Schlossplatz: Stuttgart Travel Guide (4.6★)

A palace forecourt turned city living room

Stuttgart’s centre opens out here. On one side a long baroque palace frames the square. On another runs the colonnade of the Königsbau. In the corner a glass cube holds the city’s art museum.

Between them lies a wide, level space of lawns and gravel paths. Two fountains and a cast-iron music pavilion stand on it. Everything points toward the Jubilee Column in the middle.

Schlossplatz is one of the most-reviewed places in the city, and it earns that by being the spot everyone passes through. Shoppers come off Königstraße, office workers cross at lunch and visitors arrive for the palaces. It is open 24 hours, every day, with nothing to pay and no gate to pass.

What you are looking at

The buildings tell the story of the old kingdom of Württemberg. Here is how to read them:

• Neues Schloss (New Palace): the three-winged baroque palace on the northeast side, built in the second half of the 18th century. It now houses state ministries, so you admire it from outside.
• Jubiläumssäule (Jubilee Column): raised in 1841 to mark the 25th year of King Wilhelm I’s reign. It is crowned by the goddess Concordia.
• Königsbau: the long building with the classical columned front on the Königstraße side. Its arcade is lined with shops and cafés.
• Kunstmuseum Stuttgart: the glass cube on Kleiner Schlossplatz. Its upper floor looks straight down onto the square.
• Altes Schloss: the older, fortress-like castle just south, home to the Landesmuseum Württemberg.

Walk the diagonal paths and the symmetry becomes obvious. The column, fountains and palace wings line up on a single axis.

Arriving by Stadtbahn or on foot

You barely need directions. The underground Stadtbahn stop Schlossplatz sits beneath the square, and several U-lines call there. Charlottenplatz, one stop away, is a short walk off the palace’s eastern side.

From Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof, walk straight down Königstraße, the long pedestrian shopping street. Schlossplatz opens out on your left after roughly ten minutes. If you are driving, use one of the public garages around the centre, because the square and Königstraße are car-free.

Festivals, concerts and the lawn in summer

The square changes with the seasons. In warm months the lawns fill with people sitting and reading, and the music pavilion comes into its own.

Big summer events use the space too. The Stuttgart Sommerfest sets up stalls here, and Jazz Open Stuttgart has staged headline concerts on the square. When a ticketed event is on, parts of the lawn are fenced, so check the city’s event calendar before planning a quiet picnic.

In Advent, the Stuttgart Christmas market spreads through the old town nearby. Schlossplatz becomes the gateway to it from Königstraße.

Claiming a patch of grass, the Stuttgart way

Sitting on the lawn is normal here, and so is bringing your own food. A few habits will make you blend in.

• Respect the fences. Sections of grass are sometimes roped off to recover. Stay off them, even when the rest is crowded.
• Keep your bottles. Many German drink bottles carry a deposit called Pfand. Return them at any supermarket, or stand empties neatly beside a bin, where collectors pick them up.
• Cross the cycle paths with care. Bikes and e-scooters cut through the edges of the square, and they move faster than you expect.
• Carry a little cash. Cards are widely taken in the Königsbau cafés, but small kiosks and festival stalls may prefer cash.

The square is at its busiest when shops are open on Saturdays and during festivals. For photos of the palace without the crowds, come early in the morning. Early evening also works, once the shopping traffic thins and the facades catch the low light.

Linking it with the rest of the centre

Schlossplatz makes a natural hub for a half-day walk. Behind the Neues Schloss, the Oberer Schlossgarten begins, leading toward the Staatstheater and the lake in front of the opera house.

South of the square, Schillerplatz sits beside the Altes Schloss and the Stiftskirche, with Marktplatz just beyond. Go to the Kunstmuseum’s top floor for the best view back over the column and palace. Then return along Königstraße for shops on the way to the station.