http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7026
Relatively untouched from WW2, the first thing that strikes the visitor after anodyne Stuttgart is the magnificent architecture: Fantastic lanes and courtyards which take you back 500 years, all beautifully maintained. I found Stuttgart relatively quiet at night, but Esslingen has plenty of restaurants, bistros and bars - in a compact area - where even if you don't know any German, the locals will certainly make you feel welcome. It is very safe at night. The local red wines are not to everyone’s taste, but the regional sparkling whites - Sekt - are alone worth the detour.

It's no shoppers’ paradise, but has enough interesting little stores and cafés to make an afternoon worthwhile. There's beautiful countryside a stone’s throw from the town and the hillside woodland provides welcome relief in unspoilt nature.

The centrepiece is the church of St Dionysus, which provides postcard-perfect photo ops and has remarkable stained glass - see it in the morning for the best effect - and the restored altar. Roman and pre-Roman ruins are on display around the church. The tourist information office opposite can provide all you need. Ask about open-air concerts, usually free, which often take place in the surrounding areas. Certainly a worthwhile day trip.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7026 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7004 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7004 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6862
They also serve nice local food.
During daytime they do guided tours of the brewery itself, but you'd need to arrange that beforehand (and you need at least 15 people).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6862 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6582 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6582 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7006 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7006 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7005 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/7005 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6724
The best atmosphere is generally to be had in Italian bars and cafes, which will obviously be bursting at the seams when Italy plays but otherwise a lot quieter.

At Mezzogiorno, a restaurant on the grounds of the city university, you can watch games on a big screen from the comfort of a leafy beer garden. The pizzas are recommended. You'll also be near to the Theodor-Heuss str, which is where Stuttgart's Germans, Italians, Brazilians, and Spaniards will parade when (if) their team wins.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6724 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6669
Around 6-10 € spent in any supermarket will get you a good local wine from Remstal, Fellbach or Untertürkheim. Weinhaus Stetter serves a large range of local wines with appropriate food at reasonable prices, in genuine "Swabian" surroundings.

Try Bernd Kreis' wine store if you want advice - they speak English – and if you need to drown your sorrows post-World Cup, don't miss the autumn wine festivals: Weindorf, in Stuttgart 30.08.2006- 10.09.2006, and Fellbacher Herbst, in Fellbach, 6.10.2006- 9.10.2006.

Also look out for the Weindorf World Cup, from 09.06.2006 'til 09.07.2006, when there will be a wine and food festival held in the Schillerplatz, just off the Schlossplatz (main square)]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/6669