The Stuttgart Metro, known locally as the Stadtbahn Stuttgart, began operating on 10 June 1966. Far from being a standard metro system, it is in fact a light rail system supplemented by trams and buses, providing comprehensive coverage of the entire region. A combined ticketing system allows seamless transfers between the different modes of transport.
The Stuttgart Metro, also known as the “Stadtbahn”, serves approximately 340,000 passengers per day in Germany. The metro uses an honour system for fare collection. The metro does not operate 24 hours a day, but has air conditioning.
Passengers can walk between platforms, but the trains are not driverless. The metro does not have platform screen doors. Operating hours are from 05:00 to 01:00 every day.
The Stadtbahn Stuttgart has an impressive length of 190 kilometres, with a network of 77 stations and 7 lines. Of these stations, only 30 are underground and these are mainly concentrated in Stuttgart’s city centre. Where the system operates above ground, separate platforms and level crossings are provided. Car lengths are typically 40 metres, although larger cars are used on some lines.
This extensive network of trams and trains also connects with neighbouring cities, serving a population of approximately 2,600,000. Major connections include Esslingen, Böblingen, Ludwigsburg and Rems-Murr.
Construction of the underground section of the city, known as the U-Bahn Stuttgart, began in 1975. The most recent addition to this section is the U15 line, a 3-kilometre section from Hohensteinstraße to Stammheim, which opened in December 2011.
Due to Stuttgart’s hilly terrain and the location of the city centre in a valley, the 15 underground lines are classified according to their routes:
- 1) Main valley lines: U1, U14, U2
- 2) North-to-south city lines: U5, U6, U7, U15
- 3) West-to-east city lines: U4, U9
- 4) External or tangential lines (not passing through the city center): U3, U13
Metro map of Stuttgart
Map of Stuttgart Metro showing different lines. Click on the map to enlarge it or download the Stuttgart Metro map in PDF format.
Lines
Line U1: It has a total length of 17.3 km and 31 stations. The approximate journey time is 40 minutes. Major stations include Fellbach Lutherkirche, Bad Cannstatt, Stöckach, Charlottenplatz, Marienplatz, Heslach and Vaihingen.
Line U2: It is 36.1 km long and serves 28 stations. The average journey time is 38 minutes. Stations include Neugereut, Bad Cannstatt, Stöckach, Charlottenplatz, Rotebühlplatz, Vogelsang and Botnang.
Line U3: It is 7.9 km long and has 11 stations. The journey takes about 15 minutes. Some of the stations are Plieningen, Möhringen and Vaihingen.
Line U4: With a length of 3.5 km, it includes 21 stations. The journey takes about 34 minutes. Stations on this line include Untertürkheim, Wangen, Ostheim, Stöckach, Charlottenplatz, Rotebühlplatz and Hölderlinplatz.
Line U5: This line has 22 stations and the typical journey time is 29 minutes. Some stations on this line are Leinfelden, Möhringen, Degerloch, Charlottenplatz, Hauptbahnhof and Killesberg.
Line U6: It serves 40 stations and the average journey time is 53 minutes. Some stations on this line are Gerlingen, Giebel, Weilimdorf, Feuerbach, Pragsattel, Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenplatz, Degerloch, Möhringen and Fasanenhof.
Line U7: There are 36 stops on this line and the journey takes around 50 minutes. Stations on this line include Mönchfeld, Zuffenhausen, Pragsattel, Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenplatz, Ruhbank/Fernsehturm, Heumaden and Ostfildern-Nellingen.
Line U8: This line is 18.5 km long and serves 26 stations. The journey takes about 33 minutes. Stations include Vaihingen, Möhringen, Degerloch, Ruhbank/Fernsehturm, Heumaden and Ostfildern-Nellingen.
Line U9: It is 10.9 km long and has 28 stations. The journey takes about 34 minutes. Stations include Hedelfingen, Wangen, Raitelsberg, Stöckach, Hauptbahnhof, Berliner Platz and Vogelsang.
Line U11: Spans 8.2 km and has 23 stations. The journey takes about 20 minutes. Some of the stations on this line are Hauptbahnhof, Berliner Platz, Rotebühlplatz, Charlottenplatz, Mineralbäder, Cannstatter Wasen and Neckarpark (Stadion).
U12: This line serves 21 stations and the average journey time is 21 minutes. Stations include Killesberg, Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenplatz, Degerloch and Möhringen.
Line U13: This line has a total length of 13.5 km and serves 30 stations. The journey takes about 39 minutes. The main stations are Feuerbach Pfostenwäldle, Pragsattel, Löwentor, Bad Cannstatt, Untertürkheim, Wangen and Hedelfingen.
Line U14: This line covers a total distance of 20.8 km and has 32 stations. The journey takes about 45 minutes. Stations include Remseck-Neckargröningen, Mühlhausen, Hofen, Münster, Rosensteinbrücke, Stöckach, Hauptbahnhof, Rotebühlplatz, Marienplatz and Heslach Vogelrain.
Line U15: With a total length of 16.3 km, it serves 29 stations. The journey time is approximately 49 minutes. Stations include Stammheim, Zuffenhausen, Pragsattel, Löwentor, Nordbahnhof, Hauptbahnhof, Charlottenplatz, Eugensplatz, Ruhbank/Fernsehturm and Heumaden.
