Stuttgart Transportation

Getting There

Air

Stuttgart Airport (STR) is the airport dedicated to serving Stuttgart.

Stuttgart Airport (STR) +49 1805 948444 http://www.flughafen-stuttgart.de

The airport is located 13 kilometers/8 miles south of the city center. Although it only has one runway, but still manages to serve over 10 million passengers every year.

Airlines service STR include:

Aegean Airlines (+30 210 6261000/ http://www.aegeanair.com) airberlin (+1 866 266 5588/ http://www.airberlin.com) Air France (+1 800 237 2747/ http://www.airfrance.com) Austrian Airlines (+1 800 843 0002/ http://www.aua.com) Alitalia (+1 800 223 5730/ http://www.alitalia.com) British Airways (+1 800 247 9297/ http://www.britishairways.com) Cirrus Airlines (+49 811 999 990/ http://www.cirrusairlines.de) Condor (+1 800 364 1667/http://www.condor.com) Czech Airlines (+420 239 007 007/ http://www.czechairlines.com) Delta Air Lines (+1 800 221 1212/ http://www.delta.com) Finnair (+1 800 950 5000/ http://www.finnair.com) Germanwings (+44 870 252 12 50/ http://www.germanwings.com) KLM (+1 800 225 2525/ http://www.klm.com) Lufthansa (+1 800 645-3880/ http://www.lufthansa.de) Olympic Airlines (+1 800 223 1226/ http://www.olympicairlines.com) Pegasus Airlines (+90 845 084 8980/ http://www.flypgs.com) Scandinavian Airlines System (+1 800 221 2350/ http://www.flysas.com) Turkish Airlines (+1 800 874 8875/ http://www.thy.com)

Car Rental Companies

There are a number of car rental companies available at the airport to allow you to get to wherever you need to go.

Avis (+1 800 331 1084/ http://www.avis.com) Budget (+1 800 472 3325/ http://www.budget.com) Europcar (www.europcar.com) Hertz (+1 800 654 3001/ https://www.hertz.com) National (+1 800 227 7368/ http://www.nationalcar.com) Sixt (+1 +49 180 523 2222/ http://www.sixt.com)

Taxi

Taxis are available at any time of the day or night in Stuttgart. However, they are expensive, a ride to the city center will cost around EUR 30.

Bus

Buses 36, 74, 122, X15, 809, 828, and X3 all serve the airport. Rates vary depending on the distance you are traveling, but are usually around a couple of euros.

Train

Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (central station) is accessible via the German railway company Deutsche Bahn (DB) (http://www.db.de/). The railway station is located in the heart of the city. Public transportation is available outside of the station.

Highway

The Autobahn A8 defines the southern border of Stuttgart, whereas the A81 leads you towards Stuttgart from the west. To reach downtown Stuttgart, follow the city highway A831. Even though there are signs put up everywhere, be careful which lane you are in. Many people tend to get lost at the Autobahnkreuz Stuttgart (junction).

Getting Around

Public Transport

The Stuttgarter Straßenbahn AG is the city's public transportation company. 14 streetcars and 55 bus lines serve the entire city of Stuttgart. The city is divided in zones. Tickets start at EUR1 (short distance). A one-way ticket that will allow you to travel within six zones or more costs EUR6.30.

Bike

Stuttgart is an overall bicycle-friendly town. At http://www.vvs.de/radroutenplaner/ you are even able to plan individual bike routes throughout the city.

Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- The Stuttgart Echterdingen Airport (tel. 0711/9480) is 14km (9 miles) south of the city near Echterdingen. The airport has connections with most major German and European cities. Trip time from Frankfurt is 50 minutes; from Hamburg or Berlin, 1 1/4 hours. The commuter train to Stuttgart leaves from below the arrivals level of Terminal 1. Trains depart every 20 minutes, taking 27 minutes. A one-way fare is 3.10€ ($5). A taxi to the city center costs from 30€ ($48).

By Train -- Stuttgart has rail links to all major German cities, with frequent connections. The train station is directly north of the historic area. Twenty-seven daily trains run from Munich (trip time: 2-3 hr.), and 19 trains run from Frankfurt (trip time: 1 1/2-2 hr.). For information, call tel. 01805/996633.

By Bus -- Long-distance bus service into Stuttgart from cities outside Germany, including London, Paris, Vienna, and Amsterdam, is maintained by Deutsche Touring GmbH (tel. 0711/2730962; www.touring.de). Passengers coming into Stuttgart from other cities within Germany almost always opt to take the train.

By Car -- Access by car is via the A8 Autobahn east and west, or the A81 north and south.

Visitor Information

Information about transportation, sightseeing, and hotels is available at the Touristik-Zentrum, Königstrasse 1A (tel. 0711/22280; www.stuttgart-tourist.de), which is open year-round Monday to Friday 9am to 8pm and Saturday 9am to 6pm; it also has Sunday hours November to April from 1 to 6pm, and May to October from 11am to 6pm.

Getting Around

A single ride between points that fall within Stuttgart's historic core on the city's bus or subway system costs 1.90€ ($3.10). Rides to the outer suburbs, depending on where you travel, range from 2.35€ to 6.30€ ($3.80-$10). Often, the most economical way of handling multiple rides on the system involves buying a Tageskarte (day ticket), which costs 5.60€ ($9); it's valid for a day of unlimited transport within the city core and also within zones 1 and 2. A 1-day pass that's valid for transport within the entire network (in other words, the city center and zones 1-5) sells for 12€ ($18). An exceptional bargain is its 3-day equivalent, available only to temporary residents of a local hotel or guesthouse, selling for 9.90€ ($16) within the city center and zones 1 (central Stuttgart) and 2 (immediate suburbs), and for 13€ ($21) for rides anywhere within the network. For more information about the city's transport system, its routes, and its prices, call tel. 0711/19449.