Stuttgart. The Hidden Champion.
I spent a week in Stuttgart visiting my cousin, who’s living here with her husband. She met me on the train platform and immediately gushed about how much she loves it. Knowing her optimistic personality, I asked if the thrill came from living abroad, Europe in general, or Stuttgart specifically. She told me to wait and see. After a few days, I had to agree: Stuttgart is a hidden gem few outside Germany (or the American military) think twice about. Now I understand why she thinks it’s so great.
Public spaces are alive
Wandering around Seattle, I often wonder “where is everyone”? In Stuttgart, the answer is obvious—outside. On Thursday night, the streets buzzed with people drinking beer on stoops, playing cards outside bars, and filling the Plätze. During the day, cyclists, market shoppers, and loungers spill into every corner of the city. The energy is refreshing after sleepy Seattle.
Picnics in the park
The biking infrastructure is bliss
The only city I’ve seen rival Stuttgart for biking is Amsterdam. I’m not a confident rider, yet I loved biking with my cousin. Patient, rule-following drivers and a network of bike-only lanes make cycling feel like the default mode of transport in Stuttgart, not a fringe annoyance for cars. On a 90-minute e-bike tour, I merged with traffic exactly twice. The rest was smooth, safe, and freeing.
The library is a destination
Stadtbibliothek Stuttgart (Stuttgart City Library)
The photo speaks for itself, no? It’s so striking, it feels like a tourist attraction. Where else can you rent a piano, borrow art, and lose yourself in books all at once?
Culinary delights cover every corner
A week in Germany, and I didn’t have any wurst or schnitzel. Instead, I ate gyro, pizza, croissants, and the endless bounty of the Markthalle and outdoor markets A few favorite spots included:
Something is always happening
From Marienplatz concerts to citywide festivals like Jazzopen Stuttgart and the Sommerfestival der Kulturen, there’s never a dull moment. Posters, flyers, and museum exhibits pop up on every block. Stuttgart seems designed to make you run out of free evenings.
Weekend food stalls and fun in Marienplatz
Recycling is a way of life
Recycling isn’t optional here—it’s law. Takeout comes in returnable containers, plastic is practically a slur, and grocery shopping without your own bag earns you side-eye. At home, residents sort their waste fastidiously, helping the country top Europe with a 65.5% recycling rate.
Take-out pizza “boxes”
The city is surrounded by wine
Stuttgart is ringed by vineyards, so even a morning walk takes you past rows of Riesling. Locals don’t just drink wine—they live among it. Nearly every restaurant offers high-quality, affordable German pours that put U.S. menus to shame.
Fountain in Schlossplatz
The bath culture is healthy for body and mind
If I could import one German tradition to the U.S., it would be bath culture. My cousin and I visited Friedrichsbad in Baden-Baden, a textile-free spa with a 17-step ritual. We steamed, soaked, and cooled in pools of every temperature. At the end, a woman asked if we wanted the “Sleeping Room.” She led us into a circular hall of curtained windows and fresh-lined beds, then tucked us in under heavy blankets. I fell asleep instantly. So, why don’t we have this stateside?
The city has a clean, functioning subway
New York’s subway is iconic—but let’s be real: dirty, old, and late. Stuttgart’s? Clean, efficient, and on time. Germans, of course.
It’s the perfect jumping off point
With all this, you may not want to leave. But if you do, Paris is just three hours by train, and Stuttgart’s airport connects to 40+ destinations across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. The city that never hit my radar before my cousin moved there turns out to be quite the powerhouse.
Gänsepeterbrunnen fountain depicting a scene from the Hans-im-Glück Brothers Grimm story
One of many farmer’s markets
