Stuttgart
Stuttgart is an interesting city that shows the contrast between old and new, accurate representation of the current European city. Typical tradition and customs of the region contrast the modern architecture and its varied cuisine and cultural entertainment. Stuttgart is also famous for being one of the major industrial centres of Germany. The birthplace of famous auto companies such as Porsche and Daimler (creator of the brand Mercedes-Benz and inventor of the automobile) and the technology production company Bosch.
The attractiveness of Stuttgart is focused not only on industrial development but also considered in one of the greenest cities in Europe: furthermore it has many forests spread around the urban part of the city, but also small parks, a zoo and gardens close to each of the 23 communes that make up the city. All of this makes Stuttgart one of the most attractive German cities for families, athletes and anyone who wants to enjoy the benefits of a developed city but with clean and healthy air.
Stuttgart is also admired by the cultural richness of the Swabian region, gentile inhabitants and the characteristical dialect in the region (Schwäbisch). The native extensive culinary culture, tradition wineries and vineyards, cheerful and popular festivities are distinctive and give life to each season. Some of these festivals are for example the summer festival in August, the wine festival in September, the “Volksfest” fair in October, this is an apologia to the famous Oktoberfest in Munich, and the famous Christmas Market in Stuttgart in December.
The city is also a meeting point for international fairs and conferences. The Main Street called King Street (Königstraße) is 1.2 km long and it is a shopping paradise. It is currently one of the longest pedestrian shopping streets in Europe with over 380 shops and boutiques.
Also Stuttgart offers a cultural variety, ranging from a visit to its famous Ballet, Opera and museums, to lively local fiestas in some fashion clubs. For lovers of fine cuisine the city is a fascinating place to delight the most discerning palate, publications such as Restaurant-Kritik or Prinz are of great help in finding the place to taste the delicacies of the region and the world.
If you want fun and entertainment in sports, you should visit one of many sports clubs offered by the city council. It doesn’t only serve to get better discipline and physical but also an easy way to get contacts with the locals and create bonds of lasting friendships.
Likewise, the Swabian metropolis has a comprehensive transport system, which has Underground (S-Bahn), tram (U-Bahn) and a structured system of buses that travel on time and frequency, coming to Stuttgart and its districts nearby. This disposes many people to use mass public transport system. It is faster and cheaper to acquire a monthly ticket that covers the busiest areas.
For students there are special deals, where you can buy a semester ticket for a very reasonable price, which can travel freely throughout the entire road network of the public transport system. To achieve this you must go to one of the sales points of the VVS system (Verkehrsverbund Stuttgart) located in central areas as Hauptbahnhof, Stadtmitte or Charlottenplatz. The university card specifies the current semester registration. For students living in the student’s hall of residence or having an own car, the student card serves also to use the public transportation from Monday through Friday from 6 pm and on weekends all time.