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Stuttgart

Situated amongst the rolling hills of Germany's premiere wine-growing region, Stuttgart is capital of the state of Baden-Wurttemberg in southwestern Germany. Dotted with beautiful historical buildings, impressive parks and fantastic art museums, this modern city is a good stopover for its undulating wine estates, annual beer festival, mineral spa culture and acclaimed ballet, opera and philharmonic companies.

Charming olde worlde quarters like the Bohnenviertel (Bean District) with its sidewalk cafés and cobbled streets, meet the modern pedestrianised precincts of contemporary Stuttgart, boasting the latest in European mode such as Königstrasse, one of the longest shopping areas in Germany. A big city with a small-town atmosphere, visitors will find the bustling art nouveau Market Hall transports them to former countrified years. Nowadays, this is where organic fruit and vegetables, aromatic cheeses and fresh fish from the North Sea can be found. However, a must for any visitor to this city is a trip to one of Stuttgart's reputed mineral baths, be it the modern and luxurious Mineralbad Cannstatt or the Mineral Bath Berg, exuding a wistful fifties charm.

View the city from atop the Fernsehturm (Television Tower), a 712ft (217m) tower with an observation deck and restaurant at the pinnacle where on a clear day, you can see the Black Forest; head to Schlossplatz, a famous landmark and meeting place for locals and visitors, its green lawns littered with youths soaking up the summer sunshine or find your own sanctuary in the dappled shade of the 'Green U' park, a five mile (8km) natural haven in the city centre.

These features all come as a surprise to the first time visitor to Stuttgart, who usually associate the city with its reputation as the 'cradle of the automobile'. The motorbike and four-wheel car were invented in Stuttgart and one of its most famous attractions is the enormous Mercedes-Benz Museum, with 160 immaculate vehicles on permanent display, including their new luxury models, racing cars and reputed antiques. If that doesn't whet your appetite, head across town to the Porsche Museum.