Germany (Lonely Planet, 6th Edition) - Andrea Schulte-Peevers [344]
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Discount Cards
Stuttcard (72hr €9.70) Free entry to most museums, plus discounts on events, activities and guided tours. Sold at the tourist office and some hotels.
Stuttcard Plus (72hr €20) Combines the Stuttcard with a three-day pass for bus, tram and U-Bahn travel within the city, including transport to and from the airport.
VVS 3-Day Ticket (72hr inner city/metropolitan area €10.30/13.90) Three-day pass for unlimited use of public transport, available to guests with a hotel reservation.
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Internet Access
City Call Internet Center (Eberhardstrasse 14; per hr €2; 10am-midnight Mon-Sat, 11am-midnight Sun)
Coffee Fellows ( 292 743; Hauptbahnhof; per hr €5; 6am-10pm) Up the stairs behind track 4. Free wi-fi.
Cyber Café ( 284 9980; Klett-Passage 29; per hr €2; 9am-11pm Mon-Sat, 10am-11pm Sun)
Treppe ( 222 1646; Kleiner Schlossplatz 13-15; per hr €3; 9am-midnight Mon-Sat, noon-midnight Sun) Sleek cafe-lounge with high-speed internet.
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Laundry
SB-Waschsalon Trieb ( 7am-7pm Mon-Fri, 7am-3pm Sat) Self-service laundry in the arcade behind the tourist office. There’s also a 24-hour ‘Waschbox’.
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Medical Services
Klinikum Stuttgart ( 2780; Kriegsbergstrasse 60) The city’s largest hospital.
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Money
ATMs Königstrasse has many, including one in the tourist office.
ReiseBank & Western Union (Hauptbahnhof, opposite track 11; 8am-8.30pm, Western Union to 8pm) Currency exchange.
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Post
Post office (inside Königsbau Passagen; 10am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4pm Sat) Slightly northwest of the Schlossplatz. There’s also a branch in the Hauptbahnhof, up the stairs behind track 4.
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Tourist Information
Baden-Württemberg Tourist Board (www.tourismus-bw.de)
Tourist office ( 222 80; www.stuttgart-tourist.de; Königstrasse 1a; 9am-8pm Mon-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat, 11am-6pm Sun) The staff can help with room bookings and public transport enquiries. Has a list of vineyards open for tastings.
Welcome Information Center ( 222 8240; 8am-7pm Mon-Fri, 9am-noon & 1-6pm Sat & Sun) The tourist office branch at Stuttgart International Airport. Situated in Terminal 3, Level 2 (Arrivals).
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SIGHTS
City Centre
A lift races up to the Hauptbahnhof’s 10th floor, where an Aussichtsplatform (Viewing Platform; admission free; 10am-9pm Apr-Sep, 10am-6pm Oct-Mar) affords close-ups of the revolving Mercedes logo and far-reaching views over Stuttgart.
East of the station, the fountain-dotted Mittlerer Schlossgarten (Middle Palace Garden) draws thirsty crowds to its terrific beer garden in summer. The Unterer Schlossgarten (Lower Palace Garden) is a ribbon of greenery rambling northeast to the Neckar River and the Rosensteinpark, home to the zoo Click here. Sitting south, the Oberer Schlossgarten (Upper Palace Garden) is framed by eye-catching landmarks like the columned Staatstheater (State Theatre) and the ultramodern glass-clad Landtag (State Parliament).
Stepping east, the neoclassical meets contemporary Staatsgalerie (State Gallery; 470 400; www.staatsgalerie-stuttgart.de; Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 30-32; adult/concession €5.50/4, special exhibitions €10/7; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, to 8pm Tue & Thu) bears British architect James Stirling’s curvy, colourful imprint. Alongside big-name exhibitions, the gallery harbours a top-drawer collection of 20th-century art, showcasing works by Rembrandt, Monet, Dalí and pop idols Warhol and Lichtenstein.
Stuttgart’s main artery is the shopping boulevard Königstrasse, reaching south from the Hauptbahnhof. Halfway down is the Schlossplatz, a regal plaza crowned by the König Wilhelm Jubilee Column, with fountains representing the eight rivers of Baden-Württemberg.
A shimmering glass cube sheltering the Kunstmuseum Stuttgart ( 216 2188; www.kunstmuseum-stuttgart.de; Kleiner Schlossplatz 1; adult/concession