Stuttgart - the not so ugly town :)
Most people say Stuttgart is an ugly town. I thought so too when I first got there. Not to mention all my bad memories from Stuttgart when I was a kid (having to go to the toilet and ending up in a toilet full of werewolf pictures while you hear someone puking). Ugh, no. Not a very nice experience for a kid! :D
Well, Stuttgart is not a glamourous city, that´s for sure. But, the more I was going there, the more I started to like it. I never lived in Stuttgart, but I was visiting it a lot while living in Ulm. First thing that I like about it is - Stuttgart is a simple city. People might be rude sometimes, but they are not arrogant. At least that´s the impression that I got. When in Stutgart, you don´t have to pretend to be something you´re not. And it´s big enough to have all the cultural, nightlife and shopping offers you need. It has a "big city" kind of feel.
So, little by little, I started liking it and actually enjoying it :)
Stuttgart is the capital city of the German federal state Baden-Württemberg, located on the river Neckar, surrounded by plently of small hills and wineyards. Although it doesn´t look like it, Stuttgart is actually a rich city with a very strong industry! It´s the city of Porsche, Daimler, Mercedes-Benz and Bosch! Plenty of people from all over the world come to Stuttgart to look for a job. The percentage of foreign population in Stuttgart is around 24%. Wine growing is also a huge business in Stuttgart, probably already since the Roman Empire. Stuttgart is also one of the rare cities where wineyards actually expand all the way into the city.
So, what to do in Stuttgart?
Shopping street Königstraße
First, when you arrive to Stuttgart (I suppose you are arriving by train). There is a huge shopping street called Königstraße. You can find everything you need there. From high end stores to cheap ones. If you arrive in the summer, this street is usually full of very good street musicians!
Schlossgarten
If from the Hauptbahnhof you go to the left, you will see a big park called Schlossgarten! It´s a very nice park with a lot of water fountains. If the weather is warm, you can sit on the grass and enjoy the sun!
Cafe´s, Bars and Nightclubs
If from the Hauptbahnhof you go the right, you will come across the big street called Theodor-Heuss Straße! This street is known for nightclubs! Indeed, there are hundreds of big and small nightclubs there, offering all kinds of music - from underground scene, such as Kowalski, more student/youth oriented 7Grad, or bars where you can dance salsa or smoke shisha! Well, Stuttgart has a really nice nightlife in my opinion. When it comes to clubs, it´s important to also mention Cavos! It´s a greek restaurant in the Lautenschlagerstraße (don´t worry, I know it sounds horrible, but it´s right in the centre! :D) which turns into a nightclub on the weekends. They play house music mostly and after midnight or so, people start throwing table napkins all around! It´s a fun experience! Amici is a very fancy club in the same street. Or Penthouse, which is a little bit more far away. I´ve never been there, but I heard it´s pretty cool!
Another place where people seem to gather in Stuttgart is the Palast de Republik. It´s a really small beerhouse. Usually in the summer, people go there, buy a drink and sit outside around the bar, drink and talk. It´s a interesting experience!
If you are looking for a kind-of-weird bar, then a beach bar on the of the building in the beginning of Königstrasse is your perfect choice for you! It´s not really weird, I say kind-of-weird because it somehow doesn´t fit within Stuttgart in my opinion :D But, it´s still nice! There is a huge area with sand and deck chairs, where you can lay and drink cocktail and have fun :)
If you are into Jazz than Bix bar is the right choice for you!
Restaurants
If you want to eat outside, I would recommend Tialini! It´s a very good italian restaurant in the centre of Stuttgart! Actually, it´s in the same street where Cavos and Amici are!
Next, Vapiano! A practical, affordable and good restaurant in Bolzstraße.
If you really want something fancy (and expensive) then restaurant 5, also in Bolzstraße, is the right choice for you!
Museums
If you are interested in art, there is a Kunstmuseum right in the main street Königstraße! There is also a Porsche Museum and a Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stutgart if you are into cars!
Chinese garden
A little bit hidden, but worth checking out is the Stuttgart´s Chinese Garden! It´s located in the Panoramastraße up on the hill!
Canstatter Wasen
I cannot speak about Stuttgart without mentioning the Wasen! Wasen is a part of the suburbs of Stuttgart called Cannstatt. Two main carnivals - Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest (in the spring) and Cannstatter Volkfest (in September) take place there. People usually dress up in traditional clothes and have a lot of fun. If you are familiar with Oktoberfest in Munich - this is something similar!
They say there is a lot of drugs in Stuttgart. There are also a lot of homeless people. I feel like the discrepency between the rich and poor is big in Stuttgart, although it might not be that visible.
So, that´s about it! All in all, I think Stuttgart is a really nice city to live in. Not too big, but not too small. With everything you need.
Anything you´d like to add? Anything I´ve missed? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below :)
