Public Transport System
The best and cheapest way to get around in Stuttgart is by bus, tram or metro.
The public transportation association of the region of Stuttgart is called VVS. Buses, metros (called U-Bahn), commuter trains (called S-Bahn) and some trains (RE, IRE) of the Deutsche Bahn cover an area of approx. 50 kilometres around Stuttgart.
Tickets for public transport can be bought directly from the ticket machines located at each station, or via app. The app offers a 5% discount for single tickets and you can pay by debit or credit card. At each ticket machine, you can change the language from German to English by
pressing the English flag.
Bus tickets can be bought directly from the bus driver.
VVS tickets can be used on all subways, commuter trains, streetcars, buses, the cog railway and the cable car and are valid for 3 hours in the direction indicated on the ticket. You may switch trains and have stops in between. You must have a valid ticket in order to use transit trains and buses. If you travel without a valid ticket, you will be fined € 60.
The normal price for a ticket bought from a ticket machine is € 2,50 for one zone. If you travel less than 3 stops on city railway/bus, you can buy a “short distance ticket“ for a reduced fare of € 1,40. You can find a map of all zones here: https://www.vvs.de/download/Tarifzonenplan.pdf
Check out the VVS website to get information about maps timetables, tickets and subscriptions or to download the VVS app.
Each tram, metro or bus stop also has a QR code printed on one of the printed timetables. If you scan it, it will lead you to an online timetable of all arriving and departing trams and metros from that station.
By taxi
Taxi Zentrale Stuttgart: taxi-auto-zentrale.de, +49 711 55 100 00
Taxi prices are quite expensive in Stuttgart. Prices are approximately as follows:
€ 3 general fee when ordering a taxi.
€ 2,40 per kilometer up to a distance of 4 kilometers. After that:
€ 1,90 per kilometer. A trip from the airport to the city center costs around € 36.
Car and bicycle sharing
A number of sharing services for cars, bicycles, etc. are available in Stuttgart.
- For cars the main providers are: Car2Go, Stadtmobil, Flinkster. With Drivy you can rent cars from private persons.
- For bicycles Call a Bike and the non-commercial Lastenrad Stuttgart (cargo bikes) are worth a look.
Driver's license
A driver’s license from an EU or EEA (European Economic Area) country is also valid in Germany. If your driver’s license was issued by a Non-EU country, you may continue using it in Germany for further six months. After this period you will need a domestic driver’s license. You may still need to take tests or provide specific evidence. More information can be found on the website of the Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure.