Things to Do in Stuttgart
Discover 27 activities and experiences in Stuttgart, Germany — from outdoor adventures to cultural events. Curated from real traveler recommendations.
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Biking
The city lies in a basin of a hilly region the Stuttgarters call "Kessel", literally "cauldron", and between the lowest part of the city and the highest part of the city are 250 meter of altitude. There is a lot of car traffic, and routes for bikes are not well developed. Biking in the outlying areas of Stuttgart, e.g. in the Neckar Valley or the Schönbuch (just south of the city) is very nice. Stuttgart is one of the greenest urban areas in Europe. There are many paths through the surrounding forests which are in very good shape.
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Zoo Wilhelma
Definitely a must for families. But watching monkeys and weird flowers in this old place can be fun for young adults, too. (Unless you feel pity for the locked up creatures.) Wilhelma is also worth visiting for its architecture and landscaping features - the core of Wilhelma is housed in a 19th century palace/park landscape in the Moorish style, created for and named after the former king Wilhelm of Wuerttemberg.
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- Neckartalstraße, Bad Cannstatt
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SI-Centrum
There are two musical theaters (Apollo-Theater and Stage Palladium Theater) both located in the hotel/conference/entertainment complex called the SI-Centrum (Stuttgart Musical Center) in Möhringen close to the A8. This complex includes also the Millennium hotel and a spacious underground complex that houses many conference rooms, bars, restaurants, a casino and a huge wellness pool area.
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Volksfest
Huge fun fair on the Cannstatter Wasen, beertents and rollercoasters, late September-early October. (Families should go there during daytime: after 20:00 o'clock beware of tough public and drunken people.) Canstatter Wasen is the second largest fun fair in the world. Visiting it is more pleasant than the Oktoberfest in Munich, because tents are not so overcrowded like on the Oktoberfest.
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- Free entrance
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Watch Football
See the city's most famous sports team, the Fussball Bundesliga Club VfB Stuttgart in action. The club's home ground, the Mercedes-Benz-Arena, is in the Bad Cannstatt district, in the same neighborhood as the Mercedes-Benz Museum and the Volksfest takes place in autumn.
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Swim and relax
Stuttgart is fond of its mineral springs, actually biggest in Western Europe. The best one might be the Leuze Mineralbad which also offers a sauna, but there are many others like the Höhenfreibad Killesberg (open air pool for 4,10€) or the MineralBad Cannstatt.
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- 6AM - 9PM
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- 8 € - 15 €
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Corso Cinema International
Most cinemas will run movies with synchronized German voice-over/dubbing and you will be unable to enjoy the movie unless you understand German. CORSO Cinema International in Vaihingen shows movies with original audio track (and possibly German text captions).
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- Hauptstraße 6 Vaihingen
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- 7.80 € for adults
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Watch Tennis
International ladies' tennis (WTA's Porsche Grand Prix) can be seen in the Porsche Arena in September/October each year. This prestigious event attracts top players, with large prize-money and a brand new Porsche car on offer to the winner.
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The Stuttgart Ballet
Watch and listen to the ballet company of the state theater Stuttgart. It is one of the world's best ensembles founded by legacy of John Cranko. Definitely a top place to go to in the evening. You'll need to reserve tickets in advance.
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Planetarium
A fascinating astronomical journey, projected by optical hightech equipment: Carl Zeiss Planetarium . Note that almost all the shows conducted here are in German. You may have to check with the office for English show timings.
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Walk the wine trail
The Stuttgart wine trail. The Obertürkheim - Uhlbach - Rotenberg - Untertürkheim trail includes a viniculture museum, the Grabkapelle Württemberg (Burial chapel Württemberg) and restaurants where you can try the local wine.
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Ship roundtrips on river Neckar
Enjoy liner trips on the Neckar, roundtrips or event trips. Or charter a complete ship just for you. Season is from Easter till End of October. For the conditions see the website. Beverage and food is offered on the ships.
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- Shipstop at Zoo Wilhelma Neckartalstrasse
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Stuttgart Jazz Open
festival in mid July lasting about one week featuring American, European and other international performers at two downtown venues, one outdoor near the main train station and one indoor at a jazz club
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Hiking Swabian Mountains
The Schwäbische Alb (hilly mattock landscape) covering natures highlights like the mystical colored "Blautopf" and stalactite caves like "Bärenhöhle". Can be a nice day trip for families with children.
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Mercedes-Benz factory
The heart of Mercedes-Benz manufacture, and well worth the visit. There are some 40,000 employees on site, including 9,000 in research & development alone! There are also guided tour in English.
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- Sindelfingen
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Hiking Black Forest
In Triberg (120 km south), a beautiful old village in the heart of the black forest which specializes in grandfather and cuckoo clocks, you can see the largest waterfalls in Europe.
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Hamburg Fish Market
10-day festival featuring seafood, beer, and vendors from the northern port city of Hamburg. The market fills Karlsplatz near the Schlossplatz in mid-July.
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Weindorf
Huge wine festival at 10 days in early September. More than one million visitors from all over the world try around 5000 different sorts of wine.
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Wagenhallen
Around 80 creative artists, architects, designer and musican persent their work in an old train depot and discarded train wagon.
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Tübingen
Visit the charming university cities of Tübingen, Heidelberg (80 km northwest),Freiburg (120 km southwest) or Ulm (80 km east) .
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International Festival of Science Fiction, Horror and Thriller
late July or early August: Festival for strange films, one week of Horror, Splatter, Asia, Suspense, Action and Animation.
