I must admit to being prejudiced having lived in Stuttgart during most of the 90s and being back there working. Not surprising then that Stuttgart is my favourite German city. I've lived or worked in quite a few others - Bremen, Muenster, Cologne, Brunswick, Duesseldorf, Wolfsburg, Frankfurt, Mannheim and Munich - and been to most others in the former West Germany over the years.
The thing I like most about Stuttgart is that it is truly unique. If you were dumped, blindfold, in most parts of most of the cities mentioned above you could be in any of them. Even Munich - away from the centre - has very little individualistic character about it if there are no blokes wearing lederhosen and/or silly hats. Look up from the central station in Stuttgart and you see a vineyard - a bit like seeing a cornfield in central Manchester - on one of the hills that Stuttgart is built on and which give the city it's character.
Stuttgart is also unusual in that it has made little attempt to disguise the past - most cities "altstadts" for example aren't old at all - they were rebuilt after the war. Some quite poorly. Stuttgart rebuilt the Old and New Castles and one or two other notable buildings but otherwise the city is unashamedly modern with the world's first TV tower as well as plenty of internationally reknowned architecture. Modern architecture might not be everybody's cup of tea but it can at least be interesting.
I sound like a travelog, but Stuttgart really does have something for everybody. Most other Germans don't like them which is as good a reason as any to like them. They don't like them because over the years the region has produced more lasting value than the rest of Germany combined - Bosch, Mercedes/Daimler-Chrysler, Porsche have their HQs here plus others that you won't have heard of so I won't bother.
This makes the Stuttgart region the richest area of Germany and the people are known for being tight. In fact they're hard working and generous in my experience being friendly with a nice line in humour. They also smile a lot. If you can spot them - 50% of Stuttgarters came here from elsewhere and the population almost doubles during the week with commuters.
Stuttgart does brew beer but being the centre of a wine growing region you ought to be trying the wines, particularly the reds which are not at all like what you might be used to from Italy or France. The annual wine festival is on during the WC and is well worth a visit. If you must drink beer and most of us must given the weather and all, then avoid Stuttgarter Hofbrau and go for Dinkel Acker or Schwaben Braeu, and maybe visit the Calwer Eck micro brewery near the Stadtmitte station.
Try at least one of the local delicacies - in time you get to love them but they are all acquired tastes. I can't think of anything better to sate a beer-fuelled appetite than a "linsen platter" - lentils, sausage and smoked bacon belly with or without the local pasta" (spaetzle). If nothing else, it will sort any digestion problems out
Oh, and the Tourist Office runs tours of the <ahem> "nightclubs" which is great value. I'm told - never done it myself you understand
How cool is that?!
There is so much to do and see - and not just arty farty stuff, though if you are a culture vulture only Berlin can beat Stuttgart - that you won't do it justice in a couple of days. If you have a car, head out of town for a few miles and then just follow the country roads to sample some of the most varied and beautiful countryside Gemany has to offer.
If you're coming here count yourself lucky and if you can't enjoy yourself in Stuttgart then you're probably dead...
Cheers
UD
P.S. Gyros is available throughout Germany, well Europe in fact. In Australia they call it Yiros. Not a lot of people know that
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