Well Worth A Visit (Stuttgart)

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Product:	Stuttgart
Date:	30/03/02 (75 review reads)
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Snugly between the rolling hills of Badern-Wuttemburg,lies Stuttgart capital of the state and home to Porsche, Stuttgart Zoo and VFB Stuttgart.

Having just returned from an 11 day visit to the city, it seems right to give my opinion on the city.

Stuttgart is a very pretty city. Due to the bombing in World War 2, in which Stuttgart was hit very badly, most of the buildings in the city are fairly new and attractive, though the city is not without history.

Stuttgart was founded by a horse farmer, hence the horse on the cities crest. Stuttgart first became the capital of Baden Wurttemberg in 1495 and the city has two castles, Schloss Solitude (which the Kaiser used for hunting) and the Neues Schloss, a larger castle.


Its a very clean city, possibly due to strict litter laws or maybe the Germans just care more than us Brits, as I saw hardly any litter anywhere. The public transport is also second to none, with all the trams running on time. The train stations are quite a pleasant surprise compared to here in England, much cleaner and more efficent. The city obviously has a very good public transport system, something which we could possibly learn from.

What can you do there? - Well in the city centre theres the usual shops that you find in most European Cities - music, sports, tourist shops, restaurants, pretzel and crepe stalls - that kind of thing. There is a 'main' shopping street, and if you climb to the top of the 'Mercedes Sign' building, you can get a very pretty view of the street, with shops either side and parallel rows of trees down the middle.

The city also boasts tourist attractions too - there is a very pleasant park in the city, not quite as large as Hyde Park, but just a pretty, with a neat arrangement of lawns perfectly trimmed and a statue at its centre. There is also a large but shallow lake with fountains and trees surrounding this small area of parkland, which compliment
s the beauty of the city well.

Other than the city centre there is a whole load of things for tourists to occupy their time with.

Schloss (meaning castle in German) Solitude lies on a hill and over looks a outer part of the city, a small distance from the centre. Well worth a visit, this beautiful castle is situated in the middle of a forest on the hill, and was used by the Kaiser (abolished after World War 1) for hunting purposes. Inside its very small and quite empty with only around 10 rooms, some of which are quite small, but its beautifully decorated with blues and reds and golds. You couldn't spend a day there, but its worth it to spend an hour or two on a short trip there.

Mercedes Benz is also located in Stuttgart, and for car fanatics Stuttgart is definately worth your while, being home to both Mercedes and Porsche. You can visit the Mercedes Museum and see Mercedes Cars through the ages, as well as being given a talk on the founding of the company. Car fans will enjoy, though I must admit that I was not thrilled by the Museum, and spent quite a lot of time in the cafe and gift shop. If it doesnt sound like your sort of thing, best not to go I think and try something different.

Though the Porsche Museum is not as big, I enjoyed this more. The museum itself is just one room, albeit a long room, but it is just a room with a variety of Porsche cars on either side ranging from the first ever car to hold the Porsche name to the F1 car the McLaren Team Drove to three World Championship Wins. There is also a much larger Porsche showroom which is the size of a warehouse, with three floors, and you can get in and sit in some of the cars.

The Television Tower is something definately not to be missed. You can take a tram to the top of the large hill where it is placed and then walk a short distance to the huge tower. A lift will take you to the top where you can see the whole of Stuttgart for miles. Its like the vi
ew you get from an aeroplane on the assent. Very windy and cold, but the view is worth it. Something to definately do.

The Stuttgart Zoo was actually something of a let down. Having heard it being described as 'The World Famous Stuttgart Zoo' etc... but the tag 'The Biggest Zoo In The World' is just wrong. If you've visited San Diego Zoo or something in America then Stuttgart Zoo is a let down, both in size, quality and variety of animals. Its not a terrible zoo - dont get me wrong, but we have better zoos in England and so if you want to experience Germany visit Woburn Safari Park when you get back.

I also made a day trip to Heidelberg, a very picturesque town around 2 hours drive from Stuttgart. Its like a seaside town, only replace the sea with a river. The castle is a must-do when visiting Heidelberg. With 4 sections each built in different time periods by different Dukes in different styles. Most of the castle was destroyed during a religious war, but its still very interesting and hols the largest beer barrel in Germany (empty unfortunately!). You can then walk down the shop street, and then back along the river which is a pleasant walk. The town is placed at the bottom of a wooded hill, and is a beautiful German town.

I also went to see Cats in German at a theatre which was a good night out, went to see Spy Game is German (a bit boring) and Ice Skating which was great fun but hurt the day after from all the falls I took. I spent alot of the time in the city visiting buildings and shops etc...

Other things to do in Stuttgart could be, the Gottlieb Daimler Stadion home to the Stuttgart Football team for any sports fans out there, or The Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Gardens if you're not a sports fan. Theres also Opera Houses and lots of new and old buildings around the town that want visiting. Theres also alot of technical museums with U-Boats and Aeroplanes which you can go in, around the o
utskits of the town and other cities in the state to visit.

The weather? Well Germany can be very hot or very cold and for the majority of my stay, raining a lot, but on the last few days there wasn't a cloud in the sky so my message would be, to go prepared for any eventuality.

Food? Normal German cuisine if you're not acustomed to it, I couldn't really describe it, its nothing radical compared to England, but there is a lot of sausages.

Transportation? Very reliable and efficent. A welcomed change to Britain.

Stuttgart was a brilliant experience - blending history and the presenbt day the city is built up into a beautiful state capital. Theres lots to do for us tourists - you won't get bored, and unlike in Munich every things fairly close together so it doesnt take an hour to get everywhere. If you're thinking of going to Europe this summer and havent decieded yet Stuttgart is a good choice for tourists who want activities and places to go - well worth a trip.

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