Stuttgart Attractions - Top 10 Most Popular Landmarks

Stuttgart is many things: Swabian, charming, and - as a travel destination - (still) underestimated. However, those who choose a city trip to Stuttgart can look forward to a city with many facets that extend far beyond automobiles.

We will reveal which points must not be missing from your Stuttgart to-do list in our top 10 popular Stuttgart attractions.

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Stuttgart is truly a city of automobiles. Therefore, two Stuttgart attractions must not be missed during your vacation: The Porsche Museum and the Mercedes Benz Museum Stuttgart.

In addition to Porsche, Mercedes Benz also has a museum in Stuttgart, which is among the most sought-after Stuttgart attractions. The Mercedes Benz Museum Stuttgart is the only museum in the world that represents over 120 years of Mercedes Benz history. Prepare for a journey through the tumultuous history of the automotive industry.

Not just an automobile museum

The museum spans 16,500 m², where 160 vehicles and over 1,500 exhibits can be admired. But it's not just the exhibition itself that is impressive. The Mercedes Benz Museum is also known for its fascinating modern architecture. So off to the museum!

Opening hours: Tue - Sun from 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM | Admission: free for children up to and including 14 years

Tip: Do you love not just cars but also films? Then you can look forward to the museum's open-air cinema. In August and September, you can watch current films and classic blockbusters here.

Place 3 of Stuttgart attractions is one of the most beautiful and largest folk festivals in the world - the Cannstatter Wasen.

As good as the Oktoberfest

Each year in September and October, up to 4 million people from all over the world flock to the approximately 37-hectare festival site by the Neckar River. This shows that the historic Stuttgart folk festival does not shy away from comparisons with the Oktoberfest in Munich.

More than 300 vendors ensure that the capital of Baden-Württemberg becomes an intercultural meeting place for 2.5 weeks. Here, you can laugh, sing, and celebrate with people from all over the world and immerse yourself in a colorful experience of riding fun, thrills, and festive atmosphere.

Of course, there is also plenty of food (and drink) available for both small and large appetites. There are several large beer tents, a wine tent, an alpine hut village, and numerous beer gardens, stalls, and sweet treat stands.

Strolling at the Krämermarkt

In addition, you will also have the opportunity to stroll through the traditional Krämermarkt. Away from the festival hustle and bustle, more than 50 vendors offer textiles, leather goods, jewelry, art, and many other wonderful things.

These are the opening times for the Cannstatter Wasen:

A significant attraction awaits you in Place 4. The Stuttgart TV Tower is the very first TV tower in the world. For 60 years, it has offered an impressive view over the city and has withstood wind and weather with its 217 m since 1956.

The first TV tower in the world

The steel-concrete construction of the Stuttgart TV Tower even became a prototype for TV towers. The design is imitated worldwide, in places like Johannesburg, China, or Dortmund.

The origins of the Stuttgart TV Tower trace back to the Southern German Broadcasting Company. They wanted to mount their antennas on a roughly 200 m high iron lattice mast. However, the well-known bridge builder and structural engineer Fritz Leonhardt proposed the idea of building a concrete tower.

Not just a TV tower

The new aspect: The TV tower in Stuttgart was not only used for broadcasting technology but also for tourism and gastronomy. From no other Stuttgart attraction do you have such a fabulous view of Stuttgart, the vineyards, and the Schwäbische and Odenwald as from the Stuttgart TV Tower!

Place 5 of Stuttgart attractions is not just for die-hard soccer fans.

Home of VfB Stuttgart

The Mercedes Benz Arena Stuttgart is home to VfB Stuttgart and is open for several fantastic arena tours for interested visitors. On an arena tour, you can take a behind-the-scenes look and visit the team locker rooms. Options include the fan tour, match day tour, or the active tour.

One of the most modern stadiums in Europe

Before it became the Mercedes-Benz Arena, the stadium was known as the Neckar Stadium and the Gottlieb-Daimler Stadium. The arena can currently accommodate 60,000 people and is particularly distinguished by its distinctive roof with curved white membrane fields.

With the renovation into the Mercedes Benz Arena, the stadium has become one of the most modern in Europe and is solely a soccer stadium. However, this also means that no larger track and field competitions can be hosted.

The Versailles of Stuttgart

Place 6 of Stuttgart attractions is occupied by the New Palace Stuttgart. The imposing late Baroque city palace was built between 1746 and 1807 on the orders of Duke Carl Eugen of Württemberg, who wanted to create a kind of second Versailles in Stuttgart - even though a palace already existed in the duchy.

