City Guide
Stuttgart region: Insider knowledge for your extended stay
From your base at elaya hotel stuttgart boeblingen, the whole of Swabia (southwest Germany) is your oyster. Our local experts have put together an exciting selection of Stuttgart insider tips, ranging from the city’s automotive museum to its art gallery and opera house. A tour of the surrounding wineries is also not to be missed. You can chat with our staff or get the information you need here on our website.
Luv Lounge: a QR code for legendary shisha
The LUV Lounge has made a name for itself beyond Böblingen as one of the best shisha bars in the region – including Stuttgart. The array of brightly coloured lanterns on the ceiling lends the beautifully designed venue even more atmosphere.
But an evening to remember also needs good drinks, attentive service and – particularly in a shisha bar – delicious hookahs. The Luv Lounge ticks all the boxes here – with a smiley face! One of the establishment’s distinctive characteristics is that you order using a QR code. This does nothing to dampen the mood, however, because the staff kindly explain the process and bring the order to the table in equally cheerful fashion.
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Stuttgart city tour: a drive through the wine-growing countryside
A drive through the wine-growing countryside around Stuttgart not only offers plenty of opportunities to raise a glass of liquid gold during a wine tasting, but also to take little hikes through the vineyards.
The programme also includes a visit to the Stuttgart Museum of Viniculture with its Vinothek, and a stop-off at the romantic sepulchral chapel on Württemberg hill. Among other features, the latter impresses with its chapel room and enormous dome with spectacular glass roof – a sight reminiscent of the famous Pantheon in Rome. Under the chapel room can be found the crypt, which can be accessed via a steep, narrow spiral staircase. Historical exhibits are also showcased at the Stuttgart Museum of Viniculture in the wine press hall.
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Sensapolis: adventures for all ages
Sensapolis, an indoor leisure park, was one of the first companies on Flugfeld Böblingen when it opened in 2008. Despite having acquired new neighbours over subsequent years, the concept is still unique to this day.
The attractions are designed to guarantee magic, adventure and thrills for visitors of all ages. The themes include an adventure trail, zip line, toddler area and high-wire garden, a climbing wall, Rolly Toys – tractors and trailers – the fun shooter area with soft, brightly coloured balls as far as the eye can see, and Tobis Kletterhöhle, a climbing cavern spanning three floors. There is a catering area in the park, where salads, pizza, chips, burgers and Asian dishes are served, as well as cakes, doughnuts, muffins and fresh crêpes.
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Motorworld Region Stuttgart: Of classic cars and perennial favourites
Where aeroplanes once took off and landed, several hundred very special vehicles and bikes have had pride of place since 2009.
The historic, listed hangars of the former state airport of Württemberg together with new buildings and an extensive outdoor area now form Motorworld Region Stuttgart, a 50,000m2 space ideal for exhibition purposes. The collection housed here changes daily as professional vendors sell, restore, maintain and hire out their treasures. Very special specimens such as private vintage cars, sports cars and supercars are displayed in glass cases. However, Motorworld is not just about marvelling from a distance: also included are accessory shows, gallery owners, flight and racing simulators as well as catering facilities.
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Schlossplatz, Stuttgart: a place to pause for a moment
Despite being located in the heart of Stuttgart’s shopping district on Königstrasse, Schlossplatz is something of a green oasis. Surrounded by historic buildings like the Neues and Altes Schloss and Königsbau, the lawn area and benches are perfect for daydreaming and people-watching.
If you like, you can chat with locals here – or simply enjoy a little me time. It is surrounded by cafes and the Königsbau-Passagen for shopping. The Württemberg Art Association building, with a golden stag on its dome, is also an eye-catcher. Transformed into a flower garden with two fountains and a music pavilion in the 1860s by writer and royal building and garden director Friedrich Wilhelm Hackländer, this was once a parade ground.
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Wandelhalle: exemplary architecture
The Wandelhalle is part of the Böblingen town gardens, created in 1996 for the state garden show and awarded countless architectural prizes. Located on the Oberer See, the Wandelhalle and its 224 metal columns have come to symbolise the town.
The view from here across the water is sublime – but the view of the Wandelhalle is equally attractive. The open colonnade is illuminated in different colours overnight; the reflections in the lake make the architecture all the more dramatic. During the day, the chequered floor is a real eye-catcher and the canopy provides a shady spot. Those who believe that seeing a bride brings good luck should spend some time at the Wandelhalle … the building is a much-loved location for wedding photos.
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Böblingen town gardens: from award-winning ground to green spaces
The Böblingen town gardens were created on the occasion of the 1996 state garden show. The centrepiece is made up of two lakes connected by a water chute with 16 open water levels – in summer, the event series ‘Sommer am See’ (summer by the lake) and its many concerts is recommended for all visitors.
