The car city of Stuttgart surprises with its wines and greenery. Stuttgart is not only home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, but also a lively metropolis surrounded by wine slopes. In lively Stuttgart, Germany, you will get to know the car industry, taste wines and enjoy the atmosphere of a big city.
German green car city
Stuttgart is located in southern Germany along the river Neckar. The history of the city dates back more than a thousand years and numerous rulers have considered Stuttgart to be their administrative city. Today, with more than 600,000 inhabitants, Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg and the most important economic and cultural center in its region.
Stuttgart is especially known for its automotive industry, but many large companies in other sectors also have their headquarters here. The region is prosperous and, for example, unemployment rates are constantly lower than in the rest of Germany. Economic success is also reflected in the surroundings: the city is very clean and green in size.
The vineyards starting right in the center also bring greenery to the overall picture of Stuttgart. The nearest wine slopes are immediately visible from the main train station and the shopping streets of the city center. Württemberg’s wines have a long tradition and are also celebrated in Stuttgart at the annual wine festival.
The squares are popular meeting places.
The summer in southern Germany is long
Spring arrives in southern Germany as early as March-April. Usually already in May you can enjoy the hot temperatures. Summer weather continues until October. The best time to travel to Stuttgart is in early summer or autumn at harvest time.
However, the season does not have to limit the travel decision: in a big city, there is plenty to do even in winter. During the Christmas period, the center is decorated with hundreds of market stalls – the city’s famous Christmas market will open as early as the end of November.
Stuttgart is a city destination for the whole family
Stuttgart is ideal for a family holiday or a car trip to the Alps or the Mediterranean. Book at least two or three days to explore the city. Many first-timers are surprised by the comfort of Stuttgart and the amount of things to do. The place is a typical German city destination: easy, safe and affordable.
Mercedes-Benz and Porsche
Stuttgart is the birthplace of the global automotive industry. At the same time in the late 19th century, both Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler built their revolutionary experiments without a horse-drawn carriage. You know the result: the experiments were successful.
Today, Mercedes alone employs around 40,000 people in the Stuttgart region. Stuttgart is also home to Porsche’s headquarters, and both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have their own museums in the city, showcasing the history of companies and the entire automotive industry. The Word Museum is not to be disturbed – these centers do not dust off filing cabinets.
Top art and concerts
Stuttgart’s role as the state capital of ten million inhabitants also makes it an important cultural center. There is world-class art on offer in several museums, as well as, of course, opera and concerts to suit all tastes. The opera, theater and main art museums can all be found right in the center just a short walk apart.
The wine slopes invite
For the culinary traveler, Stuttgart means lush German delicacies and good wines. Württemberg wines are hardly known in Finland, as most of them are consumed directly in their regions of birth. The wine tradition is here deep in the backbone of the locals, everyone is supposed to know something about the subject and the mere color does not make an order at the restaurant table.
Stuttgart itself has a long tradition as a wine town, but the oldest sparkling wine producer in all of Germany, the Kessler Sekt , founded in 1826 , can be found in the neighboring town of Esslingen. Many vineyards can be visited on site and you can also explore and taste the noble bubbles in Esslingen’s magnificent old sparkling wine cellar.
Shopper in Stuttgart
As a shopping city, Stuttgart is easy and affordable. In German terms, the city is among the most expensive, but still for Finns, for example, clothes, shoes and interior design items are cheaper than in Finland. In restaurants, on the other hand, the price difference is clearly cheaper than in Finland.
From Stuttgart, it is also easy to take a day trip to the outlet village of Metzingen , where you can save significant sums on designer clothes and accessories compared to normal prices. Hugo Boss, a celebrity in the fashion industry, hails from here, and the whole outlet village has grown up around Boss.
FLIGHTS, ACCOMMODATION AND MOVEMENT IN STUTTGART
The car city of Stuttgart is, among other things, the hometown of Porsche.
Arriving via Frankfurt by plane
The easiest way to get to Stuttgart is a flight from Helsinki to Frankfurt . The rest of the journey is only folded by a train ride of just over an hour. Long-distance trains stop at Frankfurt Airport and bring you directly to Stuttgart city center, so the train leg does not require special arrangements or difficult transitions.
The alternative is to fly to Stuttgart in Copenhagen, Stockholm or Amsterdam, but these alternative connections are usually more expensive and slower than flying to Frankfurt. In the past, you have also been able to fly directly from Helsinki to Stuttgart, but currently there is no direct connection.
Choose a place to stay in the center
In Stuttgart, as in any city of similar size, it is smart to choose a hotel that is as centrally located as possible. The city’s public transport is functional and comprehensive, but still the easiest is to get around on foot.
Stuttgart is a business city, so the offer of good basic hotels is wide and the prices are reasonable. Budget accommodation in hostels is also available.
Public transport takes you everywhere
In Stuttgart, the tourist does not need a car. Everywhere in the city center can be reached on foot and the places to visit further afield are easily reached by public transport. The city has buses, metros and local trains. Tickets are sold from vending machines at stations and stops.
From the tourist information opposite the train station, you can also buy a handy Stuttcard , which gives the tourist both discounts on admission tickets to museums and other destinations and free access to all means of transport in the city.
If you are traveling to Stuttgart as a stage of a car holiday, it is worth noting that the city is one of the busiest in Germany on weekdays. The surrounding highways can also occasionally get stuck badly. Listen to radio traffic announcements or use the real-time traffic information navigator to help with route choices.
