Stuttgart's Television Tower, Stuttgart's "Zacke" (cogwheel railway), Stuttgart's "Stäffele" (big number of stairways): all insider tips for which we love our vibrant city.
We would like to share this love of with you. We'll show you the best and most beautiful reasons why you should definitely put Stuttgart on your shortlist for your next trip! Enjoy our little "declaration of love" to our state capital.
Actually, our best wines could fill the whole list, because we certainly don't lack good wineries! In our beloved Stuttgart, you'll find vineyards right into the city centre, so you can combine shopping with a walk along the vineyards, and wine tasting comes with it! Where else can you get an extra wine tour on top of the usual city tours? And for the basics, head to one of our many Besenwirtschaften, where you'll find home-style delicacies.
That's right, we can do culture too! In Stuttgart we have the largest three-section theatre in Europe and offer theatre, ballet and opera at its best. You'll find the main venues right in the heart of the city in our Schlossgarten. The opera house in particular is worth a visit, even from the outside, with its fantastic façade! This way, even the last culture vulture will find his or her perfect evening programme in a wonderful atmosphere!
Whether it's for a leisurely sunbath, a well-deserved shopping break, a coffee on the lawn or simply to enjoy - the Schlossplatz is the hub for all Stuttgart residents. Beautifully lined by the New Palace and Königstraße (the longest continuous shopping pedestrian zone in Europe, by the way), you can linger here for hours by the fountain and feed your Instagram channels with new content at the same time!
A staircase as a reason to travel to Stuttgart? Definitely! Because our stäffele aren't just a bunch of stairs, they're as much a part of Stuttgart as onions are to roast beef and lentils are to spaetzle. There is a fine line between hating and loving the Stäffele and it all depends on the destination. Between 400 and 600 stäffele line the way out of the cauldron and are a remnant from the good old days when wine was grown all over Stuttgart. For all those interested who don't want to take the path up alone, we offer our Stäffele tours - but don't forget to pack a Vesper (snack) for the breathers.
After the "Stäffele" is before the viewpoints (or something like that). As soon as Stuttgart gets a little higher, fantastic vantage points await you from all directions. Whether with gastronomy like on the Karlshöhe (Tschechen und Söhne beer garden) or in the Weißenburgpark at the Teehaus, with a super tasty ice cream parlour and table tennis like at Eugensplatz, or with a decent climb up our favourite mountain, Monte Scherbelino (or officially Birkenkopf) - you're spoilt for choice!
It's hard to imagine Stuttgart without these two original elements! The funicular has been running from Heslach to the Waldfriedhof for almost as long as VfB Stuttgart has been bringing victories to the Neckar (OK, there are 36 years between the first ride and the founding of VfB in 1893). The old funicular is therefore very close to our hearts and still appears in its original form, with teak benches. The easiest way to get there is to walk from the Waldfriedhof (forest cemetery) to Degerloch and take the Zacke cogwheel train, which will take you down the metres to Marienplatz.
Every city has a district that stands out among all the others - in Stuttgart: the bean district. The name, by the way, comes from the fact that Stuttgart is famous for its beans in addition to its winegrowing. No, seriously, in the 19th century a lot of beans were grown in the gardens of this quarter, which is where the name came from. Today, you'll find old town charm with great cafés, little streets, fancy shops, sustainable fashion and (drum roll) NO (at least few) cars!
From the urban jungle to the real jungle - you can only get that in Stuttgart! At Wilhelma, one of the largest and most species-rich zoological and botanical gardens in Germany, you'll find everything from cute little monkeys, elephants and giraffes to the rarest plants and magnificent greenhouses and butterfly houses.
We can't list our 10 reasons without mentioning the automobile, because it is too omnipresent in Stuttgart and - after all - we have two automobile museums, one of which was even voted Germany's most popular museum in 2020! The Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Porsche Museum show Stuttgart's automotive history in an impressive way, and it's not just car fans who get their money's worth there. For the artists among you, there is the Art Museum and the State Gallery, for those interested in architecture, the Weissenhof Museum, and so on... A little tip on the side: with the StuttCard, you can visit most of the museums for free!
Off to the heights with you! The most beautiful, first and one of the highest TV towers in the world can be found where? Here in the Kessel, of course! The television tower, which was opened in 1956, towers 217 metres above Stuttgart on the horizon. For some it serves as a point of orientation, for others as the landmark of our beautiful city, for us it is the perfect place to cast a glance into the Kessel and far beyond to the Swabian Alb. An all-round rewarding and unique experience!