This post is all about travel from a home base of Germany, especially for new expats in the Stuttgart area. Welcome to Stuttgart! As you jump into your cultural immersion in Germany, there is much to learn and get used to. The fun part is the travel, and even short outings help to relieve the stress of daily life while living abroad. Stuttgart is a wonderful home base for travel around Europe, and as many of us like to say, the best thing about living here is how easy it is to get to Italy! 😉 To help get you started on all your travel planning, here are our top tips for travel from Germany.
Download as a .pdf here, or view below:
THE GRAIN AND GRAPE
Travel Tips and Recommendations
Best travel tips from world-wide travelers!
Travel Planning – Resources
Travel Blogs
Read first-hand travel accounts for destination ideas, logistics, planning, and recommendations!
The Grain and Grape
The Red Phone Box Travels
The Snowboard Dad in Europe
Tales From the Road Less Travelled
It’s a Brewtiful World
General Internet Resources
Use “Incognito mode” to search, or prices may go up based on your search history!
Google Maps – hotels, restaurants, sights
Sky Scanner – flights
Trip Advisor – destinations, hotels, restaurants, tours
Viator – tours
Get Your Guide – tours
Join Facebook Groups
Ask the Group, everyone is happy to help! Also, search the Group for specific questions or destinations.
Stuttgart Friends All About Travel!
411 Travel Through Germany
All Things Europe Travel
Travel Tour Groups
Book through a tour group for specific trips and activities.
Hut to Hut Trekking Tours
More 4U Tours
Explore Europe
EuroTrip Adventures
Interra Reisen
Book Trains Across Europe
Book through these sites for trains across Europe:
Omio
Train Line
Short, direct trains from Stuttgart: Salzburg, Paris, Strasbourg, Zurich, Munich
Overnight Trains are back! Stuttgart – Venice route
Budget Travel Tips – General
Eastern European countries are overall less expensive than Germany, France, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Iceland, England, and Scotland.
Try instead: Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Slovenia, Albania, Montenegro, Ireland, Turkey, Egypt, etc. For example, here are practical travel tips for visiting Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia.
Drive instead of flying, and use Airbnb, Camping, or Glamping. There are so many destinations close enough to drive to from Stuttgart! Here are just a few to mention.
- Lake Garda, Italy
- Pula, Croatia
- Lake Bled, Slovenia
- Bastogne, Belgium (Battle of the Bulge)
- Brussels, Ghent, Bruges, Belgium
- Strasbourg, Colmar, Riquewihr, France
- Normandy, France (D-Day)
- Utrecht, Netherlands
- Luxembourg (American Cemetery, German Cemetery)
- Prague, Czech Republic
- Wroclaw, Krakow, Gdańsk, Poland
Budget Travel Tips – Flights
Eurowings Blind Bookings
Eurowings offers a special program for flights out of Stuttgart where the destination is a mystery until you complete the transaction.
There are options by Category (beach, adventure, cities, etc.), you enter your dates, exclude any destination you are not interested in, confirm and pay, and then see what destination you’ve booked!
NOTE: You must commit to the departure day and make the payment before Eurowings tells you where you’re going. These specials are available from around 6 weeks out from departure.
This is a fun way to try new places, at cheaper rates!
Lufthansa Surprise Me
A similar program from Lufthansa with offers for flights out of Frankfurt or Munich.
Planning – Logistics – Organization
Travel with:
Passport, ID card, Driving License, Visa
Credit Cards, Cash
Medications
Phone Charger
Sunglasses, Hat (sun / winter)
Snacks
Before You Go:
Check destination currency and weather forecast, and whether you can use the standard EU plug-in or if an adaptor is needed. Add a travel package to your phone plan, or get an eSIM for while you travel.
Leave time to explore!
We hope these Top Tips for Travel from Germany are helpful!
Undeniably, the travel from Stuttgart is the best thing about living in Stuttgart. Both the airport and trains offer wonderful destination choices. Obviously, driving provides flexibility, if you are here with a car. As long as you’re living in Germany, you have a golden opportunity to see much of Europe. If you don’t think you’re up to planning your own travel, then a tour operator is a wonderful choice. Also, tour operators are great for handling trips with more difficult logistics. Time goes quickly, so be sure to take any travel opportunities that you can.
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