Various advice for newcomers moving to Stuttgart

Hello all,

I am new in this site and now preparing to live in Stuttgart. I just received a job offer so i feel complicated to accept or not although the offer sounds quite good. My worries are about living in Stuttgart. Can you please comment on it?

1) Is it really hard to make friends there without being capable of German language ?
2) How much does an apartment - convenient in reaching to city center - cost in a region close to Boeblingen or in city center - reasonably clean and comfortable apartment is enough.
3) Are there enough English speaking people around?
4) How is the nightlife?

I am now living in Istanbul and I believe it will be very different for me living there.

Your comments and recommendations are highly appreciated, I really need them.

Thanks in advance.

Plenty of nightlife. For flats around 500 - 800 Euros a month average, try www.immobilienscoute.de or www.wg-gesucht.de.

There is a big turkish population in Stuttgart and most German people speak English so I imagine you will have lots of options!

Stuttgart's a fine area to live. The nightlife might not match that of Hamburg, Berlin, Cologne, Frankfurt, and... oh, what's the name of that cute little place down south...? ah yes, Munich, but there's plenty out there if you're willing to go looking for it. When I first moved here from Frankfurt a couple of years ago, there were obviously lots of native English speakers around but there didn't seem to be much in the way of meet-ups and community spirit. Communications have improved significantly since then though, and we frequently get together for pub quizzes, nightclubs, and at the moment live World Cup games on the big screens on the Schloßplatz. As JDee says, for 500-800 euros you should be able to get yourself a reasonable flat. One good thing about Stuttgart: wherever you live, you're never really that far from the city centre!

Is your Job in Stuttgart or on the outskirts?
The further away from Stutters, the cheaper the rent will get. But The Busses and trains run very frequent.
Usually you will never be more than 45 mins on the train from the center. maybe worth looking into.

Thank you all for the kind replies, let's give a start and see what happens there.

A move to Stuttgart might be in order for me, and so here are the questions:

1. Would a couple be comfortable living on 2800 Euro net per month?
2. Are there many immigrants?
3. Is Bad Canstatt a nice area to live in?
4. Is the city pleasing to the eye in general?

I am also thinking of my own business.

5. How much is a cup of really good coffee in a good café in Stuttgart?
6. Is there demand for more places which sell good coffee in businessy areas to office plankton popping to work, popping out for lunch, etc.?

Thanks everyone.

1. Would a couple be comfortable living on 2800 Euro net per month?

It's plenty, depending on if you're living alone or not. Even if you aren't, it gets less expensive the more further out you are from the center. I live right in the Zentrum and pay about 900 euro cold. Go through the newspaper or see what's being offered at the universities before going to an agency.

2. Are there many immigrants?

Stuttgart is not the most diverse place in south Germany, but it has a pretty good diversity for its size. Some Turkish, African, British, East Asian and American people frequent the city. Like most cities in Germany, everybody usually gets along. However it's comforts are more for the German speaking crowd.

3. Is Bad Canstatt a nice area to live in?

Don't know much about this area, but it's close to Stuttgart. You can get there by train in about 15 minutes.

4. Is the city pleasing to the eye in general?
Stuttgart is kind of shaped like a cup, so you kind of drive down into it from the outside of the city. There are parts of the city (Stuttgart-Nord, or driving along the B27 towards Ruetlingen) that are really scenic and nice. It has great places to park and enjoy the view at night.

5. How much is a cup of really good coffee in a good café in Stuttgart?
Most places I go to I pay about 2,50 euro for coffee, 3 euro for cappacino.

6. Is there demand for more places which sell good coffee in businessy areas to office plankton popping to work, popping out for lunch, etc.?

Not sure what you mean here, but there's always a demand for nice, laid back places to go to during lunch. A lot of them are in the Zentrum, so be aware of that. Just get to know the area better, and figure out if there's an area that doesn't have one.

One thing to point out is that because Stuttgart is not highly international, speaking English is sometimes not expected or not well received. Learn German and speak to them first in German (if you don't know it already). It's not that they don't know how to speak English, they're just shy when it comes to speaking it. It breaks the ice when you look like the idiot fumbling through they're language, rather than the other way around. This is just my opinion, and I hope I don't offend anyone. Hope this helps

Thanks!

