# Stuttgart Region

Stuttgart Region is centered around Stuttgart, the capital of the German state Baden-Württemberg.

## Understand

Stuttgart Region is a metropolitan area with about 2.7 million inhabitants, what makes it one of the most densely populated areas in Germany. Situated at the heart of Baden-Württemberg and Europe, the Stuttgart Region is the hub of economic and political life in Southwest Germany. The area has Germany's highest density of scientific, academic and research organisations, and tops the national league for patent applications. This is due to the influence of leading international companies, such as Mercedes, Porsche, Bosch, Celesio, Hewlett-Packard and IBM (all of whom have their world or German headquarters here), and to the influence of world-renowned medium-sized enterprises such as Behr, Kärcher, Märklin, Stihl, Festo, and Trumpf. There are about 150,000 companies in the Stuttgart Region.

## Cities

* 48.7761119.17751 Stuttgart. The capital of the German Bundesland Baden-Württemberg.
* 48.9666679.1333332 Bietigheim-Bissingen.
* 48.68333393 Böblingen.
* 48.699.324 Esslingen. Medieval city with charming, cobbled pedestrian streets.
* 48.6666679.2166675 Filderstadt.
* 48.6927789.1427786 Leinfelden-Echterdingen.
* 48.89759.1919447 Ludwigsburg. Home to Ludwigsburg Palace.
* 48.7133339.0027788 Sindelfingen. The home of Mercedes-Benz manufacturing.
* 48.9327788.9563899 Vaihingen an der Enz (don't confuse it with the Vaihingen suburb of Stuttgart). Town with old market square and Kaltenstein Castle. Memorial for the concentration camp on outskirts of the town.
* 48.6372229.13166710 Waldenbuch. Famous for its popular Ritter Sport brand of chocolate.
* 48.83189.316111 Waiblingen. Medieval city with old market square.
* 48.805449.5273112 Schorndorf. Medieval city with many timber-framed homes.
* 48.749538.8717613 Weil der Stadt. Often known as the "Gate to the Forest" and hometown of astronomer Johannes Kepler.

## Other destinations

* 48.599.061 Schönbuch Nature Park. Ideal for hiking, walking and cycling, it attracts people seeking rest and relaxation from far and near. With its dense forests, moorland areas and natural stream the Schönbuch became Baden-Württemberg's first nature reserve in 1972.
* 48.97959.579222 Schwäbischer Wald Nature Park. Another great nature spot in the northeast of Stuttgart. (updated Sep 2019)

## Get in
### By plane

* 48.699.2219441 Stuttgart Airport (STR). This airport was the eighth busiest in Germany in 2016.

### By train

* 48.7838899.1816672 Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof. The current terminus station is - controversially - being replaced with a new through station, which is expected to open in 2021. The new station will remain as a hub for local, regional and intercity transport.

### By bus

Flixbus serves the area, however few buses stop anywhere close to downtown Stuttgart, instead serving a stop near the airport or in Kornwestheim.

## Get around
### Public transportation

VVS, the transport authority for the Stuttgart Region, offers tickets, e.g. at €15 for 1 person a day, without restrictions on the time of day. See also: Stuttgart#Public transportation. The Metropol ticket is valid in the VVS and the eight surrounding networks, available as a day ticket for up to 5 people.

## Go next

* Northern Baden-Württemberg
* Black Forest
* Swabian Mountains