GERMANY TRAVEL, HOTEL, HOLIDAY & ACCOMMODATION GUIDE
HOTELS IN STUTTGART - BADEN WÜRTTEMBERG, BLACK FOREST AREA

Featured Stuttgart Hotels

Visit Stuttgart to discover a city of easy contrast    by Michael Hanna

Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Würtemberg and is beautifully positioned at the edge of the Black Forest; and as one of Germany's leading industrial cities, it is a hive for both holiday and business travelers from around the world.

With a friendly atmosphere and easy hospitality, the charms of this city do not always unfold immediately to visitors; instead, they sometimes need to be sought out or looked up through tourist information before they will offer their full reward. A good starting point for any visit is the restaurant on top of the TV tower; while slightly pricey, it provides a great view of the city and the Neckar valley. Stuttgart is enclosed by hills on three sides of the city, while the fourth side opens up toward its river harbor. Notable attractions include the nearby four castles and the famous Weissenhof estate, and it is a mecca for car fanatics. As the home of the Porsche and Mercedes Benz car companies, it is not surprising that the Mercedes Benz and Porsche museums act as focal points for petrol heads.

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Food and drink also usually feature heavily in any visit to Stuttgart. The city is dotted with a multitude of restaurants and cafes offering local or international cuisine and beautiful views of the city, alongside all types of nightclubs, discos, bars, and pubs encompassing various themes and providing something for all different clientele.

The region in which Stuttgart is situated also has a long history of winegrowing, and for the last 800 years, winegrowers have been permitted to serve their wine in their own private households. This leads to a relaxed atmosphere where home made wine and food can be consumed in comfortable surroundings while hanging out with the locals. The many great wines which are made here have international appeal, and the region's long tradition can be seen by taking the wine hiking trails which are carefully documented in the winemaking museum or directly experienced in the various seasonal wine rooms and taverns.

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Finding accommodation to stay in and around Stuttgart is easy, as there are many great quality B&Bs, hostels and hotels available, including a lavish new Hilton Garden Inn which has just opened near to the Mercedes museum. For visitors looking for a touch of peace and tranquility, the many wide ranging parks across the city offer an ideal chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of normal life. The city is renowned for its range of boutiques, exclusive stores, and shopping malls which have something to offer even the most hardened of shoppers. A stroll through the busy Koenigstrasse pedestrian zone is a must for any power shopper, while lesser shoppers will still find themselves enticed by their fabulous range of products available, making it very difficult to leave empty handed.

Walking around Stuttgart is a great way to see the sights, and many urban trekkers may like to walk through the Rosensteingarten and up to the Killesberg for a fabulous view. Specific walks have been set up around the city, starting at either the central train station or the Altes Schloss, and are highlighted by yellow sign posts which point out modern and historical areas of interest.

Business, pleasure, shopping or resting, Stuttgart has something for everyone.

About the Author - Michael is a keen writer living in Edinburgh: Michael Hanna

Stuttgart is the capital of Baden-Württemberg, Germany with with a population of 590,000 or so.

Stuttgart was founded in the 10th century; its name is a modern version of the original Stutengarten ("mare's garden"). Presently it is the 6th largest city in Germany. It is most famous for its automotive industry - both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz have their headquarters in Stuttgart and both have car museums.

Stuttgarters are amazingly friendly people who will forgive you if German isn't your first or second (or any) language. If you do speak German well: beware of their dialect - Schwäbisch German can differ from other forms of German (be prepared to hear the word "gell" a lot!) They love to practice other languages (especially English). Stuttgart is a big city with a small-town atmosphere. Attractions and things to do: Mercedes-Benz factory, Sindelfingen (S-bahn to Boblingen, then catch the courtesy bus). 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.

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Museums

• Technical museum: Mercedes-Benz Museum, Mercedesstraße 137/1, Bad Cannstatt (S-Bahn: Gottlieb Daimler Stadion, 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, 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: Württembergisches Landesmuseum, Altes Schloss, Schillerplatz 6
• Ethnological museum: Lindenmuseum, Hegelplatz 1, features a small but impressing collection of masks from the pacific 

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Zoo Wilhelma, zoological and botanical gardens, Neckartalstraße, Bad Cannstatt (More information and arrival see Wilhelma).  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.) 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.

• 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) 
• Königsbau, 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) 

Fernsehturm Stuttgart, TV Tower (1954-1956), with a beautiful view over Stuttgart. The Stadtbahn U15 to Ruhbank (Fernsehturm) gives you a wolderful view of the city. Entrance is €3 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.

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• 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)

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

• Bohnenviertel(14th century)

"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

FEATURED HOTELS IN STUTTGART,  - BADEN WÜRTTEMBERG, GERMANY