Stuttgart Airport luggage storage

About the airport 

Stuttgart is one of the most overlooked travel destinations in Germany. It’s home to Europe’s largest zoo. One of the most famous ballet and philharmonic institutions is situated here. Some of the largest automakers in the world are headquartered in Stuttgart, and their impressive museums are located within a short tram ride from the city center. 

Stuttgart is also situated in one of the most fascinating regions in Germany, with wonderful winemakers, the Swabian Alps, and the magnificent Black Forest all within a short drive. There’s also its fair share of history to appreciate, with wonderful landmarks everywhere you look. With so much to offer, Stuttgart is catching up to nobody. 

Flughafen Stuttgart, or simply Stuttgart Airport, is one of the busiest travel hubs in Germany, with massive traffic coming from both domestic and international travelers. Four terminals accommodate different carriers. There are major routes between other European cities along with many connecting flights with Berlin and a few other German cities. It’s incredibly common for international business travelers to use Stuttgart Airport as a way to get to the corporate headquarters for the many automotive companies along with the financial sector. As such, ample amenities have been developed to accommodate frequent fliers. 

Stuttgart Airport is situated just outside the city center and is impeccably well connected to the city center through the U-Bahn and S-Bahn public transportation networks. There are also plenty of car rental companies operating out of Stuttgart Airport, making it an easy hub for exploring the nearby Black Forest and the state of Baden-Wurttemberg.

Can you leave your bags somewhere in the airport?

Stuttgart Airport has all the amenities you could expect from a major transportation hub. You’ll have lounge access for business travelers, accessible terminal entrances, family care rooms, full-service food options, a duty-free shopping area, and limited luggage storage facilities. All of this makes it easy to enjoy Stuttgart Airport, but the only option for luggage storage Stuttgart Airport has would be luggage lockers, which fill up quickly. 

Does Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof have lockers?

Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof does have luggage lockers in the main hall, however, this is limited to 24 hours, so you won’t be able to store your luggage for more than an entire day. They can be useful if you’re flying through Stuttgart Airport on a layover, but there are better baggage storage options available if you’re exploring the city. 

Where can I store luggage in Stuttgart?

The best option in Stuttgart for storing luggage has to be a service like Bounce. There are a few options, but the Bounce network has the most locations along with premium features that make it easy to use. Bounce partners with local shops to provide our customers with the most convenient left luggage facilities, and the intuitive mobile app makes it easy to find the most convenient location and book online.

How early should you get to Stuttgart Airport?

For international travelers, it’s recommended that you arrive at the airport at least three hours prior to your flight. The average commute from the city center to Stuttgart Airport is 25 minutes, and it will vary more with driving than with public transportation. It’s usually recommended to err on the side of caution, even with a highly efficient transit system and check-in process at the airport.

How to get to the city from Stuttgart Airport 

Public transportation

There are a few methods of getting to Stuttgart Airport from the city center. The S-Bahn trains run from various points in the city center, with the trip from Hauptbahnhof taking only 15 minutes and service running very frequently. The U-Bahn trams are another common way as they run from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof (18 minutes) and other stops. A ticket is only about $3, making it the most cost-effective way of getting to the airport. Stuttgart Airport Busterminal is frequently used for regional service, but rarely for international travelers visiting the city center. 

By taxi and rideshare 

The drive from Stuttgart Airport to the city center only takes about 20 minutes, with rush hour only adding a few minutes here and there. The rides typically cost between $40 and $70 depending on your specific destination. Uber and Lyft both operate in Stuttgart, and taxis are readily available at the airport (less common in the city). You can hail cabs or meet rideshare rides on the right side of Terminal 1 Arrivals. 

Things to do near Stuttgart Airport 

Mercedes-Benz Museum 

One of the world’s greatest car-building cities, it makes sense that Stuttgart’s premier attraction would be an automotive temple like the Mercedes-Benz Museum. This brand has been quintessential to the identity of Stuttgart for almost a century, and touring this museum is the best way to learn why the automotive industry is such a source of pride for the city.

