Stuttgart’s centre is small and made for walking. This is a loop of about an hour without stops — longer if you go into the museums or the market hall — and it begins roughly fifteen minutes from our apartment.
Schlossplatz
The city’s main square. On one side the Neues Schloss, a Baroque palace now used by the state government and not generally open to visitors; opposite it the curved Königsbau colonnade, these days full of shops. In the middle are lawns, fountains and the Jubiläumssäule column. Open-air concerts and festivals fill the square in summer, part of the Christmas market in winter.
Schillerplatz
A minute’s walk away and centuries older in feel. A statue of the poet Friedrich Schiller stands at the centre, ringed by the Altes Schloss, the Stiftskirche, the Prinzenbau and the old grain store, the Fruchtkasten. A flower market fills the square on several mornings a week.
The Altes Schloss and the Stiftskirche
The Altes Schloss is a Renaissance castle built around an arcaded courtyard; inside is the Landesmuseum Württemberg, whose collection runs from the crown jewels back to prehistory. Beside it the Stiftskirche, Stuttgart’s main Protestant church, with two mismatched towers and Renaissance tomb reliefs of the Counts of Württemberg inside.
Markthalle and Bohnenviertel
A block south, the Markthalle is a 1914 Art Nouveau hall lined with delicatessen stalls — good for a snack or picnic supplies. From there walk into the Bohnenviertel, the old tanners’ and winegrowers’ quarter, now narrow streets of wine bars, secondhand bookshops and small workshops.
Good to know
- All of it is walkable; the U-Bahn stops at Schlossplatz, Rathaus and Charlottenplatz drop you right in the middle
- The Neues Schloss interior isn’t open to visitors; the Altes Schloss courtyard is free to walk through
- The Markthalle is closed on Sundays; the Landesmuseum is closed on Mondays
- Add the Kunstmuseum on Schlossplatz or the Staatsgalerie a short walk east to make a longer day of it