Getting around Stuttgart

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.