Germany
Stuttgart
Away-day guide
unverified draftStuttgart is Germany's car city, built in a bowl of vine-covered hills with the state's wine country running right into the suburbs. It is prosperous rather than pretty, but the transport is excellent, the Swabian food is heavy and cheap, and VfB's MHPArena in the Neckarpark is one of the better big-club away days in Germany.
🚺 To MHPArena
The ground is in the Neckarpark in Bad Cannstatt, across the river from the centre. Take the S-Bahn to Bad Cannstatt (about eight minutes from the Hauptbahnhof) and walk ten minutes, or the Stadtbahn to Neckarpark (Stadion), which drops you at the door. Your match ticket covers the fare.
- Nearest stop
- Neckarpark (Stadion) Stadtbahn stop; Bad Cannstatt S-Bahn station
- Lines
- S-Bahn S1–S3 to Bad Cannstatt; Stadtbahn to Neckarpark (Stadion)
- Walk from centre
- 50 min
- Parking
- Neckarpark parking is limited and closed off on matchdays, and the Wasen site next door is used for events — public transport is included with the ticket, so use it.
Public transport
VVS covers everything: S-Bahn suburban trains, the U-Bahn Stadtbahn (mostly overground light rail despite the name), buses, and two hillside oddities — the Zacke rack railway and the Standseilbahn funicular. A single ride in the central zone is around €3 and a day ticket about €6.50, bought in the VVS app or from machines; validate a paper ticket before boarding. The important thing for a matchday: a VfB ticket normally includes free travel on the VVS network to and from the ground, which is standard in Germany and saves you the fare.
Typical prices
- Beer (0.5L)
- EUR 5
- Coffee
- EUR 3.5
- Meal, mid-range
- EUR 22
- Taxi from airport
- EUR 40
- Single transit ticket
- EUR 3.2
✈ Airports & cheaper alternatives
- Stuttgart Airport STR primary 13 km S-Bahn lines S2 and S3 run from beneath the terminal to the Hauptbahnhof in about 30 minutes on a normal VVS ticket. A taxi is €35–45. Eurowings, Ryanair and the flag carriers all serve it, with UK routes; the S-Bahn makes the transfer trivial.
- Frankfurt Airport FRA alternative 200 km ICE trains run from the airport's long-distance station to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof in about 1 hour 20 minutes; book a Sparpreis in advance for €20–40. Far more routes and a fast, direct train — often the better option from outside Europe or on an awkward schedule.
- Karlsruhe/Baden-Baden Airport FKB alternative 110 km Shuttle bus to Baden-Baden station, then a regional or ICE train to Stuttgart in about an hour and a half. A small Ryanair base; occasionally much cheaper from the UK.
🍺 Supporters' pubs
VfB Stuttgart
Home fans: VfB's support drinks in Bad Cannstatt before games — the pubs around the Wilhelmsplatz and the Marktstraße, and the beer stands on the walk through the Neckarpark — as well as around the Hauptbahnhof and the Theo in the centre.
Away fans: The city centre is neutral and comfortable: the Bohnenviertel, the Markthalle area and the bars around Schlossplatz all take visiting fans without a second look, and it is a ten-minute train ride to the ground. Avoid the immediate approach to the Cannstatter Kurve in colours.
A big, well-supported club with 60,000 crowds and an organised ultras scene. Match tickets include VVS travel, which is worth knowing before you buy a day pass.
Sourced from supporters' forums — always follow your club's and police advice for the fixture.
Nightlife
Theodor-Heuss-Straße — 'the Theo' — is the main bar strip, a run of cocktail bars and clubs that fills from Thursday onwards. The Bohnenviertel, the old bean quarter, is the smaller and better version with wine bars and pubs. Stuttgart is a serious wine city: the Weindorf festival takes over the centre in late summer and Besenwirtschaften, temporary taverns run by growers in their own front rooms, open seasonally around the edges. The Cannstatter Volksfest at the Wasen, right next to the stadium, is the second-biggest beer festival in Germany after Munich's and runs from late September.
Food & drink
Swabian cooking is the region's pride: Maultaschen (large filled pasta pockets, traditionally to hide meat from God during Lent), Käsespätzle, Zwiebelrostbraten with fried onions, and Linsen mit Spätzle. Wash it down with Trollinger or Lemberger, the local reds, or the Stuttgarter Hofbräu and Dinkelacker beers. The Markthalle, an art nouveau market hall in the centre, is the best place to graze, and a Besenwirtschaft is the most authentic evening you can have here.
Cheap eats & beer
Germany is reasonable if you eat where locals do: a Mittagstisch lunch is €10–14, a plate of Käsespätzle €12–15, and Imbiss stands do Currywurst, Döner and Maultaschen for €5–8. A half-litre is €4.50–5.50 in a bar and about €1 from a supermarket, where the deposit on the bottle comes back at the machine. Supermarkets are closed on Sundays, so buy on Saturday. Match tickets include the transport, which is the biggest saving of the day.
Staying safe
Stuttgart is safe and orderly. The German specifics matter more than any crime risk: validate transport tickets, do not cross on a red man even with no cars coming, and expect fines for both. On matchday, German policing of away support is firm and pyro is punished heavily. The Theo gets rowdy late at weekends but rarely worse. Cash is still king in smaller bars and Imbiss stands despite the country's slow shift to cards — carry some euros.
On matchday
VfB play at the MHPArena in the Neckarpark, across the river in Bad Cannstatt — take the S-Bahn to Bad Cannstatt or the U-Bahn to Neckarpark (Stadion), both a short walk from the ground, and remember your match ticket covers the fare. The Cannstatter Kurve is the home end and one of the loudest in the Bundesliga; away fans get a corner with their own entrance and an escort from the station. Beer is sold inside on a cashless stadium card, so top it up on the way in. Kick-offs for European ties are 18:45 or 21:00 local, and the S-Bahn back afterwards is heaving — walk a stop up the line if you would rather not queue.
This city guide is still being fact-checked — some details may be inaccurate.