Transportation: Stuttgart Airport
Getting to STR Flughafen, Germany by Car, Taxi, Train, or Bus
Jan 4, 2008
Stuttgart Airport (STR) is just over 10 km (6 miles) south of Stuttgart, the state capital of Baden-Württemberg in Southern Germany. The airport claims around 400 departures per day with over 10 million annual passengers. With such numbers, ground transportation is not surprisingly easy and efficient too.
By Train from Stuttgart Downtown to Stuttgart Airport
Stuttgart Airport is easiest reach from downtown by S-Bahn commuter train. S-Bahn S2 and S-Bahn S3 make the journey from the Main Station (Hauptbahnhof) to the airport (Flughafen) in around 25 minutes. These trains operate from around 5 am to just after midnight with trains running from once every 10 minutes to at least every 30 minutes.
- Plans are well developed to make train travel to Stuttgart Airport more efficient. A new tunnel will reduce travel time from the airport to Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (Main Station) to just 8 minutes. Long-distance, including Inter-City-Express (ICE), trains will eventually stop at a new station at Stuttgart Airport. However, realizing these plans is still some years away.
By Bus to Stuttgart Airport
Several bus services are available from nearby towns to Stuttgart Airport but buses are generally not of use to the average foreign visitor. An exception is Bus 828 (Airport Sprinter) that runs to the lovely university town Tübingen up to twice per hour in just less than an hour.
By Car to Stuttgart Airport
German luxury car manufacturers Mercedes Benz and Porsche call Stuttgart home. Access to the airport by car is therefore not surprisingly very easy and efficient too. Stuttgart Airport is to the south of town directly next to Autobahn A8 (use exit 53, Stuttgart Flughafen).
It takes around 20 minutes by car from Stuttgart downtown to the Stuttgart Airport (STR). By car, it is around 60 km (40 miles) to Karlsruhe, 100 km (60 miles) to Ulm, and just over 200 km (125 miles) to Munich.
What to do on a Stopover at Stuttgart Airport?
Fast and reliable transportation makes it viable to go to Stuttgart for some sightseeing when having a couple of hours layover at the airport.
- Popular sights in the heart of Stuttgart include the large Schlossplatz (lawn square with impressive buildings), Altes Schloss (Old Castle), and the Staatsgalerie with impressive art.
- For the Mercedes Benz Museum, change to S-Bahn S1 train at the Hauptbahnhof. The museum is a few minutes walk – well signposted – from Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion station.
- For the Porsche Museum, change to S-Bahn S6 train at the Hauptbahnhof and get off at Neuwirtshaus (Porsche Platz). The Porsche museum currently has only around 20 cars but a new, larger museum will open end 2008.
From Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof by Train to Frankfurt International Airport (FRA)
For many flights, it is necessary to use Frankfurt International Airport, which can be reached by direct, at least hourly train from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof in an hour and 15 minutes.
- For some Lufthansa flights from Frankfurt Airport, it is possible to check in at Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof – five ICE trains per day allow this service. Luggage is tagged at Stuttgart station but passengers have to hand suitcases in at the Lufthansa Quick Check-in Counter at Frankfurt Airport’s Fernbahnhof (Station) at least an hour prior to flight departure. The service is called AIRail and must be reserved through Lufthansa or a travel agent.
Alternative Airports to Stuttgart (STR)
Although Stuttgart is the sixth largest airport in Germany, the number of especially intercontinental flights is limited. The most logical alternative is Frankfurt International Airport. Traveling by train to Munich Airport, the largest airport in Southern Germany, takes at least three hours – slightly less by car.
- See Also: Cheap Flights to Stuttgart Airport (STR)
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