The museum is situated right outside the headquarters of the Mercedes-Benz Group near the city center. It’s hard to miss, with a sleek modern facade with wonderful curves designed to resemble the cloverleaf shape of the Wenkel engine the company invented. 

Mercedes-Benz Museum bag policy

While the dimensions are not specified, all large personal items and luggage are prohibited in the museum galleries. The cloakroom is free, but it’s known to fill up quickly. The museum is situated just outside the city center, with the commute from Stuttgart Hauptbahnhof being a 20-minute ride via the S1 train (Neckarpark stop). Because it’s a longer journey with no promise of space in the cloakroom, it might make sense to find luggage storage in the city center and leave the bags there. 

Schlossplatz 

The centerpiece of Stuttgart’s historical and cultural heritage is this wonderful central square. The main feature is the impressive baroque Neues Schloss palace inspired by Versailles, and there are beautiful garden terraces worth exploring. There are even fairgrounds where the city celebrates its many festivals. Sommerfest is the big bash where the whole place turns into a beer garden, but the Weihnachtsmarkt Christmas market is the most iconic. There are also free concerts held here all summer long.  It’s very easy to get to, as the Königstraße runs through it, connecting Schlossplatz with nearby Karlsplatz and Schillerplatz. 

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart 

If you want to take a break from the car-obsessed museums of Stuttgart the best place to head would be this elegant arts museum right across the street from Oberer Schloßgarten. The design of the building is as eye-catching as it gets, as architect James Stirling blended modern and neoclassical elements to design the colorful curvature of the exterior. Permanent collections of European art spanning the centuries are a focus of the gallery, but you’ll find plenty of contemporary works as well.

Big names presented inside include Miró, Picasso, Matisse, Kandinsky, Dali, and Klee. Staatsgalerie also enjoys a reputation that allows it to bring in the premier traveling art exhibitions. It frequently hosts the same events (Roy Lichtenstein’s pop art and Warhol exhibitions are notable examples) as the best art museums in Paris and Berlin. 

Staatsgalerie Stuttgart bag policy 

Basically, every large personal item, including jackets and all bags, is prohibited inside the gallery for security purposes. The cloakroom does have lockers available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Even purses must be left there, but the museum offers transparent bags for carrying valuables like medication, mobile phones, and wallets inside the museums. Because of the strict nature of the bag policy, bringing any luggage to the Staatsgalerie is not recommended. 

Zoologisch-Botanischer Garten (Stuttgart Zoo) 

With a name like that, it’s no wonder why the local Stuttgarters now lovingly call the zoo “Wilhelma.” This zoo-botanic garden combo is easily the best family-friendly attraction in Stuttgart, with acres of green space showcasing exotic plants alongside a full zoo for admiring thousands of different species.

The Stuttgart Zoo is impressive not just for its size, which is really impressive given it is the largest in Europe, but also for its incredible architecture. Built in 1829, the zoo was built on the mineral springs near Rosenstein Castle. While there have been upgrades over the centuries, the facilities showcase the distinctive architecture of a Moorish villa. 

Stuttgart Zoo bag policy 

There aren’t specified rules prohibiting certain sizes of personal items or luggage, but there are highly limited lockers available. These tend to fill up quickly, given the number of families visiting the zoo, so it’s better to leave the luggage back in the city center or hotel. It’s only about 15 minutes from the city center out to the zoo via the U9 and U14 U-Bahn lines, so dropping the luggage before commuting is better. 

Luggage storage near Stuttgart Airport 

Baden-Wurttenburg’s largest city is incredibly easy to get around, especially for flying in and out via Stuttgart Airport. Make things even easier by using a Bounce luggage storage facility to take care of the bags while you explore one of Germany’s most vital travel destinations. Going somewhere after Stuttgart? Bounce operates in every major German city and beyond! So if you need to store your bags for a few hours anywhere in Germany, there’s no greater convenience than the services and features provided by Bounce.