STUTTGART & BADEN-BADEN

4 - 8 AUGUST 2010

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STUTTGART

In the midst of Germany’s technological and industrial region, Baden—Württemberg, surrounded by traditional vineyards and deep in the Nektar Valley, lies the city of Stuttgart. This is the area where the Nektar River flows and where Diamler and Benz pioneered to create the first motor vehicle, giving way to the automobile revolution that we know today.

Airmalta flight KM 316 departed Gudja Airport at 06.30 hrs and arrived in Stuttgart at 09.00 hrs. From the arrival lounge in terminal 1 I walked to the right (going out of Customs) towards terminal 3 to find the i-punkt tourist information centre.

If you are staying for 3 nights or more in Stuttgart or its suburbs, it would be convenient to purchase a 3-day visitors ticket for unlimited travel on all means of transport. This costs €10.50 for zones 1 and 2 (city centre) and including the journey (once only) form the airport to the centre. However, if you intend to travel to places outside zone 2, like Ludwigsburg, then a ticket for the entire network costs €13.90 for 3 days.

Transport in Stuttgart during weekdays is very efficient. On Sunday transport is less frequent. The S-bahn and the U-bahn practically cover the entire city and its suburbs.

During my stay in Stuttgart I was accommodated at the City Hotel, Uhlandstrasse 18. This is very good 3 star hotel in the city centre, clean, comfortable, reasonably priced and close to a supermarket and an Italian restaurant called La Piazza. The U-bahn stop Olga-eck is just 200m away opposite the supermarket (open 07.00 - 22.00) and you will be in the Main Train Station (Hauptbahnhof stop) in just 3 stops (only 5 minutes).

At 10.00 I was welcomed by a nice female receptionist who spoke English and who also gave me the room so early in the day. Infact all hotel staff are very friendly and helpful. And by the way the buffet breakfast was also a bonus.

Arriving so early enabled me to start my sightseeing soon. So the very first place I decided to visit was Ludwigsburg.


Ludwigsburg

Ludwigsburg is a very beautiful small town, named after Duke Eberhard Ludwig von Württemberg who, in 1704, started to build the Ludwig Palace, one of Germany’s largest baroque palaces. To this Palace he later added the Schloss Favorit, a hunting lodge and country seat in Favorit Park (1713-1728), as well as Seeschloss (lake castle) Monrepos (1764–1768) about 2.4 km apart.

Ludwig Palace palace (entrance €6.5) reminded me of Versailles and is a good example of baroque architecture with precious furnishings and the Ceramics museum. The surrounding gardens known as the Blühendes Barock are also worth visiting (entrance €7.5).

Ludwigsburg could be reached by S5 stopping at Ludwigsburg Station and following the signs to the Palace through the beautiful town. Or else one could stop at Favorit Station and walk through Favorit Park to the Schloss Favorit then proceeding to Ludwig Palace and baroque gardens. On the way back out, about 1.3 km far from Favorit Park you can also reach the Monrepos lake castle.

Stuttgart City Centre

The busiest area of the city centre is Konigstrasse, a shopping avenue that starts from the Main Station and finishes at Eberhard Strasse just across Calver platz. Schloss platz is the place where many open events take place such the open air concerts, including the famous Stuttgart Summer Festival.

Stuttgart is famous for two automobile museums, the Mercedes Benz Museum as and the Porsche Museum. I visited the Mercedes Benz Museum (S1 Nektarpark) which undoubtedly presents an excellent exhibit of the history of automobilism in Germany and the development of the Mercedes car industry. One could still see the first one stroke engine invented by Daimler and Maybach in 1885 at Bad Canstatt just outside Stuttgart. There are various original exhibits amongst them the first car produced by Daimler and the various models that followed which show how the motor car evolved throughout the years.

A visit to this museum (entrance €8) should be a must not only for car lovers but also for those who admire the development of technology which sometimes we take fore granted. I would however remark negatively on the audio sets distributed to visitors, which leave much to be desired. I noticed many visitors who had to return to the entrance to change the set because it was defective. Mine, for example, stopped working in the middle of my visit because it showed a low battery level. This is a pity, and the Museum operators should see to this problem immediately as it could spoil a lovely experience.

