One of my favorite German cities is Stuttgart. Less than an hour from the Black Forest, vineyards once lined the entire lush valley where the city now lays, and some still function today. Fantastic castles and palaces still fill the area, and many are open to tour for your enjoyment and educational purposes. While in the Stuttgart region the sheer Gothic beauty of the city will entice you to take walks, cycle tours and boat trips up and down the Neckar River.

Fans of driving, history, automobiles, and engineering will love the Mercedes-Benz and Porsche museums. At both of these places visitors are treated on a chronological journey through time, all the way up to the cars of tomorrow. This pair of German car museums is a must see for car buffs.

Stuttgart is also home to the very unique Wilhelma Zoological and Botanical Garden. It is without a doubt, one of the finest gardens in the world, and you will want to make a day of it. Built from 1842 – 1853, the Wilhelma Gardens feature around 9,000 animals of almost 1,000 species, an aquarium with crocodile hall as well as a beautiful coral fish collection. There is also a monkey house, some wacky fun bears, and a petting zoo! Around 2 million people visit each year, making it a must see for any tourist. It’s so big; you will want to bring your GPS rental with you to navigate around!

Take your rental car in Stuttgart over to the Fernsehenturm, a giant television antenna. It has a delightful observation deck where viewers can snap photos of the entire city. It is open to the public and runs nearly all day. The Fernsehenturm is a pretty fun destination for those who are unafraid of heights. The reception should be pretty good too!

Right now however, the number one best reason to be in Stuttgart is the Christmas Fair. The Christmas Fair begins the second week of November, and runs through Christmas. Each year, the event attracts around 3.5 million visitors, who come to gaze at the cities beautiful decorations, peruse the 200 vendor stands selling various trinkets and homemade crafts, as well fill up on as delicious Christmas culinary delights. The Christmas Fair has been a world class festive celebration, since at least 1692, and the city keeps tradition alive and well during the season each and every year.

A car rental in Stuttgart is a great way to get around, and see all that this marvelous city has to offer. Don’t forget to check out the Opera House!

For more about what’s happening in Germany, check out our events calendar. If you have a suggestion on something I missed, please leave a comment!

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