Line U19: This line is 1.6 km long and has 3 stations. The journey takes about 3 minutes. Some stations on this line are Bad Cannstatt Wilhelmsplatz and Neckarpark (Stadion).
Stuttgart S-Bahn Lines
The Stuttgart S-Bahn system consists of 7 commuter lines, each with a unique route:
- Line S1: runs from Plochingen via Esslingen, Bad Cannstatt, the main station, Schwabstrasse, Vaihingen, Rohr, Böblingen and terminates at Herrenberg.
- Line S2: From Schorndorf, through Waiblingen, Bad Cannstatt, main station, Schwabstrasse, Vaihingen, Rohr, airport, ending at Filderstadt.
- Line S3: runs from Backnang through Waiblingen, Bad Cannstatt, the main station, Schwabstrasse, Vaihingen, Rohr and the airport.
- Line S4: Runs from Schwabstrasse, through the main station, Zuffenhausen, Ludwigsburg and ends at Marbach.
- Line S5: Runs from Schwabstrasse, through the main station, Zuffenhausen, Ludwigsburg and terminates at Bietigheim-Bissingen.
- Line S6: Runs from Schwabstrasse, through the main station, Zuffenhausen, Leonberg and ends at Weil der Stadt.
- Line S60: This line connects Böblingen, Sindelfingen and Maichingen.
Schedule and Frequency
The Stuttgart Stadtbahn operates from 4:45 AM to 12:00 AM. The frequency of services is approximately every 10-12 minutes before 8:00 PM, and 15-20 minutes after 8:00 PM. The specific schedules can be checked on the Stadtbahn’s Official Website.
Fares
Single Day Ticket
A single-day ticket provides unlimited travel from the time of purchase, or from the date of first validation if purchased in advance, until the end of the service day (including night buses). It is non-transferable.
Price:
- For 1-2 Zones: €6.10
- For 3-4 Zones: €9.70
- For the entire network: €13.80
Purchase Locations:
These tickets can be purchased from VVS vending machines, on buses if there is no ticket machine at the station, and from authorized distributors. Unused tickets purchased in advance are valid for one year. Returns or exchanges are not permitted. Tickets can also be purchased online at the Website.
Group Day Ticket
The group day ticket allows unlimited travel on all public transport within the network. It can be used for up to five people of any age or for parents with children up to the age of 17 (no limit on the number of children). Pets can also travel in place of a person, and bicycles may be brought on board during non-peak hours (Monday to Friday from 06:00 -08:30 AM on commuter and regional trains).
Price:
- For 1-2 Zones: €10.50
- For 3-4 Zones: €14.80
- For the entire network: €17.90
Purchase Locations:
Group tickets can be purchased from VVS vending machines, on buses if there is no ticket machine at the station, and from authorized distributors. Unused tickets purchased in advance are valid for one year. Returns or exchanges are not permitted. Tickets can also be purchased online at the Website.
Single Ride Ticket
The single ride ticket allows for a one-way trip, including transfers between lines and modes of transport, as long as you continue in the same direction. The ticket is valid for two hours from the time of purchase at a vending machine or on a bus.
Price:
- For 1 Zone: Adults €2.10, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €1.10
- For 2 Zones: Adults €2.60, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €1.20
- For 3 Zones: Adults €3.50, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €1.60
- For 4 Zones: Adults €4.60, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €2.10
- For 5 Zones: Adults €5.90, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €2.80
- For 6 or more Zones: Adults €6.90, Children (6-14 years) / Dogs €3.30
Purchase Locations:
Single ride tickets can only be purchased at vending machines or on buses if there is no vending machine at the station.
3-Day Ticket
The 3-day ticket is designed for tourists and visitors participating in congresses and conferences within the VVS territory who are staying in hotels, hostels, or guest houses. It is valid for unlimited travel within the purchased area for three consecutive days from the time it is first used. It is valid for one adult or one adult and two children aged 6-17. It is non-transferable.
Validation of 3-Day Ticket:
3-day tickets must be signed with the full name of the user and validated with a stamp at a sales office before the first trip. They can be purchased at numerous hotels and guesthouses or by submitting a written declaration that the user is staying in a hotel or participating in a conference or lecture at the Tourist Office (Königstrasse 1, across from the main railway station) or at the Welcome Information Centre, in the arrivals Terminal 3 at the airport.
Prices:
- For Stuttgart Metropolitan Area, including Fellbach and Korntal (zones 10 and 20): €10.60
- For the entire network: €14.50
Stuttcard Plus
The Stuttcard offers unlimited travel for three days across Stuttgart, by bus or train, with additional benefits such as discounts or free entry to museums, discounts on tours, theatres, public pools, etc.
Prices start from €9.70.
More information: http://www.stuttgart-tourist.de/
KOMBITICKET
The KombiTickets are offered by VVS in collaboration with event organizers and come included with event tickets, airline tickets, etc. Most KombiTickets are valid for the entire network and can be used for three hours before the event starts and are valid until the end of the network’s night service (including buses). KombiTickets carry a VVS stamp identifier. Information on the availability of these tickets is available through the event organizer or VVS.