Other places of interest in Stuttgart are:

New Porsche Museum – Porscheplatz 1
Directions – S-Bahn – S6 towards “Leonberg” or “Weilderstadt” until Neuwirtshaus, Bus – No. 501, 502, 503, 503M or 591 to stop Porsche
Opening Hours –Tuesday through Sunday 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Closed Mondays
Admission Price – Adult: 8 Euros;Reduced price: 4 Euros

Main Train Station – A great view of Stuttgart can be seen from station’s tower.
Opening Hours – April – October: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00am – 9:00pm
October – March: Tuesday – Sunday 10:00am – 9:00pm Thursday until 9pm
Admission – free

Schloss Square and The New Palace

The Art Building - Kunstgebäude, Schloßplatz 2
Directions - U-Bahn - U5, U6, U7 - Stop Schloßplatz; Straßenbahn - Line 15 - Stop Schloßplatz;
Bus - Line 42, 44, N1, N2, N3, N4 - Stop Schloßplatz

Old Palace (Altes Schloss) & The Württemberg Museum - Schillerplatz 6
Opening Hours - Tuesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm
Admission price - Adults: 3 Euro Reduced: 2 Euro Children under 14: Free

Art Museum (Kunstmuseum Stuttgart) - Kleiner Schlossplatz 1
Directions - Bus 42 or 44 to Schlossplatz; Underground lines U5, U6, U7 and U15 to Schlossplatz;
S-Bahn transit to Stadtmitte station
Opening Hours - Tues - Sun, 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.; Wed + Fri, 10 a.m. - 9 p.m. Mon closed
Guided tours (without prior reservation) Wed + Fri, 6 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sat + Son, 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
Admission Price - Collection (including exhibitions in the collection area) € 5 Reduced €3.50 Family € 11
Special exhibition (including collection) SIMPLY VIDEO €8 Reduced €6.50 Family €18
Guided tours € 2.50 / reduced: €1.50

Johannes Church (Johanneskirche) - Gutenbergstraße 11
Directions - S-Bahn: S1 - S6 - Stop Feuersee

Television Tower - Jahnstraße 120
Directions - Street Car: No. 15 or U7 to "Ruhbank"
Opening Hours - Daily 09.00 – 22.30
Admission price - Adult €5

Solitude Palace
Directions - Bus: No. 92- Stop Solitude
Opening Hours - Tuesday – Sunday: April - October 9:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:30 pm - 5:00 pm - Sun and bank holidays 9 am - 5 pm; November – March 1:30 - 5:00 pm. Sun and bank holidays 10 am. - 4 pm.
Admission Price - Adults € 3.30 Reduced € 1.70 Family Pass € 8.30

State Gallery Stuttgart - Konrad-Adenauer-Straße 30-32
Directions - Subway: U1, U2, U4, U9 and U14 - Stop Staatsgalerie. Bus: No. 40, 42 and 43
Opening Hours - Wed, Fri, Sat + Sun 10:00 am - 6:00 pm - New: Tues + Thurs 10:00 am - 8:00 pm
Monday closed – Art Night once per quarter 6:00 pm – midnight
Admission Price - Special Exhibitions: 10,00 € / 7,00 €, Children up to age 12 free Young persons (age 13-20) 2,00 € Combi-Ticket (including collection) 12,00 € / 9,00 € Art Night 16,00 € / 14,00 €
Collection All-Day-Ticket 5.50 € / 4.00 € free admittance on Wednesdays and Saturdays

State Theatre - Oberer Schloßgarten 6
Directions - Subway: U1, U2, U4, U9 and U14 - Stop Staatsgalerie. U5, U6, U7, U14 and U15 - Stop Hauptbahnhof. Bus: No. 40, 42 - Stop Staatsgalerie

Stifts Church Schiller Square - Stiftstraße 12 (Mitte)
Opening Hours - Monday to Wednesday: 9:00am - 5:30pm; Friday to Sunday: 9:00am - 5:30pm; Thursday: 12:00pm - 5:30pm

City Hall & Market Square - Marktplatz 1
Directions - U1 and U4 Stop Rathaus
Opening Hours Market – Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday 7.00 - 12.30

Rotenberg Chapel - Württembergstraße 350
Directions - Bus: No. 61 from the train station in Untertürkheim - Stop Rotenberg
Opening Hours: 1 March to 1 November: Tues – Sat 10.00 a.m – 12.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. – 5.00 p.m
Sun and public holidays: 10.00 a.m. – 12.00 a.m. and 1.00 p.m. – 6.00 p.m
Admission Prices: Adults € 2.20 Reduced rate € 1.10 Families € 5.50

The Calwer Passage - Calwer Strasse

Schellen Tower


The Surrounding Hills

As already mentioned Stuttgart is surrounded by hills and vineyards, parks and gardens. I have drawn up an itinerary which could be performed in one day to enjoy the beautiful views and natural experience of Stuttgart’s surroundings.

