Stuttgart

In the Middle Ages, the Wilhelmplatz was a stage for executions. Today not much worse could happen than that you walk past and don't enter the Cibo Mato with a hungry stomach. The Lounge Bar is one of the most urbane restaurants in Stuttgart - it might as well be sitting in New York or Paris. Purists will just settle down in the summer lounge, on one of the white sofas. And if you prefer it a bit more playful, you can look for a space in the orient lounge and enjoy the smoke of the shishas under a violet velvet sky.   The food in the restaurant, tapas and finger food from all over the world but with a primarily Asian touch, is very tasty. We recommend, above all, breakfast and steak. The former can be had until 11 p.m. (on weekends only until 2.30 p.m., then as a buffet). The latter is available as Rib Eye, bison, Frisian or dry-matured beef.

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!

The Cube Restaurant is located on the top floor of the Stuttgart Art Museum, guaranteeing a unique perspective: Wherever you turn your head, you are sure to have a fantastic view of the city centre, since the Cube is not only high but also entirely glassed-in. The architecture of the façade is so impressive that designer Heinz Witthöft concentrated on the essential in the interior. Noble restraint, a lot of style but little colour. The motto? An unforgettable dining experience in a spacious and unique urban setting.   The cuisine is upscale and so are the prices. On the other hand, the grilled shrimp with avocado cream, colourful summer salads with strawberry-pepper vinaigrette and turkey breast, the potato gnocchi in cream cheese sauce and braised rabbit legs in white wine sauce are just unbeatable. Tip: If you want to enjoy the great view for cheaper, you can come in the afternoon for coffee and cake.

The Steigenberger Hotels are primarily known for their luxurious atmosphere and full service. The almost 200 rooms of the hotel are elegant and innovative, deliberately decorated more like private than guest rooms. Despite the hotel size one feels at home, and the anonymity can have a certain charm, too. The standard room is not smaller than 25m². When it comes to the categories Superior, Deluxe and Executive, the feel-good rooms grow to 58m²...Welcome to the Superior suite! If you've seen enough of that, just hurry up to the 5th floor, where you can wind down and chill out: The Shiseido SPA has been established according to ZEN philosophy and is a boon and blessing for body and soul.    In the gourmet restaurant Olivo the up-scale theme continues on. This time it's not your tired limbs but your taste buds that are spoiled. Chef Marc Rennhack has already earned a star for the restaurant. He spices up German cuisine with Spanish and French accents. The indulgence isn't exactly cheap, the delicious lunch menu costs around 48 euros. Compared to that, 200 euros for a double almost sounds like a good deal.

This hotel kills two birds with one stone. It's close to the city centre, just like you wish for as a city hopper. Additionally it's located in a quiet, green area - which is unusual for a hotel with such a proximity to the city centre. If you come home from your shopping expedition or cultural trip in the city you can afterwards take a stroll through the forest or have a match on the tennis court. In the fitness and sauna area with view on the forest relaxation and recharging your batteries are on the daily agenda. The 94 rooms and two suites are dominated by a modern country style, combining historical and contemporary design. In the recently refurbished hotel complex the guest finds among natural materials like oak, marble and felt a harmonious atmosphere for recreation - and in this way experiences an exciting connection to the forest in front of the door. 

If you want to drop into your freshly made hotel bed right after arriving in town, you should book a room in the Hotel Unger. It is only one minute away from the train station, right in city centre. The disadvantage: It is not exactly tranquil. The advantage: The availability of public transport is perfect, and many highlights in the city can be reached on foot. The hotel is therefore the perfect place for business travellers and jet-setters. The 130 rooms are clean and furnished with natural materials, so that allergic persons can spend the night here without problems. The breakfast is legendary, and you will be perfectly set for a busy day in the city, whether you are on a private or business mission: smoked salmon, shrimp and the best regional delicacies. Doubles start at about 175 euros a night.  

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!

The pleasures of the night are the main points on the agenda of the concept store Night Delight in Stuttgart. Spread over 35 square metres of minimalist architecture Ulrike Brucher offers a range of fine products: lingerie (for example by Huit, Stella McCartney, Princess Tam Tam), cosmetics (Escentric Molecules, Jimmyjane) and jewellery (Saskia Diez, Arena CPH).   She explicitly wants her customers to sample the fragrances or slip into the sheer silk pieces. In the meantime you can taste the hand-made chilli chocolate. The in-house Ecoline received the must-have seal by women's magazine Elle.   The store concept even exceeds its opening hours. In this sense, you can find the so-called Slip-O-Mat by Night Delight in selected bars in Stuttgart and Berlin that provides female nighthawks wearing the wrong undies with the essentials for a hot adventure: a fine string and a pack of teeth cleaning tablets.

The blood sisters have long been a star at the fashion heavens that no one wants to miss! And where did this never-ending family story begin? 2001, in a little shack near the Stuttgart train station. The founders of the label, Christina Haneberg and Karin Ziegler, have long passed this stage: As early as 2003 they won the first award for best fashion designer newcomers. Blood sisters attract attention, after all. Their collections are popular all over Europe, but since you happen to be at the point of origin you should absolutely visit the main shop in Stuttgart, the L'aufbrezelsteg. Take at least one piece of this unconventional, authentic, amazing, unique, exciting and passionate fashion home with you.

It's always twice as fun if you do something in a foreign city that normally only locals do. Such as visiting city libraries. Try it out in Stuttgart at the Mailänder Platz.   In case of this new facility one is even prepared for sightseeing visitors. An audio guide leads through the architectonically interesting addition to the inner city of Stuttgart. Two routes can be chosen from in the guide: apart from a library route that introduces offer and usage there's also an architectural route which might be particularly interesting for city tourists. The latter will explain to you the extraordinary concept of the South Korean architect Eun Young Yi who has equipped the cuboid shaped building with an outer shell  of glass blocks and an inner one with glass. Don't miss the so-called heart, a room which is four levels high located in the middle of the building. Above the heart, you'll find a funnel-shaped gallery hall that is limited by a glass room - for a divine reading experience.

If you come here you'll hit two fleas at one blow, because not only the flea market is great, the Karlsplatz, too, is worth a trip. In the middle of the square, which is lined by trees, you find a mighty stone lion. On Saturdays, however, the beast seems to disappear behind the immense accumulation of antiques, trinkets, useful and beautiful stuff. If you look for it you'll really find anything on this market. The quality is variable, you do have to push aside a lot of rubbish to find true gems. Yet this is part of the game, and locals have been enjoying it for 25 years now.   Two things that are absolutely part of a visit to the flea market: Dedicated haggling - something is always possible - and a small beer at the takeaway. Maybe a sausage to go with it and you've made your day.

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.