User:(WT-en) Zserghei/Stuttgart

Walking
In the inner city, walking is no problem. The distances are not far and a traversal of the inner city by foot can be easily done within 25 minutes.

UK visitors should prepare themselves for small cultural differences:
 * The Germans will patiently wait at a pedestrian crossing, even when no traffic is coming, until the "green man" comes on.

Stuttgart is quite safe. Even at night one may walk alone through the city without fear. One rare exception is the central city park, which should be avoided during late night hours. Of course, always use common sense when walking in a foreign city at night. The biggest danger for a pedestrian in Stuttgart is probably the cars.

To get a sense for the inner city, you should get to know following streets and places:


 * Königstraße: Hauptbahnhof, Schlossplatz, McDonalds 1.
 * Rotebühlplatz: Calwer Passage
 * Marienstraße: McDonalds 2.
 * Rathaus: Marktplatz (Rathausplatz), Schulstraße
 * Stadtpark: Staatstheater, Staatsgalerie, Charlottenplatz
 * Bolzstraße, Friedrichsbau, Liederhalle

See



 * The heart of Mercedes-Benz manufacture, and well worth the visit. There are some 40,000 employees on site, including 9,000 in research & development alone! You need to book ahead through your Mercedes dealer or contact the museum directly via phone/email.

Museums

 * Technical museum: Mercedes-Benz Museum, Mercedesstraße 137/1, Bad Cannstatt (S-Bahn: "Neckarpark (Mercedes-Benz)", see timetable etc. ), . Newly built in 2006 in an astonishing architecture. Frequently visited and really very cool.
 * Technical museum: Porsche Museum, Porscheplatz 1, Zuffenhausen (S-Bahn: S6 to "Neuwirtshaus (Porscheplatz)", see timetable etc. )
 * State gallery: Staatsgalerie Stuttgart, Konrad-Adenauer-Str. 30-32,
 * Contemporary arts museum: Kunstgebäude, "Art Building"
 * Modern art museum: Kunstmuseum Stuttgart, Kleiner Schlossplatz 1,
 * Historical art museum: W&uuml;rttembergisches Landesmuseum, Altes Schloss, Schillerplatz 6,
 * Ethnological museum: Lindenmuseum, Hegelplatz 1, features a small but impressing collection of masks from the pacific
 * Museum Ritter:

Zoo
Definitely a must for families. But watching monkeys and weird flowers in this old place can be fun for young adults, too. (Unless you feel pity for the locked up creatures.) Wilhelma is also worth visiting for its architecture and landscaping features - the core of Wilhelma is housed in a 19th century palace/park landscape in the Moorish style, created for and named after the former king Wilhelm of Wuerttemberg.
 * Wilhelma, zoological and botanical gardens, Neckartalstraße, Bad Cannstatt (More information and arrival see Wilhelma )

Planetarium

 * A fascinating astronomical journey, projected by optical hightech equipment: Carl Zeiss Planetarium

Buildings
Stuttgart used to be an impressive town but was hugely destroyed during World War II and only few buildings were rebuilt to classical elegance. The 50's still were post-war, in the 60's and 70's architectural things didn't matter at all and in the 80's and 90's with major insurance companies and banks building monuments of bad taste in the inner city, the aesthetic situation wasn't really improving.

Here are some of the exceptions:


 * Altes Schloss, Old Palace (1300-1500)
 * Stiftsfruchtkasten, Collegiate Storehouse (1393)
 * Alte Kanzlei, Old Chancellery (16th century)
 * Prinzenbau, Princes' Building (1605-1715)
 * Neues Schloss, New Palace (1700-1800)
 * Solitude Schloss Solitude, Solitude Palace (1700-1800)
 * Wilhelmspalais, King William's Palace (1834-1840)
 * K&ouml;nigsbau, King's Building (1850)
 * Markthalle, Market Hall (1910)
 * Staatstheater (Grosses Haus), State Theater (1912)
 * Hauptbahnhof, Main Railway Station (1920)
 * Weissenhofsiedlung, (1927)
 * Liederhalle, Culture and Congress Centre, (1956)
 * Staatsgalerie, State Gallery (1977)

Towers and scenic outlooks

 * Fernsehturm Stuttgart, TV Tower (1954-1956), world's first TV tower built from reinforced concrete and prototype for all modern TV towers, with a beautiful view over Stuttgart. The Stadtbahn U15 to Ruhbank (Fernsehturm) gives you a wonderful view of the city. Entrance is &euro;5 per person and is worth it for the near-fairground quality of the ride in the lift to the top. There's a nice cafe at the top which serves fresh food and drinks.
 * Grabkapelle Württemberg (Burial chapel Württemberg)
 * Killesbergturm (Killesberg Tower) . A recently built tower in the "Killesberg Park" (see also "green U" under Parks & Gardens), north of the city centre
 * Bismarckturm,, a small tower northwest of the city centre, not far from Killesberg Tower
 * Hauptbahnhof The tower of the Hauptbahnhof is a free climb (to the Mercedes-Benz symbol at top), granting awesome views of Königstraße and the city.