The three-winged complex has, due to its late construction period and many long construction pauses - unlike Versailles - only a comparatively plain façade, adorned only with sculptural embellishment.

The center of Stuttgart

In 1944, the New Palace Stuttgart was destroyed. However, since 1964 it has been shining in new old glory. Together with the Palace Square, the Old Palace, and the King's Building, the New Palace forms the center of Stuttgart.

The central section of the building is primarily used for representative receptions and events. The two wings house the Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Labor and Housing.

Attention! Visits are only possible within the framework of a guided tour.

Place 7 of Stuttgart attractions is a very special one. It is the Zacke.

The Last Cog Railway in Regular Operation

Zacke or Zacketse is the affectionate nickname Stuttgart locals have for their cogwheel railway. It is one of the last four cogwheel railways in Germany and also the only one still in regular operation in a big city.

Since 1884, the Stuttgart cogwheel railway has operated from Degerloch to Marienplatz and is considered one of Stuttgart's landmarks. Initially, the railway was used to bring workers from the Filder towns to the many businesses in the city center. But many farmers also used the Zacke to transport their products to the market.

Beautiful views with extreme gradients

Today, the Zacke covers a distance of 2.2 km, ascending 205 meters with gradients of up to 17.8%. Always included: beautiful Stuttgart panoramas! Please board!

The ride with the cogwheel railway is the quickest way to get from the city center in the valley up the hill to the Degerloch district. Bicycles can be taken along.

In 8th place among Stuttgart attractions, it gets culinary: Visit the Stuttgart Market Hall!

The Stuttgart Market Hall, which opened in 1914, is located between the Old Palace and the Stiftskirche and impresses locals and tourists alike with its Art Nouveau architecture and varied offerings.

International goods of high quality

On the 5,000 m² of the Stuttgart Market Hall, more than 30 vendors offer goods from all over the world at over 40 stalls. These range from fruits and vegetables to oils, teas, honey, cheese, olives, and much more.

The concept of the Market Hall: to convince with freshness, high quality, and specialties from around the world. Rightly in 8th place among Stuttgart attractions.

The Mediterranean restaurant 'Empore', the Spanish tapas bar, and the 'Marktstüble' with original Swabian specialties invite you to enjoy delicious food in a cozy atmosphere.

Place 9 among the most popular Stuttgart attractions fascinates in two ways. The New State Gallery is worth a visit both for its exhibited collections and for its architecture.

Controversial architecture

The extension of the State Gallery was inaugurated in March 1984 and stood out at the time, especially because of its exterior. With a green façade, pink-blue railings, an open rotunda, and a glass entrance area, the building is a real feast for the eyes and a masterpiece of postmodern architecture that not everyone liked.

The New State Gallery Stuttgart was designed by star architect James Stirling, who designed the extension in contrast to the late classicist Old State Gallery.

Largest Art Museum in Baden-Württemberg

But the exhibitions are also impressive. The New State Gallery Stuttgart features works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Albrecht Dürer, Lucas Cranach, as well as Monet, Caspar David Friedrich, or Panini. The highlight is certainly the Picasso collection.

Opening hours: Fri - Tue 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Thu 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM

The next of the top 10 Stuttgart attractions takes you to the green heart of Bad Cannstatt - the Kurpark Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt.

Where the Kings Bathed

Bad Cannstatt is the largest district of Stuttgart and attracts countless people with its 15-hectare park at all times of the year. It serves as a refuge and offers relaxation amid the metropolis.

In the Kurpark stands the Kursaal - a stately building built between 1825 and 1841 that initially served as a bathing establishment. Kings and queens even came here to take the waters.

The Kurpark Today

Today, after extensive renovation, it is a modern event venue for all kinds of events, shining with the architectural interplay of old and new. There is much to discover in the surrounding Kurpark, with its varied landscape. You will find steep stairs and paths as well as spacious lawns, playgrounds, the Gottlieb-Daimler Tower and Museum, as well as numerous other buildings and monuments.

Did you know? The tree population in the Kurpark still includes some specimens from the 19th century.

Stuttgart is undoubtedly the heart of the automobile industry in Germany. But it also impresses with historic buildings, art, and delicious food. Why not visit the Swabian capital and see for yourself the diversity Stuttgart has to offer?

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