Getting Around

Bicycle Hire

Rentabike is based at Lauterschlangestrasse 22, tel: (0711) 4207 0833, www.rentabike-stuttgart.de) and, as the name suggest, rents out bicycles. Bicycles belonging to Deutsche Bahn’s Call a Bike service can be seen at spots around the city and rented after registering with the scheme, via telephone on 07000 5225 522.

German drivers tend to be conscious of cyclists, meaning cycling is safer than in many other European cities. Stuttgart is hilly but the greenery and cycle lanes mean it is a good place to cycle. The 83km (52 mile) long marked Radel-Thon route offers numerous sightseeing opportunities.

Public Transport

Stuttgart has a good, integrated public transport network of light trains and buses. The Verkehrs- und Tarifverbund Stuttgart (VVS), (tel: (0711) 66060; www.vvs.de) operates local transport services within the city and surrounding area.

The urban rail network takes two main forms, the U-Bahn, which serves the city and its suburbs, and the S-Bahn, which also runs out to the airport and surrounding towns. The ticketing system is straightforward. Single journey tickets can be bought, but visitors planning sightseeing at a number of locations would be better served by purchasing a day ticket, a pass giving unlimited travel for a 24-hour period, or a three day ticket, valid for 72 hours. These are valid either for individuals or groups of up to five people.

A range of tickets and passes is available for the visitor, ranging from a one-day pass giving unlimited rides for a 24-hour period, either in the city itself or across the entire VVS administered regional network, and day tickets for groups of up to five people, to three-day cards for visitors staying in accommodation or attending conferences anywhere in the VVS region. All students benefit from discounted travel on the network. An unusual form of transport is the rack and pinion railway, locally known as the ‘Zacke', which plies a steep 2.2km (1.4-mile) route between Marienplatz in the city centre and Degerloch, on a hill overlooking Stuttgart.

Taxis

Taxi Auto Zentrale (tel: (0711) 5510 000 or 566 061) is Stuttgart's main taxi operator, with a fleet of more than 700 taxis. Stuttgarter Taxi Service (tel: 0171 6222 353) also operates in the city. If the driver has been courteous, it is common to round up the fare by around ten per cent or to the nearest round figure.

Driving in the City

Sign posting is decent. On-street parking and numerous multi-storey garages are available, though the hourly rates can prove expensive.

Car Hire

Hire cars are available from Avis (tel: (01805) 217 702; www.avis.de), Budget (tel: (01805) 217711; www.budget.de), Europcar (tel: (01805) 58000); www.europcar.de), Hertz (tel: (711) 509 0280; www.hertz.de) and Sixt (tel: (01805) 252 525; www.e-sixt.de).