Stuttgart residents enjoy an enviable quality of life that's to no small degree rooted in its fabled car companies – Porsche and Mercedes – which show off their pedigree in two excellent museums. Hemmed in by vine-covered hills, the city has also plenty in store for fans of European art.
Königsstrasse, a long, pedestrianised shopping strip, links the Hauptbahnhof to the city centre. In the city centre are the Schloss and the art museums. The Mercedes-Benz-Museum is about 5km northeast and the Porsche Museum 7km north of here.
Staatsgalerie StuttgartGALLERY
The neoclassical-meets-contemporary Staatsgalerie bears British architect James Stirling’s curvy, colourful imprint. Alongside big-name exhibitions, the gallery harbours a representative collection of European art from the 14th to the 21st centuries as well as American post-WWII avant-gardists.
Neues SchlossPALACE
Duke Karl Eugen von Württemberg’s answer to Versailles was the exuberant three-winged Neues Schloss, a baroque-neoclassical royal residence that now houses state government ministries. A bronze statue of Emperor Wilhelm I looking dashing on his steed graces nearbyKarlsplatz. Check the website for the tour schedule.
Mercedes-Benz MuseumMUSEUM
A futuristic swirl on the cityscape, the Mercedes-Benz Museum takes a chronological spin through the Mercedes empire. Look out for legends like the 1885 Daimler Riding Car, the world’s first gasoline-powered vehicle and the record-breaking Lightning Benz that hit 228km/h at Daytona Beach in 1909.
Porsche MuseumMUSEUM
Like a pearly white spaceship preparing for lift-off, the barrier-free Porsche Museum is every little boy’s dream. Groovy audioguides race you through the history of Porsche from its 1948 beginnings. Break to glimpse the 911 GT1 that won Le Mans in 1998.
Stuttgart Airport (www.stuttgart-airport.com), a major hub for Germanwings, is 13km south of the city and linked to the Hauptbahnhof by S2 and S3 trains (€3.70, 30 minutes).
Trains head to all major German cities, including Frankfurt (€63, 1¼ hours) and Munich (€57, 2¼ hours).
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