Why go?

As well as being a pilgrimage site for petrol heads, with mega-brands Porsche and Mercedes-Benz both originating here, Stuttgart’s position, nestled in the vine-laden valleys of the Neckar river, also make it a wine buff’s playground. With an architectural mix of the medieval and ultra-modern, hearty regional cooking and a creative flair, Stuttgart’s charms are sure to draw you in.

What to do

Arrive in the first weeks of December to a sea of fairy lights flooding the streets. The Christmas market is in town, and it’s massive. Over 280 holly-bedecked huts present everything from hand-crafted Christmas tree decorations to candles, toys and woodcrafts, and the air is suffused with the giddy aroma of glühwein (25 November to 23 December, stuttgarttourist.de). With the market best ear-marked as an evening activity, a walk of the city’s horsehoe-shaped parkland starts in the pretty Oberer Schlossgarten. From here, head up to the banks of the Neckar river, from where you can catch a glimpse of the chrome and glass facade of the Mercedes-Benz Museum. Housing more than 160 vehicles, from the earliest prototypes to the latest models, it’s the motoring world’s MoMA (mercedesbenzclassic.com). The riverbank is also the site of Wilhelma (wilhelma.de), Stuttgart’s zoological botanical gardens. Originally built for King William I of Württemberg, it is home to a staggering 1,000 species of animals and 7,000 varieties of plants, making it one of the largest collections in the world. Back in town, Staatstheater Stuttgart (staatstheaterstuttgart.com) serves up a double dose of culture, with an opera house (home to a renowned ballet company) and playhouse part of the same complex; while the gleaming glass cube of the Kunstmuseum (kunstmuseumstuttgart.de) is a suitably modern home for a fine contemporary art collection.

Where to stay

Backing onto Koenigstrasse, the tree-lined main shopping street, and a hop from the main railway station, hotel Althoff am Schlossgarten (00 49 711 20260, hotelschlossgarten.com) is at the centre of things. With comfortable, classically furnished rooms overlooking the castle gardens, and an eponymous Michelin-starred restaurant, it gets all the big things right. For something a little more offbeat, Der Zauberlehrling (00 49 711 23 77 770, zauberlehrling.de) offers imaginatively themed rooms and suites a short stroll from the Marktplatz. Check in to the Chalet Suite for a touch of Skandi chic, complete with a fireplace. Even in a city as famed for its love of wine as Stuttgart, the family run Hotel Wörtz, with its restaurant Zur Weinsteige (00 49 711 236 7000, zurweinsteige.de), stands out like a red nose. With its cellar boast over 15,000 bottles, a large number of which are from local vineyards, this is the place for any self-respecting oenophile.

Where to eat and drink

Swabian cuisine is proper, filling fare, and few places do it better than Stuttgarter Stäffele on Buschlestrasse (00 49 711 664190, staeffele.de). It has a cosy, grotto-like feel, and dishes like spätzle and maultaschen, a kind of Swabian ravioli, go well with a local tipple. Round the corner, Hegel Eins (00 49 711 674 43 60, hegel1.de) is putting a more modern spin on things with dishes like pheasant ragout with spinach and ricotta gnocchi. Young gun Nico Burkhardt’s Olivo (00 49 711 2048 277 olivorestaurant.de), on the mezzanine floor of the Graf Zeppelin hotel, combines French sophistication with German precision for plates of art, such as his variation of sweetcorn and blueberry.

Time running out?

Take the S-Bahn (line S4) to Ludwigsberg, a pretty town 15 minutes to the north. Its Christmas market, flanked by two baroque churches, may not be as big as Stuttgart’s but what it lacks in size it makes up for in style.

Travel Information

Travel Information

Currency is the euro. Stuttgart is one hour ahead of GMT and is a one and a half hour flight from London.

Getting There

German Wings (alternativeairlines.com) operates a daily direct service from London Heathrow to Stuttgart.
British Airways (ba.com) also runs a direct service from London Heathrow to Stuttgart daily.

Resources

Region Stuttgart (stuttgart-tourist.de) is a comprehensive resource for what to see and do in and around Stuttgart.