Two Days in Stuttgart: Market, Museums and the Volksfest

Stuttgart had been a name on the map for years before I saw it. As the capital of Baden-Württemberg it comes up often, but I had never made the trip. For five months I had been living about a hundred kilometres away, and it took some work in the city to get me there — twice, on two day trips.

By luck, one of those days was the opening day of the Cannstatter Volksfest. Everyone calls it the beer festival, and beer is certainly part of it, but it has been an autumn festival for hundreds of years.

Morning in the centre

I spent the first morning walking the lively centre and the market place. The KunstMuseum sits right in the middle of the city and is impossible to miss. The market was busy with stalls and shoppers, and the whole centre felt awake. Even the street signs carry history: one commemorates Robert Bosch, founder of Bosch Industries.

Afternoon at the Volksfest

The afternoon belonged to the Volksfest, reached from the Mercedesstrasse tram stop. What I remember first is colour: rides, lights, crowds and a great many beer tents.

People were in Dirndls and Lederhosen, the traditional dress, and the tents were full. Some had bands playing; all of them had people raising beer jugs. The tents are the heart of it: long tables, music, and strangers becoming neighbours for an evening.

I am not a brave rider. The scariest thing there was the Revolution, which reminded me of Talocan at Phantasialand, and I did not bother trying it.

Two car museums, two days

Car lovers are spoiled: both the Porsche Museum and the Mercedes-Benz Museum are inside the city. A direct tram reaches the Porsche Museum. For the Mercedes-Benz Museum, take bus 56 from Canstatter Wasen, which stops right in front. I visited them on different days, and the Porsche Museum had a 50-year celebration running at the time. Even for someone with only a passing interest in cars, the scale of both collections is worth the trip.

One useful quirk: students pay a heavily reduced entrance fee between 4 pm and 5 pm, or thereabouts.

Just in time for Mercedes-Benz

I nearly left it too late. The museum was close to closing when I hurried over, and both my phone and camera batteries had died, so I have no photographs of my own; the picture here is from a postcard I bought. The visit was wonderful all the same. If you go to Stuttgart, make time for Mercedes-Benz World.

Practical notes

• KunstMuseum: city centre, hard to miss.
• Porsche Museum: direct tram.
• Mercedes-Benz Museum: bus 56 from Canstatter Wasen stops at the door.
• Volksfest: Mercedesstrasse tram stop; opening day is worth catching.
• Student discount: around 4-5 pm.

Solitude, and goodbye

Solitude Castle inspired a poem of the same name, which I published as Next Stop: Solitude, along with more photographs.

Then it was time to say goodbye to the city. Two day trips covered the highlights and left plenty unseen. I do not know whether I will go back. If you do, I would like to hear about it.