Flights to Stuttgart

If you have enough of the bustling Königstraße shopping mile, just follow the flow to the listed building of the Parliament of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Here you fill find the Plenum, a culinary oasis of calm in Stuttgart. In principle you can, while waiting for your order to arrive, continue with sightseeing: The restaurant is entirely glassed-in and offers the most beautiful view of the Eckensee, the castle, the opera and the palace gardens. If you look around the inside of the restaurant you will discover dark parquet flooring, discreet tables and Phillip Starck chairs. This is where the chic and elegant locals come to enjoy coffee and cake or one of the many fascinating main dishes. The menu includes extraordinary delicacies made of primarily regional products, without appearing over-the-top. Whether a sandwich with buffalo mozzarella or braised veal cheeks, everything is reasonably priced. Except for the dessert. Yet those are really quite something: Coconut tart on sheep's milk yogurt-chamomile ice cream and papaya sauce, pralines of goat and cow milk cream cheese with pepper compote or sweet caprese - buffalo mozzarella sorbet with strawberry salad, fried Thai basil, vanilla olive oil and pine seed brittle. Yummy!

Have you had enough of Maultaschen? Then grab a pizza for a change. That is one of those perfect pizzas that far extend beyond the edge of the plate. True Italy lovers will even pass over the yummy pizzas and go for vitello tonnato, saltimbocca, crostini or scallopine. Lovely! Punto Fisso is more than a pizzeria, it's a trendy meeting spot for the young and old, for bobos and the creative class, for students and the alternative, for the babbler and taciturn - and it has been for 16 years now. The ristorante is authentic, a trattoria that also works as a pub. In summer time it's simply wonderful to sit in the garden watching people and eating. You can talk about anything here, the funny, the melancholic, the philosophical and the banal. And nowhere does a glass of wine taste better than here.

At Tasca in Feui you will experience southern flair in Swabian country. The small restaurant offers Portuguese and Spanish cuisine, and the furnishing looks exactly how would you imagine in a family-run business: Tightly standing tables, not too many of them. Not very stylish but very cosy. The head of the house, Barry-James Hackh, greets you and serves olives, garlic dip and bread as a starter. His wife is the cook, and she really knows what she's doing. Whether you choose something from the daily menu or à la carte , it doesn't really matter. The fish platter for two with its great variety of tastes is particularly recommended. Attention: Sides are ordered extra, as is common in Spain and Portugal. And keep some room for the dessert - fans of Portugal know why!

Once upon a time... there were people with lots of money. For example King William I., who had a private garden built that would put row house owners on the brink of a nervous breakdown. Today the former retreat of the royal has been converted into a public garden, attracting 2.1 million visitors a year. Special feature: It's a zoological-botanical garden, with exotic animals as well as unusual plants. Free guided tours will help you when your biological and botanical knowledge is exhausted after the first few steps. The complex was designed in a Moorish style by the architect Karl Ludwig von Zanth. The Swabian kign flirted with the idea of an Alhambra at the Neckar. Today the Moorish country house, the ballroom and the Damascene Hall are reminiscent of that. Take your time, there's a lot to discover that even turns the most hardened city dwellers into nature lovers: magnolia, lily pond, subtropical terraces and a sea of flowers. On top of everything you have lots of wild animals that you would expect in a zoo.

Even if they are more and more often selected as landmarks or super sights, you don't really have to go up every television tower pointed out to you. In Stuttgart, however, you should definitely make the trip, since it's the first television tower that was built in the world. The pride of every Stuttgart resident is 217 metres high and has been sitting there since 1956. For 5 euros you may take the yellow lift to go up to the panorama platform. which is located at a height of 152 metres. The ride takes merely 44 seconds. The view over the city and the vineyards is beautiful, the restaurant less so. Apparently they relied on the surrounding view to provide a sense of beauty and style. The food, however, is surprisingly good and affordable.

In 2005, the fantastic new building was inaugurated and since then people keep wondering: What's more spectacular, the building, whose glass shell shines brightly at night, or the objects that are displayed on 5,000 m² inside? The collection is grouped around four topics: The ornament, the subversive-ironic strategy, the transition from the free to the applied arts and the political-sociocritical approach. The latter is characterized by Otto Dix - the museum owns the biggest collection of the expressionist, including some masterpieces from the 20th century. Yet also Adolf Hölzel, Willi Baumeister, Fritz Winter and Dieter Roth are well worth seeing. The collection spans from the 18th century to the present, and if you get tired from looking at so much art, you can recover your spirits on the top floor. The restaurant Cube is known for great food and a wonderful view of the city. If you don't have much time, just get an espresso in the bar o.T.

