–60mm, with 8–9 hours of sunshine daily. The Stuttgart Spring Festival is the big cultural event during this period.

• July to August: Although this is high season, crowds aren’t really a problem here in Stuttgart and accommodation is no more expensive than at any other time of the year. Average temperatures hover around 23°C to 28°C, rainfall is typically low (around 50–70mm), and there are up to 10 hours of sunshine. The city truly comes alive though for the Stuttgart Summer Festival.

• September to November: Cooler but still a very pleasant climate, with temperatures gradually dropping from 18°C to 10°C, increasing rainfall (50–90mm) and around 6 hours of sunshine. This is a great time to explore Stuttgart’s many cultural assets, as well as the Cannstatter Volksfest, one of the biggest beer festivals in Germany.

• December to March: Stuttgart’s Christmas market draws visitors from all over Europe. Temperatures range from -1°C to 8°C, snow is common, as is rainfall (around 30–60mm), and there are 3–5 hours of sunshine.

Practical information

• Spoken languages: German is the official language, but English is widely spoken throughout the city.

• Local habits and customs: To tip in a café, round your bill up to the next €0.50 or €1 and give the total directly to the waiter; at restaurants, you should leave around ten percent of the bill. Jaywalking is illegal in Germany, so only cross on the green man – you could be fined if you don’t.

• Health and safety: Stuttgart is a safe city, but as with any major urban centre, keep an eye on your belongings, especially on public transport.

• Currency: Germany uses the Euro (€), with credit and debit cards accepted in most restaurants and shops.

• Getting around: The Hauptbahnhof is the main hub for the network of U-Bahn and S-Bahn lines. A single ticket in zone 1 costs €2.40; a day pass for two zones – which will get you to and from the Mercedes and Porsche museums – costs €6.90 per person, or €12 for a group of up to five people.

• Electricity and plug types: Germany uses the standard European 230-volt system with two-pin plugs. UK travellers will need an adaptor.

• Time zone: Stuttgart operates on Central European Time (CET), which is one hour ahead of GMT.

Best things to do in Stuttgart

Set amid rolling hills, laidback, leafy and very wealthy Stuttgart has some unique museums - especially of the car variety - tremendous parks and sparkling nightlife.

Viewpoints and panoramas

• Stadtbibliothek: This grey modernist cube with its startling bright-white interiors is the work of Korean architect Eun Young Yi and is well worth a look for architecture fans. At night, illuminations produce amazing results.

• TV Tower (Fernsehturm Stuttgart): Hailing from 1956, which makes it the earliest example of this much-imitated olive-on-a-toothpick design, the views are fantastic and can be lingered over at the good café and restaurant.

The best districts

• Bad Cannstatt: Known for its thermal springs, this district of pleasantly faded grandeur is also where you’ll find the Wilhelma Zoo and the Cannstatter Volksfest grounds.

• Bohnenviertel: A traditional blue-collar district, its cobbled lanes convey a more distant history that’s made it attractive to gentrification, with jewellers, galleries and antique shops as well as several cosy Weinstuben.

Museums

• Mercedes-Benz-Museum: Housed in a futuristic landmark building on the banks of the Neckar, this superb museum is chock-full of 110 years of immaculate vehicles, including a Benz Vélo, the world’s first production car, and the W125, which clocked 432.7kph on the Frankfurt–Darmstadt Autobahn in 1938 (still the fastest ever speed on a public highway).

• Staatsgalerie: A superlative art collection based on the collection of the Württemberg dukes, the gallery holds German masters, Italian Baroque painters and leading lights of the French Impressionist movement, including Monet.

• Landesmuseum Württemberg: A rewardingly eclectic museum whose Swabian devotional sculptures are worth seeking out, as is Europe’s oldest pack of playing cards, dating from 1430!

Parks and gardens

• Schlossgarten: A long finger of parkland where lazy paths weave around a well-used strip populated by sunbathers, strollers and roller-bladers at the first hint of sunshine.

• Höhenpark Killesberg: Replanted after the war and jewelled with sparkling water cascades and fountains, Stuttgart’s highest park affords sweeping panoramas from the Killesberg Turm, a 43m-high lookout of winding staircases.

Historical monuments

• The Old Castle (Altes Schloss): The stolid Altes Schloss on the east flank of Schillerplatz is where Stuttgart started, but today houses the worthwhile Landesmuseum Württemberg.

• Stiftskirche: Stuttgart’s oldest church by far, dating back to the 12th century, sports striking twin towers and a calming interior.