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Long Night of the Museums
All Museums open up to Sunday 2AM in the morning. There is also a Long Night of Sciences (Lange Nacht der Wissenschaften)
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- 16€
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Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest
a fun fair like Cannstatter Wasen in April/May, but smaller.
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- Free entrance
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Stuttgart Summer Festival
early August, city centre - music, food and drinks.
Exploring Stuttgart: A Traveler's Guide to Activities
Stuttgart rewards curious travelers with an exceptional range of experiences. Whether you have a weekend or several weeks, the city's 27 documented activities cover the full spectrum — architectural landmarks and world-class museums at one end, local neighborhood festivals and underground cultural scenes at the other. The activities listed on this page come from Wikivoyage contributors who have personally explored Stuttgart and written detailed, practical descriptions to help you plan your visit.
The most rewarding way to experience Stuttgart's activities is with company. Solo travelers who arrive without plans often find that meeting a fellow traveler at a hostel, cafe, or through the Nomax app opens up entirely new itineraries — a museum visit becomes a half-day exploration, a street food crawl turns into an evening of discovery, a day trip to a nearby site becomes an adventure. Stuttgart has an active traveler community, and the city is designed to reward those who explore it with open curiosity.
When planning what to do in Stuttgart, consider mixing well-known attractions with neighborhood-level experiences. The city's most photographed sights are popular for good reason, but Stuttgart's character lives in its quieter corners too — the local markets, the parks where residents spend their weekends, the small performance venues where the next generation of artists and musicians are finding their voice. The 27 activities on this page include both categories, ordered by the richness of their traveler-written descriptions.
How to Get the Most from Stuttgart's Activities
Timing matters in Stuttgart. Many of the city's best attractions have shorter queues and better atmospheres on weekday mornings. Major cultural sites — museums, galleries, historic monuments — often run free admission windows on certain days or evenings; check before booking. Outdoor activities and walking tours are best enjoyed in the morning before the city heats up or fills with tour groups.
Budget-conscious travelers will find that Stuttgart has a strong free-to-access layer. Public parks, open-air markets, architectural walking routes, and many community events cost nothing. The price information included with activities on this page (where available) helps you plan a realistic daily budget. A mix of free and paid activities across a week in Stuttgart is entirely feasible for most traveler budgets.
For travelers who want to do more than just sightseeing, Stuttgart offers organized activities through local guides, tour companies, and traveler apps like Nomax. Group activities — cooking classes, cycling tours, kayaking excursions, photography walks — are a natural way to meet people while experiencing the city. Many travelers who use Nomax in Stuttgart coordinate these types of group experiences together, splitting costs and building memories that last beyond the trip itself.
Activities for Different Travel Styles
Not every traveler wants the same experience. History enthusiasts will gravitate toward Stuttgart's museums, heritage sites, and guided historical walks that reveal the layers of the city's past. Outdoor and adventure travelers will focus on the parks, cycling routes, climbing areas, and day trips to surrounding natural areas. Food travelers will treat Stuttgart's markets, restaurants, and food tours as the primary activities of each day. Culture seekers will fill evenings with concerts, theater, gallery openings, and street performances.
The 27 activities documented on this page span all these categories. Use the numbered list above to browse in order of description quality — longer descriptions generally mean more detailed, firsthand traveler knowledge. For each activity, the address and opening hours (where available) give you everything you need to plan your visit without needing to search elsewhere.
Connecting with Travelers in Stuttgart
One of the best things about traveling to Stuttgart is the community of international travelers already there. Backpackers, digital nomads, long-term expats, and short-trip tourists all share the same city at any given moment. Nomax makes it easy to find who is in Stuttgart right now, see what activities they are joining, and coordinate plans. Whether you want a hiking companion, someone to split museum entry with, or a group for an evening out — the app connects you to people with the same itinerary in minutes.
Download Nomax before your trip to Stuttgart to set your travel dates and start discovering who else will be there at the same time. The app is free, requires no subscription, and works across all the major traveler destinations worldwide — meaning the community you build in Stuttgart often extends to your next destination too.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the best things to do in Stuttgart?
Stuttgart offers 27+ activities and experiences for travelers. Top highlights include Biking, Zoo Wilhelma, SI-Centrum, and much more. This page lists every documented activity in order of description quality, so you can find both the major attractions and the hidden gems.
Are there free things to do in Stuttgart?
Yes — Stuttgart has a strong selection of free activities. Public parks, open-air markets, walking routes through historic neighborhoods, and many cultural institutions offer free admission on specific days. Scroll through the list above and look for activities marked with free or no price information — these are often the city's most authentic experiences.
How do I meet other travelers while exploring Stuttgart?
Download Nomax — a free travel companion app that shows you other solo travelers currently in Stuttgart. You can join group activities, chat with travelers at the same spots, and plan outings together. Many travelers in Stuttgart use Nomax to find companions for day trips, museum visits, and evening activities.
What activities can I do with travel companions I meet in Stuttgart?
Stuttgart has activities for every interest — guided tours, food experiences, outdoor adventures, cultural events, and nightlife. Use Nomax to coordinate with other travelers: join a group for a walking tour, split a day-trip cost, or simply explore the city together. The app makes spontaneous plans easy.
Explore Stuttgart with fellow travelers
Download Nomax — find travel companions, join group activities, and chat with solo travelers in Stuttgart right now. Free forever.
Travel tips by Wikivoyage contributors (CC BY-SA 3.0). Content may have been updated since publication.
