Stuttgart is one of ten German cities hosting this year’s European Football Championship. Fans from Slovenia, Denmark, Belgium, Scotland and the Ukraine will watch their teams' matches there, while hosts Germany will face Hungary in their second group game in the city. A quarter-final will be held in Stuttgart as well.
But whether you're in Stuttgart for just one of the matches or for the tournament, there's plenty for fans to see and do. Where can you soak up the tournament atmosphere away from the stadium? And what else is on offer besides football? Here are some tips:
1. Public screenings:
The central public viewing area is on Schlossplatz, the square near the main railway station. During the European Championships, almost all of the 51 tournament matches will be shown there. Only on the last group match day will two matches be played simultaneously of which only one will be screened. The area can accommodate up to 30,000 spectators.
2. Stadium:
The MHP Arena in Bad Cannstatt, normally the home of the VfB Stuttgart club, is listed as Arena Stuttgart for the championship and can host 54,000 spectators.
Several tram lines and suburban trains run from the main station to the stadium including the U1 (to Mercedesstrasse), the U19, the special line U11 (during the European Championships) and the S1 (to NeckarPark (stadium)) or the S2 and S3 (to Bad Cannstatt station).
If you are travelling by car, we recommend using the park-and-ride car parks with connections to the S-Bahn network. Outside the Stuttgart environmental zone, they can be found in Plochingen, Winnenden, Backnang and Leonberg railway stations, among others.
3. Pilgrimage sites for football fans:
The district of Degerloch is home to the Waldau Stadium, where the Stuttgarter Kickers play adjacent to a 216-metre television tower, the tallest building in the city. The viewing platform at 150 metres offers a panoramic view of both the city and the stadium. During the European Championship, you might even catch a glimpse of the Swiss national team, who are based in Stuttgart and will be training in the Waldau Stadium.
The VfB Stuttgart club grounds are right beside the European Championship stadium in Bad Cannstatt, where the Clubrestaurant 1893 can be found. The menu combines a mix of sporting fare and local German food - look for the local delicacy of Käsespätzle. However, the restaurant will be open only to the European football association UEFA from June 6 until July 8, 2024. Fans will have to wait until the end of the championships to dine there.
4. Non-football related sights:
Stuttgart is home to Mercedes-Benz and Porsche – two of Europe's leading luxury car brands.
The Mercedes factory in Untertürkheim is just a stone's throw from the European Championship stadium and the VfB Stuttgart football club, as is the Mercedes Museum. Some 1,500 vehicles are shown on over 16,500 square metres, ranging from the 1886 Benz Patent Motor Car Number 1 to the latest super sports cars.
Sports cars are the name of the game in Zuffenhausen, north of Stuttgart. This is where Porsche is based as well as its opulent museum for car enthusiasts. All the vehicles in the manufacturer's history including the first 911 are on display.
Most known Germany for its beers, but many are unaware of the rich wine-growing tradition. Around two dozen wineries are spread across the capital of Stuttgart's state of Baden-Württemberg. Several wine trails make for a 40 km wine-growing region.
One of the trails leads past the burial chapel that King Wilhelm I had built in 1820 for his deceased wife Katharina. Surrounded by vineyards, the chapel on the 411-metre Württemberg hill with its sweeping view of the city and the Neckar valley is popular among residents of Stuttgart for outings.
The city's Wilhelma Zoo is also worth a visit. The zoo is in a large park that stretches from the main Schlossplatz square in the city centre to the River Neckar, although “zoo” is only half the story. There are also extensive plant collections on the grounds and Wilhelma says it is "Germany's only zoological and botanical garden."