Bad Canstatt is not a separate town, it is part of the city of Stuttgart. Transport connections are good with both the U-bahn and S-bahn connections. Its actually fairly large and includes a few fairly discrete neighborhoods, such as Muckensturm (where I used to live) -- completely residential up on a hill - and another neighborhood up on the hill where Robinson Barracks is located (I am blanking on the name, sorry!). It has its own small pedestrian zone with shops, etc. And as you can probably guess from the name, it has mineral baths. Socio-economic and ethnic mix is quite varied, with some expensive areas, some middle-of-the-road neighborhoods, and other sections with a fair number of "Sozialwohnungen" and a large Turkish population.

I quite enjoyed living in Stuttgart. Definitely lots of cultural activities (in German) on offer, and lots of areas with nice views, etc. Also many nice daytrips possible within a 30-40 minute drive. There are not as many English-speaking expats around as in Munich -- unless you count the military bases! I believe Stuttgart is actually the command post for the US Armed Forces in Europe, maybe a military person will correct me if that's not accurate. My experience is that housing is substantially cheaper than in Munich -- maybe 20-30%.

yes exactly right about bad canstatt, I just couldnt be bothered to correct all the misconceptions in flints's post!! Stuttgart is apparently one of the most international cities in the world, statistically up there with New York and London... I have actually sat with a friend who was showing me the census data and there are large Italian, Spanish and Croatian communities here along with the usual smattering of South Americans, Russians, Ukranians, Poles, Greeks and a very large Turkish population etc.. etc.. 40% of the people in the city were not born in Germany. You often here people speaking in English all around Stuttgart but the people arent usually native English speakers. Im no expert ( correct me if Im wrong ) but I understand that US Central Command ( CentCom ) is outside Stuttgart but the majority of Americans seem to live out in the suburbs and on the bases around Sindelfingen / Boblingen. So you dont tend to notice them so much in the city.

Correct stuttgarts got a large international community, full of turks and croatians where i live (marienplatts). Bad cannstatt is 12-15 mins from the hauptbahnhoff velvet and its ok, i got a mate who lives there.

Well, I guess what I was trying to say is it's not very easy to get around Stuttgart for people who are not fluent in German. Examples are instructions for just about everything from trash collection, registering yourself in the city, groceries, and generally all mass transportation in Stuttgart is exclusively in GERMAN. Bigger cities like Berlin and Munich accommodate to people from other countries by having important things in at least English, and maybe Italian and French. I know what you're probably saying...why should they accommodate to us? You're right, they shouldn't, I'm just merely stating that if your German is not that good then choose a more international city.

to be honest everyone under the age of about 60 speaks English here, unless they came from another country and were not educated in Germany. I walked through Stuttgart high st. this week and only heard english people speaking the whole time. i.e. Sometimes speaking German doesn't help either, i've been with German friends and when we tried to ask directions they had more trouble than me because everyone they asked was Turkish, Russian etc.. and they couldnt understand the accents.. I'm totally useless at languages but managed fine on arriving here. Yes you will certainly have to meet people who don't have good English and sometimes you may have to coax people a little to get them to help you, or find someone to translate a little, but surely this is all part of the fun??

I don't know man, we must live in 2 different cities...

The transport system in Stuttgart does display most of the things you need to know in english aswell as german when i first arrived here i didnt speak a word of german but I had no problem using trains, busses ect.

hi just joined tt still living in england but wife would like to return to stuttgart area. Any advice on state of schools would be helpful kids aged 7-10. the reason im on this topic is that the lovely boys (all in their 20 s) live near me and sadly reflect the way of life here. also how much would i need to earn for a family of 5? can you get sky t.v . Any help would be welcome

Topics merged by admin

I believe you can get Sky TV in Germany. toytowngermany.com/wiki/Sky_satellite_TV_in_Germany

I'm thinking of getting it myself. I've got a tele sitting here with nothing but DVDs to watch and no, I haven't figured out how to get a plug for the German cable. I think you'd need an adapter to go to an American spec TV, but I've been too lazy ... er busy, yeah that's it ... to head down to Saturn and see what they have in the cable/adapter department. Would love some advice ...

DC

Here is a useful post on adapters/converters from an earlier thread. If you use the search function (upper right corner) you will find lots more advice on this topic and on just about everything else under the sun!

sorry I've posted my post not in right place

I have been trying to send a message to this site for more than a week and haven't seen my message. I am hoping that this one sends.
It is likely that we will be pcsing to Stutgart this summer--the dreaded AfriCom.
Can someone give any advice on:
Internet
Vehicle purchase (from on-base auto or factory direct with US specs)
situation with the schools--all three levels.

thanks.
MACS2008

It's a small town compared to LA or London... So if you go out and get smashed expect to see the same people the next day in the store... on the bus... in the street... you get the picture.