Stuttgart, Germany – Home of Porsche and Mercedes

Language:   German

Currency: EUR

Sales Tax: 19%

Stuttgart is home to some of the best-known carmakers in the world. Mercedes-Benz and Porsche call the German city home. Car manufacturing headquarters have made Stuttgart a highly sought-after place to live and visit.

The city is home to just over 600,000 people. Those residents enjoy a high quality of life as Stuttgart consistently ranks as one of Europe’s best in terms of health, happiness, and finances. Stuttgart’s connection to the auto industry makes it an ideal vacation destination for petrolheads. But car museums are not its only bucket list port of call. Stuttgart also has beautiful historical landmarks worth exploring.

Cuisine

Maultaschen

Local Favorite: Maultaschen

Stuttgart is found in Germany's Swabia region, and the southwestern area has its own distinct history, culture, and cuisine. Maultaschen is arguably the most identifiable food in the region and is a popular dish in Stuttgart. Maultaschen are oversized pieces of ravioli typically filled with onions, meat, and spinach. They are served in either a salad that is steamed, pan-fried, or dunked in beef-broth-like dumplings. Modern chefs around Stuttgart have created new ways to serve up maultaschen, with some restaurants serving maultaschen burgers, for example. According to legend, monks at the Maulbronn Monastery invented maultaschen to get around the ban of eating meat during Lent.

Landmarks

Mercedes-Benz Museum

Mercedes-Benz Museum

Wilhelma

Wilhelma

Porsche Museum

Porsche Museum

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Ludwigsburg Residential Palace

Schlossplatz

Schlossplatz

Fernsehturm Stuttgart

Fernsehturm Stuttgart

Top Tourist Attractions

Hauptbahnhof

Many journeys begin or end at the Hauptbahnhof. It is Stuttgart’s primary train station, and travelers can take a trip to most major destinations in Germany from the Hauptbahnhof.

Opened in 1922 and designed by architect Paul Bonatz, the Hauptbahnhof withstood the bombs of World War II and is one of the most prominent historical landmarks in the city. In recent years, plans to demolish some parts of the station to modernize it have been met with fierce local opposition.

Perhaps, the most iconic part of the Hauptbahnhof is the rotating illuminated Mercedes-Benz sign that sits atop a 12-story tower located at the station.

Schlossplatz

Schlossplatz is Stuttgart’s famous palace square. It is a popular destination for locals and tourists throughout the year thanks to its vast expanse of well-manicured lawns, and the city’s famous Christmas markets that open in November.

The Schlossplatz is the beating heart of the city. It is centrally located near Stuttgart’s other popular tourist attractions so tourists can conveniently explore landmarks on foot.

Visitors can experience regular events at the Schlossplatz including festivals and concerts. The square is right next to the Wurttemberg State Museum, which is housed in the former Old Palace of the Wurttemberg region. The museum was founded in 1862 and is filled with an assortment of carefully categorized treasures and masterpieces from German history.

Fernsehturm

The Fernsehturm tower stands 710-feet tall and looks over Stuttgart like a proud protector. Fernsehturm was the world’s first television tower as it beamed signals to antennas all over the southwest region of Germany.

The tower began operating in 1956 and quickly became the prototype for similar towers in other cities around the world. Today, the Fernsehturm is arguably Stuttgart's No. 1 landmark.

Tourists can ascend the tower to dine at the Panorama Cafe or the Restaurant Leonhardts. There is also an observation deck at the top of the tower that provides beautiful views of Germany’s sixth largest city.

stuttgart

Cannstatter Volksfest

The Cannstatter Volksfest is one of the world’s largest festivals. The festival has been running for over 200 years, and it is a staple of the Stuttgart area. It takes place in late September and runs until the middle of October attracting visitors from all over the world.

So, what is the annual Cannstatter Volksfest? It is a beer festival and traveling funfair. Most tourists know the event as the Stuttgart Beer Festival. One of the most significant events of the entire festival is the annual tapping of the keg which takes place during the opening ceremonies.

Visitors to the Cannstatter Volksfest will find plenty of rides, food and drink, and a large parade during its opening weekend. The festival is a family affair and has been for over two centuries.

Porsche Museum

The Porsche Museum showcases the company’s history through a beautiful exhibit of 80 classic Porsche vehicles. Visitors can learn about Porsche from the days of its founder Ferdinand Porsche up until today.

The Porsche Touch Wall is arguably the most popular exhibit in the museum. Automobile enthusiasts can browse through images, advertisements, and automobile concept drawings at the touch of a finger. There is also an area in which visitors can produce a variety of Porsche car sounds and mix them into a song.

Mercedes-Benz Museum

The Mercedes-Benz Museum offers visitors 160+ cars to explore. Some go back to the company's origins. Not only can visitors view the company’s cars, but they will also find the world's first-ever motorcycle which was built in 1885 by Daimler.

Along with a large number of cars, visitors can learn about Mercedes' long history. The museum contains 1,500 exhibits over nine floors. Car enthusiasts will find a whole lot more than automobiles inside the Mercedes-Benz Museum.

Killesbergturm

Take in the views of Stuttgart from the top of the 42-meter-high Killesbergturm steel mesh tower. Situated in the beautiful Killesbergpark, you can take a walk to burn off some holiday calories and enjoy nature before going up the tower. Scared of heights? You can also enjoy the architectural beauty of the award-winning tower from a safe distance.

Standseilbahn

Used in the 1920s as a method of transport, this 550-meter cable car has been preserved in working order to this day and is still almost identical to how it looked at the time of its construction. Let it take you up the 28% incline to the Waldfriedhof, unless you'd prefer to walk the half-kilometer hill.

Bahnhofsturm

Completed in 1916, the city center tower is made from 288 pillars that go 11 meters underground to stabilize the structure. The tower is one of the few monuments in central Stuttgart that survived the World War 2 bombings on the city. In 1952, the building gained a 5-meter tall Mercedes Star at the top to signify the car brand's support of the train station. The tower's viewing platform is free of charge to visitors.

Stuttgart is a beautiful German city that shines brightly. Its connection to the automotive world makes it a must-visit destination for car lovers. But the city has a lot more to offer than just cars. It is also a city of intriguing history, technology, and gorgeous landmarks waiting to be explored.


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