Churches

 * Domkirche St. Eberhard (St. Eberhard's Cathedral Church),
 * Grabkapelle Württemberg (Burial chapel Württemberg)
 * Hospitalkirche (Hospital Church),
 * Leonhardskirche (St. Leonard's Church),
 * Stiftskirche (Collegiate Church), built in 1175, restored 1999 to 2003
 * Veitskapelle (St. Vitus Chapel),
 * St. Catherine's Church, Stuttgart(English speaking Anglican Church)

Squares

 * Schlossplatz (Palace Square)
 * Marktplatz(Market Square)
 * Karlsplatz (Charles Square)
 * Schillerplatz (Schiller Square)

Other historic parts of the city

 * Bohnenviertel(14th century)

Parks and gardens

 * "Das Grüne U": Most of Stuttgart's many parks and gardens are usually referred to by locals as "das Grüne U" (the green "U") because of the U-shaped form in which they are located around the city centre. They form a long and beautiful path around the city, starting at the Schlossgarten at the northern facade of the new palace (Neues Schloss), continuing through Rosensteinpark with the natural history museum and a rear entrance to Wilhelma (the zoo), and ending in Killesberg Park. Walking at a reasonable pace, you can walk the entire circuit in about 2 hours. There are beer gardens (look for Biergarten signs) and restaurants along the way, and the Killesberg Park is a real treat. It was designed for a huge botanical expo several years ago and remains a truly stunning park, especially in spring when in full bloom. If you're interested in architecture, be sure not to miss the structural engineering wonder Killesberg Tower, a minimalistic steel construction composed of one central support and a cable outer support system.

Other significant green areas in the city centre are:


 * Akademiegarten, Academy Garden
 * Schlossgarten, Palace Garden

Rail transport systems

 * Killesberg Railway, a small railway in Killesberg park, on weekends using steam-powered engines!
 * Stuttgart cable Car, an old cable car running to the forest cemetery
 * Rack Railway Stuttgart, Germany's only urban rack-railway. It uses modern cars like the light railway and offers a nice view

Arts and culture

 * Wagenhallen
 * Waggons am Nordbahnhof

Theater & Concert

 * Ticket services (this list is by no means complete):
 * Airport Ticket Tower, Airport Stuttgart, Terminal 1, Phone: 0711/9484567
 * ClubHouse, (SWR3 Club-Veranstaltungen) Hauptbahnhof, Kleine Schalterhalle, 70173 Stuttgart, Phone: 0711/260077


 * A good entry spot in the web for theaters, culture and events is (English).


 * Watch and listen to the ballet company of the state theater Stuttgart Staatstheater . (Stuttgart is quite fond of its ballet company dancing at very high skill. Definitely a top place to go to in the evening. You'll need to reserve tickets in advance.)


 * Classical concerts and serious music are covered by the Liederhalle


 * A Musical Theatre (the Apollo-Theater) is placed in Möhringen in the SI-Zentrum . (It has shown musicals like "Cats" and "Miss Saigon" and usually stages a new musical every year.)


 * There is also the Palladium Theater in the Stuttgart Musical Center, which is currently presenting the Broadway musical Wicked, starring Willemijn Verkaik as Elphaba and Lucy Scherer as Glinda. This has gotten very good reviews, including Tim Schleider's review, of the Stuttgarter Zeitung, proclaimed, "there is no doubt, Wicked is the most entertaining, the liveliest, the most colorful and, above all, the smartest production that we have seen at the Stuttgart Musical Centre."

Scenes & Underground
1. Nightclubbing & Bands
 * You can listen to good house, drum'n'base, hiphop and other kinds of electronic music in Stuttgart. However it is not always easy to get into most discotheques. The discotheque N-Pir, which is in a very ugly building in Stuttgart-Feuerbach, has a very restritictive door policy!


 * Bands, Nightclubs and Events are covered by local magazines (generally not in English).
 * Try and  (event magazines for Stuttgart).
 * Entry spots for nightclubbing in the cities of Stuttgart/Tübingen/Reutlingen could be:
 * Stuttgart By Night - A plain listing trying to keep track of all clubs, bars, cafes (plus valuable infos about Food After midnight, 24-Hour Petrol Stations)
 * , ,

2. Small Art Galleries
 * Handouts with a list of ongoing exhibitions should be delivered in local art galleries.
 * The web can deliver more info.