Mrs. Opatril has probably never heard of the word subtle, and if she has, she has forgotten it immediately. She designs bags, hats, coats and shoes. Nothing more and nothing less. Yet she draws from an exclusive pool of ideas and puts at least a piece of fur, leather, gold or silver onto every single piece. Sounds frumpy? Only in the rarest of cases. Most of her fashion is striking, colourful and tailor-made for extravagant customers. Of course, PETA activists would not be amused, they would find more than one reason to protest. The raccoon fur bag is only suited for ladies who don't lose much sleep over living animals. The furs of Antelopes, foxes, calves, minks and rabbits are all available. The most interesting creation is the silver leather hat aviator-style. It's padded with coloured rabbit fur, and is not only warm but also an absolute looker.

Göppingen lies almost exactly halfway between Stuttgart and Ulm, and is hardly known as a fashion Mecca. Nevertheless, two guys got together there to turn their shared love of fashion and neon prints into the label Fetter Clothing. Revelling through the Stuttgart night you will see them more and more often: The shirts, hoodies and bags that are so characteristic one will always place them correctly. The not entirely secret to success: Print, print, print, in all the colours that people used to love in the 80s. You'll see neon sunglasses on jumpers and even the modified smiley has a revival. The bags are simple shoppers made of fabric, which are perfect for going to the library or swimming.

Breuninger is known in Stuttgart as a fashion and lifestyle brand. Since last autumn the long-established company can be proud of additional 2,000 square metres for shoes in the flagship store on the Marktstraße. But let's take one at a time! In 1881 Eduard Breuninger opened his first store on the Münzstraße in Stuttgart. With a little sensation: he begins with a clearance sale. Eight years later the next surprise: the employees are allowed to take off Sundays - quite unusual for that time. Also holidays are to be introduced. 70 years later the next Breuninger vision follows: the Stuttgart company is the first company in Europe who would allow cashless payments via debit card. In addition, Heinz Breuninger installs a kindergarten for his customers as well as a garage and several restaurants. In 2006 the above-mentioned flagship store opens in order to display - six years later on the lower ground - high heels, flats and sneakers - 250 brands altogether. That's lived innovation that we like!

Whether in an apartment, a double or a dorm room - at the Hostel Alex you always have a comfy stay. The idea is just as simple as it is successful: You combine the service of a hotel with the prices of a hostel. The rooms are simply but beautifully furnished, and those who are out and about a lot won`t make much use of a luxurious hotel, anyway. Instead of gold fixtures, antiquities and knick-knacks you get a hearty breakfast and nice people from all over Europe that you can get to know along the way. If you want to stay longer and cater for yourself, then an apartment would be perfect for you. If you book early enough, maybe the one with the rooftop terrace will still be available.

If you book a room in the Meridien, you know what to expect: Luxury of the most sophisticated kind. In this case directly in front of the magnificent, green Schlossgarten (palace garden). The 281 rooms have an elegant and modern touch, and if you`d prefer something even more up-scale you can book one of the 25 suites. Whichever category you decide on, all rooms provide a perfect retreat after a turbulent day in the city. Nothing seems overdone here, the colour combinations are subtle and the precious furniture is pleasantly reserved. The service is complemented with the fantastic restaurant Le Cassoulet, which offers a great mix of regional and French cooking. The spa area lures you with a wonderful pool, steam bath, sauna and a number of treatments. Whether you are on holidays or working, in the Meridian everything is a pleasure.

Don`t feel like too many knick-knacks? Welcome to the Pension Riehle. Here you live in one of the 32 rooms that can safely describe as functional but comfortable. A bed, a table, a chair, wooden floor, skylights, airy curtains. The inn is perfect for guests who appreciate a cosy and down-to-earth environment and don`t need any extravagances to have a nice holiday. The location is great for culture lovers, since it`s only a brush stroke away from the Stuttgart State Gallery. This can be very handy, because if you want to really do justice to the collections of paintings, sculptures, and graphic design, you`ll have to visit the museum several times. Attention: Not all rooms have an en-suite bathroom.