Day trips in the area

• Schloss Solitude: The main summer residence of the Württemberg court for some 20 years, this majestic castle is one of Stuttgart’s most popular days out, though its interior can only be visited on guided tours. Heidelberg: With its Altstadt nestled in a wooded gorge on the River Neckar, one of Germany’s leading university towns boasts a roster of sights, centred on Germany’s most celebrated semi-derelict castle.

• Tübingen: A most rewarding day trip thanks to its half-timbered houses on twisting cobbled lanes gathering around two focal squares – Holzmarkt and the Markt – below a fortress, Schloss Hohentübingen. .

Activities for families in Stuttgart

Stuttgart is among Germany’s most family-oriented cities, with plenty to keep the whole family entertained, from interactive museums to zoos and planetariums, and even an antique railway.

• Planetarium: The awesome glass pyramid of Carl-Zeiss-Planetarium has superb virtual stargazing, and all shows have English audio.

• Zoos and aquariums: Wilhelma is a heavyweight zoo and gardens, its romantic Moorish fantasies dotting the zoo’s gardens, which feature Europe’s largest magnolia grove and four thousand orchids – a fine backdrop for some 9,000 animals.

• Rack Railway: Affably known as the “Zacke”, the Zahnradbahn is a wonderful antique rack railway, which has been climbing to the suburb of Degerloch since 1884.

Free things to do in Stuttgart

Stuttgart offers plenty of free activities, perfect for those on a budget or simply wanting to enjoy the city without spending a fortune - its festival scene is one of the best in Germany.

• Parks and gardens: Head to any of the city’s many parks for free entertainment, but Höhenpark Killesberg has the advantage of sweeping panoramas from the Killesberg Turm, a 43m-high lookout of winding staircases, while there are also outdoor pools - and if you don’t mind spending a little, a shamelessly twee tourist-train.

• Free events: Stuttgart really livens up in late April, during the three-week Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest which salutes spring with beer and grilled sausages; in August, the open-air Sommerfest takes over the Schlossplatz with free live music; while Stuttgart also hosts Germany’s largest Christmas Market.

Nature and outdoor activities in Stuttgart

The city’s proximity to local vineyards makes walking an attractive proposition (especially if you don’t want to drive), although there’s a fair amount to do within the city itself on your Stuttgart holidays.

• Hiking: Stuttgart is surrounded by numerous scenic trails, many of which wind through vineyards - one such route is the Weinwanderweg, while a popular spot for more gentle walking is Killesberg Park, which offers panoramic views over the city.

• Boating: The Neckar River runs through Stuttgart, so what better way to get a different perspective on the city than by renting a boat or taking a leisurely river cruise.

• Cycling: Provision for cyclists around the city (and state) is first-class. All the main Baden-Württemberg cities have a reasonable cycle path network – even from the centre of Stuttgart you barely need to touch a road to get to the fringes of the Black Forest.

Local dishes in Stuttgart

One of the great delights of holidays to Stuttgart is discovering Swabian cuisine, and while meat tends to dominate, there’s much else besides.

Some typical dishes

• Maultaschen: Often described as German ravioli, these oversized pasta pockets are filled with meat or vegetables and served in broth or with melted butter.

• Zwiebelrostbraten: A Swabian classic, this juicy hunk of roasted beef steak is topped with crispy onions and served with potatoes or spätzle.

Meat dishes

• Schweinshaxe: A huge crispy knuckle which could grace a medieval banqueting table, usually served with potato dumplings or sauerkraut.

• Sauerbraten: A slow-cooked pot roast marinated in vinegar and spices, typically served with red cabbage and potatoes.

Street food

• Flammkuchen: A thin, pizza-like dish, Flammkuchen is typically topped with crème fraîche, onions and bacon.

• Bratwurst: The common or garden sausage, served countrywide. Varies by region but usually made of finely minced pork and marjoram.

Sweets and desserts

• Black Forest cake: Known as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, layers of chocolate sponge cake with cherries and whipped cream are finished with a generous splash of Kirsch (cherry brandy).

• Apfelstrudel: Warm apple pastry, spiced with cinnamon and served with vanilla sauce or whipped cream.

Local drinks

• Regional wine: Württemberg is a large and underrated area of small producers around Stuttgart. Go for reds – Trollinger and Lemberger – especially in the Neckar Valley.

• Beer: Stuttgart is home to some excellent local beer, with breweries like Stuttgarter Hofbräu offering a wide range of refreshing pilsners and lagers.