3. People
 * Take a day visit to the town T&uuml;bingen by train. (From Hauptbahnhof, main station, either take a train to Tübingen or take the S1 to Herrenberg, then change to the Ammertalbahn which goes directly to T&uuml;bingen main station. It's mediaeval center is very charming and worth the travel from Stuttgart. Apart from that, there's also a jazz cellar and various bars and cafés in T&uuml;bingen which are quite worth a visit. Special recommendations: Wurstk&uuml;che ("sausage kitchen", kind of a restaurant), the Arsenal (a most lovely cinema) and after perhaps 10PM the Tangente Night.

Nightlife
A good place to go where everyone speaks English is Biddy Earlys, an Irish pub just west of the city centre/Königstraße, a five minutes walk from the major public transport station "Stadtmitte" (S-Bahn, Stadtbahn). Do a google search for directions and keep a sharp eye because the entry is a mere doorway wide which leads down the stairs to the basement. Good bands on the weekends. Two or three euro cover. Everybody always welcome and you don't have to apologize for your poor German here! They show Premier League Championship and other British football here, you can celebrate or commiserate with only a handful of other drinkers.

The most popular street for clubbing is the Theodor-Heuss-Straße. Over the past years several bars, clubs and lounges have opened here. It has become the most popular place for people to go out on the weekend. During the summer, there are also many opportunities to have a drink outside.

If you want to go to a place where you can meet locals, you can visit the Bonnie and Clyde. It`s near the Stadtbahn station Stöckach. The owners speak English well, so do most of the guests. Many students, so music is from rock to punk. No cover charge.
 * 

Another great bar is the Classic Rock Cafe which is a few blocks away from Biddy Early's. Do a Google on it and you can find directions. No cover charge here even on weekends and the music is great! Interesting decor too. And everyone is welcome!

If you're into Indie music, you might wanna check out the Zwölfzehn bar/discotheque in the Paulinenstraße, about 10 minutes west from "Stadtmitte". It is close to the next S-Bahn stop "Feuersee". In that area, around Rotebühlstraße, you'll find some nice theatres and bars.

Another interesting fact about Germany is that prostitution is legal. There are brothels everywhere. One of the biggest ones, a three story affair, is right in the heart of Stuttgart Stadtmitte, about a block from the town hall clock tower. You'll have to look for it though or ask a local where it is as there are no signs --just an unmarked door at street level. It's called the Drei-Farben-Haus (the three color house). Entry is free, looking is free.

On the outskirts of Stuttgart, in Möhringen, there is a hotel/conference/entertainment complex called the SI Centrum. A lot of foreigners stay here. This complex includes a theater for Broadway shows, the Millennium hotel, and a spacious underground complex that houses many conference rooms, bars and restaurants. It's a very nice place to stay and although it's one of the best hotels in Stuttgart, it's not that expensive. Plus there's a Stadtbahn stop right behind the hotel so you can explore easily.

Discotheques with unproblematic access

 * Universum, Stuttgart, inside the stop "Charlottenplatz", take the exit to "Landtag", it's on the right on the way out (rock music, independent music, concerts)
 * Alfa, Stuttgart-Möhringen (Hip-Hop, house, many aggressive people)
 * Röhre, near Wagenburg Tunnel (independent music, not open every weekend, dancefloor is slightly inclined, which may be unnerving for dancing)
 * LKA at Stuttgart-Wangen (rock-, country-music)
 * Boa (meat market)
 * Zwölfzehn
 * Keller Club near Rotebühlplatz (indie dance music)
 * Rockfabrik Ludwigsburg (Metal, Goth, etc. located in the city of Ludwigsburg north of Stuttgart)
 * Wagenhallen near Eckardtshaldenweg
 * Waggons near Nordbahnhof

Travel and wander
Schedule at least a daytime for such action (plus prepare some equipment like maps, drinking water, solid shoes, food, rain gear, warm clothing during cold seasons, etc.!) You may want to contact a local tourist office for guidance.


 * the Black Forest (Schwarzwald)
 * the Schwäbische Alb (hilly mattock landscape) covering natures highlights like the mystical colored "Blautopf" and stalactite caves like "Bärenhöhle". Could be a nice trip for families with children.

From Stuttgart you can take many nice day trips. Just an hour to an hour and a half south is the Swiss border and Zurich. On the way you can see the largest falls in Europe. An hour to the south is Triberg, a beautiful old village in the heart of the black forest which specializes in grandfather and cuckoo clocks. There is also a hiking trail which parallels a stream there. An hour to an hour and a half west from Stuttgart is Strasbourg, France. It is a small but beautiful city and possibly the most charming in France!

Some old university towns are also nearby, e.g. Tübingen (30 km/20 miles south), Heidelberg (ca. 80km/50 miles northwest) or Freiburg (120 km/80 miles southwest).

Relax

 * Stuttgart is full of mineral springs. Take some time out and enjoy The Leuze  or Mineral Bad Cannstatt.