Stuttgart public transportation · Public transportation in Stuttgart
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Public transportation in Stuttgart
Public transportation in Stuttgart
Public transportation is provided by the Stadtbahn (U-bahn) and S-Bahn. For short distances, it is best to use the Stadtbahn (or bus if necessary). For longer distances (to get to the suburbs) the S-Bahn is faster but has fewer stations than the Stadtbahn.
Stuttgart's public transport is fully integrated and a travel ticket can be used on any mixture of buses and trains/trams that may be required to complete the journey.
Public transportation late at night (after midnight) is a problem! On the weekend there are night buses, but they are infrequent (1:11AM, 2:00AM, 2:22AM, 3:10AM and 3:33AM) and on odd routes. Be careful if you have a very early airplane since there are no connections to the airport in the early morning between 1 and 5.
If you are staying for more than a day, for added mobility buy a special 3 days ticket ("3-Tage-Ticket"). These are available from:
Hotels
The airport
The tourist information office at the end of Königstraße nearest Hauptbahnhof - but make sure you take proof that you're a tourist (eg. hotel booking confirmation).
There are two types of 3-day tickets available; one covers the main Stuttgart city and the other is valid for the entire VVS network, including Ludwigsburg.
The city transport network is separated in zones. The city of Stuttgart is only Zone 10 and 20. Normal tickets are available at the many automats in the stations.
Travel tickets are usually purchased (and priced) to cover the number of zones for the journey. All day tickets / EinzelTagesTickets are a good value for visitors. Group day tickets/ GruppenTagesTickets are also a good value with 1-5 people able to travel using one ticket. Four-journey tickets / 4er-Tickets are also a good value. These can be used on different days or trips and have to be stamped - once at each end of the ticket and on both sides.
Note that in the Stadtbahn and the buses stamping machines are available inside the cars, while on the S-Bahn they are located at the entrances of the stations and there is no possibility to stamp once you are in the train. (If you do forget to stamp your ticket in the S-Bahn, either get out at the next station, stamp and wait for the following train, or write the current time and location on the stamping field with a non-erasable pencil – this will also be accepted by the inspectors most of the time.)
Fare-dodging is severely frowned upon and plain-clothes inspectors are on constant patrol. Fines are steep, starting at EUR 40 per person for the first offense.
There are six S-Bahn lines (S1...S6) and 12 Stadtbahn lines (U1...U9 + U13...U15) and several bus lines. Most lines will lead via Hauptbahnhof, ending in a layout that is pretty centralized: If you want to go somewhere, chances are, you have to ride via Hauptbahnhof. The following Stadtbahn or S-Bahn stations are located in the heart of the city: Hauptbahnhof, Schlossplatz, Charlottenplatz, Stadtmitte (Rotebühlplatz), Feuersee, Rathaus, Staatsgalerie, and Berliner Platz (Liederhalle). For a complete description see the official map of rail network .
A specialty of public transportation is the rack-railway between Stuttgart-Marienplatz and Stuttgart-Degerloch. It is the only urban rack-railway in Germany!
There is an old cable-car (look for Seilbahn) running from Stuttgart-Heslach to the cemetery. It is signposted.
Both rack-railway and cable-car do not require a special ticket, instead all normal tickets valid in Zone 10 (including day tickets) are valid.
Stuttgart's public transportation on the web - Homepage: - English version: – this is also a useful tool that gives prices and detailed information on how to reach every location, including foot paths to buildings.
Escalators in Germany are a two-lane affair. "Gehen" on the left (to walk with the escalator) and "Stehen" on the right (to stand still). Not all people respect this, but even those who do not will move out of the way if they hear you approaching energetically or if you say "Entschuldigung!". As a tourist, however, it is advisable to comply with this scheme.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Stuttgart
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Stuttgart Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.