Start by taking U1 (direction Vaihingen) or U14 (Heslach) and stop at Sudheimer Platz. From there take a funicular (Seilbahn) up to Waldfriedhof (graveyard). This is a graveyard with a difference as it is located in the open forest.

After descending, take again the same U-bahn in the opposite direction and stop at Marienplatz from where you could board the Zacke, an old rack and pinion tram taking you up the hill to Degenloch. Stop at Haigst where there is a small belvedere known as the Santiago de Chile platz. From here enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

Afterwards proceed by the Zacke again to Degenloch from where you may take the U5(direction Monchfeld) or U7 (direction Killisberg) and stop at Bopser. Walk for about 20min up the hill through the Bopserweg and follow the signs to reach the Weissenburg Park and Teehaus. From there you can again enjoy a panoramic view of another part of the city.

Walk back to Bopser U-bahn stop and proceed from there to Killisberg by U7. To the left after a short walk you reach the Killisberg Park, an expansive area of greenery and flowers among small ponds making this park a nice place for relaxation. If you are not afraid of heights in the middle of the park there is an open spiral tower where you can climb 173 steps to the top to enjoy a beautiful view of the city.

BADEN-BADEN

Saturday 7 August was a warm and sunny day in the area. So we decided to go to Baden-Baden, a resort in the heart of the Black Forest and still in the Baden- Württemberg region. Baden-Baden is best known for its therapeutic bathhouses. The train departed from Stuttgart at 09.00hrs and the journey took us just one and a half hour changing once at Karlsruhe. It is very convenient to buy a Baden-Württemberg Ticket which costs €28 from ticket machines (€30 from desk office). This is valid for unlimited travel for the whole day after 9.00am on weekdays (any time on weekends and holidays) on regional and local trains as well as local buses and trams (U-bahn, S-bahn) anywhere in the region.

The train station of Baden-Baden is far out of the town centre in the suburb of Oos. Don't try walking, unless you afford at least an hour before you reach the centre. It’s better to take Bus 201 (direction: Lichtenthal) which runs every 10 minutes from the station and stop at Leopoldsplatz.

The ride usually takes 15-20 minutes depending on traffic conditions. The old town is on your left, the Kurpark and Kurhaus and the beginning of Lichtenthaler Allee just round the corner to the right.

The Baden-Württemberg Ticket it is valid on the bus.

Another option to see the town without walking is the fancy "train", touring the town centre, Lichtenthaler Allee and the road to the Merkursberg funicular hourly from March to October. The City Train is a hop on hop off system, the ticket (adults 5 €) is valid for a whole day of unlimited travel.

Merkur Mountain

From Leopoldsplatz take bus 204 or 205 which takes you to the funicular reaching the Merkur Mountain. The buses run every hour and bus 205 also runs to/from the train station.

The funicular runs every 8-15 minutes depending on demand. Return fare is 4 €. You can buy tickets either from the souvenir shop in the station or from a ticket machine. KVV tickets are not valid on the funicular.

The funicular is remarkably steep, 54% in the top part of the line.

When you arrive at the top, there is a tower whose top you may climb through an internal lift and some stairs. From this tower you may have a wonderful panoramic view of the area and the black forest.


Geroldsauer Waterfall

From the funicular station you could take the hourly Bus 204 to get to Geroldsau.

As you arrive in front of the terminal Malschbach (Malsch Bacher Street) in Geroldsau, you may proceed with a short walk in the main road on the left to reach the parking place. However the road is very busy with traffic and is a bit dangerous. So it is recommended to take a short deviation through a path through the Schwarzenweg and a then climb through a path on the left to reach the parking place in just under 5 minutes. Then just cross the road towards the parking place and from there follow the signs. From there a 1.4 kilometers path leads through the woods to the waterfall.

You would be crossing the stream through a nice wooden bridge and then proceed along the stream upwards until you reach the waterfall. If you stop to take pictures it takes around 45 minutes to reach the fall. In a little walk further up (300m), one arrives at the forest restaurant Bütthof. Return back could be quicker and easier and could take less than 25 minutes.


The Neues Schloss

If you have time to spend at Baden-Baden, it would be interesting to visit the New Palace which lies high above the old town and near to the Stiftskirche. It is the former home of the Margraves of Baden-Baden.