View over Stuttgart

Escaping the Heat of the City

Everyone who comes from abroad presumably imagines Germany to be a relatively cold country. Well, you’re right for most time of the year. However, when the summer hits Germany the heat in Stuttgart might be higher than in other German cities.
[Photo: JCG/Fotolia]

This is especially due to its „Kesselform“, which means that Stuttgart has the shape of a caldron, as the city is surrounded by vineyards and hills. Particularly in July and August the weather is usually getting hotter and hotter and when the heat is on its peak, students always have to prepare for their finals or write papers.

Obviously, you wish you could just go straight to the airport and fly away to a beach, go hiking in the mountains or simply go somewhere else. However, you don’t even need to go that far in order to get a distraction from the library and all that university stuff going on. Believe it or not, Stuttgart has its secret spots as well.

Sky Beach

Probably every student from Stuttgart has heard of Sky Beach [de], and this is surely for a reason. Having its location above the roofs of Stuttgart, it’s always very crowded as the beach bar offers a stunning panorama.

 You can enjoy the view of Stuttgart’s city center and the Fernsehturm. Drinking a refreshing cocktail, listening to relaxing music and burying your feet in the sand, it is a great spot to hang out with your friends. There is no cover to pay, you can just go up straight onto the upper parking area of the shopping center GALERIA Kaufhof. They offer beer, wine, various cocktails and you can even rent hookahs. There are also various possibilities to sit on, you can rent a bed, sit down on beach chairs or on wooden benches. It’s also a great location to view the sunset. Sky Beach is very easy to access as the shopping center is located on the Königstraße close to central station.

Stadtstrand

Another beach bar a litte more outside the city center is the Stadtstrand [de] in Bad Cannstatt. It is a nice alternative to Sky Beach as you don’t have the feeling of being in the middle of Stuttgart, but rather on Stuttgart’s periphery right next to the Neckar. The Stadtstrand does not only offer drinks, but also great burgers and sausages. You’ll find whatever your heart desires. Right next to the beach bar there is a volleyball field where you can play volleyball, so if you want to get active first, you can have a refreshing beer or any other cold drink afterwards! You get there taking the U1 or U2 and get out at Mercedesstraße.

Campus Beach

Furthermore, for students of the campus Vaihingen and of course everyone else, the university is proud to host a beach bar as well. The Campus Beach [de] in Vaihingen offers a great possibility to just take a break during your studies and grab a cocktail with some of your study mates.

They have many cheap cocktails and drinks, it’s definitely a hot spot in Vaihingen for the summer and also the closest for the students there. It is set on the university campus in Vaihingen. If you haven’t seen it yet, you should give it a try.

Freibad

In case a cold drink is not enough for you, you can go to one of Stuttgart’s large swimming pools, also known as Freibad. As the south of Germany doesn’t have access to the ocean, people here love to

go to swimming pools and refresh in its cold water. There are five different outdoor pools in and around Stuttgart, for instance in Vaihingen, on the Killesberg and in Untertürkheim. They offer everything you need during these hot summer days – wide sunbathing lawns to relax, volleyball fields where you can play a match or two with your friends, and, of course, swimming pools that tend to be very cool. For students, they offer lower cover prices, so don’t forget to bring your student ID with you in order to get the discount. Another tip: Try to come as early as possible because on hot days the chance of long lines are high, especially in front of pools inside the city. It’s a very typical thing that Germans do in summer, so you should have at least seen it once when you’re from abroad.

Further information you can find on this homepage of the city of Stuttgart [de] including cover, hours and general information.

Max-Eyth-See

However, if none of these activities made you enthusiastic because you are rather a nature person and you would like to escape the city jungle sometimes, you won’t believe it but Stuttgart can offer you some great, calm locations as well. One is the rather small lake called Max-Eyth-See [de] and is located roughly 20 to 25 minutes away from the city center. The lake can be reached via U-Bahn from Stuttgart’s central station. Taking the line U14, you’ll be there within minutes. The lake is surrounded by restaurants, lawns and you can even rent boats. It is the perfect spot to bring your bike or your rollerblades. Whenever you need a timeout from the city, you can get it just minutes away from central station. It makes the appearance of being very idyllic, as you can see the vineyards and also get there quickly.

Clearly there are other great places in Stuttgart to hang out as well, but these ones should give you at least some oversight of what to do when you feel that you’re stuck at your desk. Hopefully your schedule allows you to go out while you have to study or work, but remember: always take a break to bring back your energy and concentration!

Carolin

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