The concept for the 21-hectare area was developed by Wolfrum & Janson (architecture and urban planning) and Schmelzer und Bezzenberger (landscape architecture and ecology planning group) – their work has won countless well-known architectural awards, including the Deutscher Architekturpreis. Using the interplay of nature, water and architecture, the town has developed a local recreational area at its very centre, along with the Albabrücke and boathouse, the former TÜV hall.
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Bondy Restaurant: great atmosphere and boho style
The neon sign promises ‘good vibes only’, and you’ll feel them when you enter Bondy Restaurant in Böblingen. Warm, natural shades, great materials like leather, wood, tile and wicker, cool patterned wallpaper with palms, boho lamps, and select decorative objects like pictures and plants lend the establishment a pleasant atmosphere.
The large window facades guarantee ample natural light and allow curious passers-by a glimpse from outside – anyone passing Bondy without stopping for a bite is missing out on an extensive menu with dishes from all over the world. From the Bondy Bowl, with a choice of salmon or falafel, to the grilled octopus and truffle pasta to the dry-aged-beef cheeseburger – they have everything you could want to tickle the taste buds. Just add a glass of wine alongside and all is well with the world!
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Die Seelenschmeichler
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The way to a person’s heart is through their stomach – so patisserie is good for the heart … Marika (the mastermind behind the cake boutique) may have had the same idea when she decided to give up her office job and become a pastry chef.
She proves what a great idea it was in the bakery at her little patisserie and cafe, where her ideas for sweet creations acquire their colour, shape and flavour. Even if the little tartlets look almost too good to eat at first glance, you should give in to your curiosity and sample the taste sensation of her creations in flavours like raspberry panna cotta, mini cheesecake and forest fruits, coconut and mango, chocolate and blackcurrant, or lemon and mandarin. Some of these indulgent treats can even be enjoyed by visitors with a gluten-free or vegan diet.
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Mauritius, Böblingen: a day in paradise
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Palm wallpaper, a surfboard as decor, wicker lamps, white wall panels and turquoise wooden stools – along with all sorts of plants and casual armchairs – what does that remind you of? A summer holiday by the sea?
At Mauritius in Böblingen, you need to keep your eyes open while you daydream – the backdrop will whisk you straight to the paradise holiday island in the Indian Ocean. On the terrace, you can enjoy the sunshine on your face when the weather is good and drink to a fantastic day with a delicious cocktail. Even the food tastes like summer: at lunchtimes and in the evenings, you have the choice between crispy salads, pinsas, pasta, meat dishes and healthy bowls. And because life is so sweet here, there are also sumptuous desserts, including waffles, fritas or cinnamon French toast.
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Porsche Museum: spectacular headquarters
The Porsche Museum, located at the headquarters of car manufacturer Porsche, has been welcoming all those who want to take a look behind the scenes since 2009. More than 700 vehicles, including 200 racing cars, offer insights into the past and future of the luxury car brand.
The eye is first drawn, however, not to the vehicles, but to the striking architecture of the museum, which adjoins the production facility on Porscheplatz. Three V-shaped columns support the museum building, next to which can be found a sculpture whose three pillars are each topped with a Porsche 911. Alongside the 911 models, the iconic 356 and 917 are also exhibited in the museum. A special feature of the models presented is that they aren’t just for show; they are all drivable and are used for classic car rallies, for example.
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Mercedes-Benz Museum: not just for fans of technology and cars
In 1886, Carl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler invented the automobile. A milestone in German history. The Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart presents the development of the car in impressive fashion:
from some of the oldest specimens of this revolutionary innovation – including the world’s very first patented car – to legendary racing cars and experimental vehicles like the hydrogen car from the current millennium. The twelve rooms, spanning a total of 16,500 square metres, not only provide space for 1,500 exhibits, but also a huge array of information on the relationship between technology and everyday life. Alongside permanent and special exhibitions, there are also additional highlights such as the classic meet-up ‘Classics & Coffee’ and the open-air cinema in summer, which features in Stuttgart’s secret tips.
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Weissenhofmuseum: from residential building to a UNESCO World Heritage Site
A visit to the Weissenhofmuseum provides very special insights: what began in 1927 as a project by architects Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret for the Werkbund exhibition ‘Die Wohnung’ (the dwelling) was opened as a single accessible house by the Weissenhof estate in 2006.
The semi-detached house, along with the adjacent detached house by Le Corbusier, was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016. You have access to the left and right halves of the house in the building itself. The left focuses on the development and history of the estate, which is presented with the aid of images, plans and objects. This section is also dedicated to the 17 architects. In the right half, you can see Le Corbusier’s design for a ‘transformable dwelling’. The short and long tours both highlight the wide variety of architectural ideas present in the 1920s.
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