Böblingen and Sindelfingen are two cities next to each other near Stuttgart in Germany. Most of the travellers are here for work or to do business. Some travellers to Stuttgart stay here to avoid the centre of Stuttgart for whatever reason and still enjoy access to the city via the S-bahn. Some of them are visitors to the nearby exhibition and trade fair centre Stuttgart Messe or just need a place to stay near the airport. Some come to Sindelfingen to get their new Mercedes Benz directly from the manufacturing plant.
Understand
[edit]There is a long rivalry between the cities that predates the bloodshed of the Bauernkrieg in 1525, but today both cities have the long-term plan to unite. Böblingen and Sindelfingen today share aspects of city development like the waste water treatment plant, incineration, road maintenance, electricity grid, telephone network, district heating and public transport. Both cities even share one common city quarter. On other aspects, both cities are still divided. They are different political entities, have two town halls, two mayors, two budgets, separate fire and police departments, different sports facilities, different concert halls, and different events.
Both cities have developed well. While the city of Sindelfingen has the car manufacturing plant, a lot of the connected industry and logistics is situated nearby in Böblingen-Hulb. This gave both cities a diversity of well paid jobs in different industries and a lot of tax revenue and the opportunity to grow.
Autobahn 81, that runs between Sindelfingen and Böblingen, is undergoing a major upgrade from 2021 until at least 2026. All bridges and exits will be renewed, and also some supporting roads undergo a major upgrade. This will lead unavoidably to a lot of inconvenience for locals and travellers to both cities with construction noise, unpredictable changes in traffic flows, clogged streets and unreliable time frames for public buses. Traffic and quality of life will improve dramatically as soon as the project is finished.
Sindelfingen
[edit]Sindelfingen has about 65,000 residents and has maintained many old framework buildings in the old city. Its citizens and visitors enjoy a rich cultural life of high quality. The city has one of the highest percentage of residents from other nations in comparison to other cities of the same size. In fact residents of foreign origin now outnumber residents of German background.The people of all the different nations come together every year to celebrate Internationales Straßenfest and try the different traditional foods and enjoy music and dance performances. The villages of Maichingen and Darmsheim are a part of the city of Sindelfingen.
Get in
[edit]By plane
[edit]1 Stuttgart Airport (STR IATA), ☏ +49 711 948-0. Stuttgart Airport is the nearest international airport. There is no direct connection from the airport to Sindelfingen, but you can reach Sindelfingen by Stuttgart's S-Bahn system, changing trains (from S2 or S3 to S1) at Stuttgart-Rohr. Taxi still is in reasonable distance. Some hotels in Sindelfingen offer shuttle service to the airport. 
You can also use the Frankfurt Airport (FRA IATA), which has a direct high-speed railway connection to Stuttgart, which takes little 80 minutes, landing you at Stuttgart's Hauptbahnhof (central railway station). From there you can use the local public transportation. Other less convenient options could be Munich and Zürich.
By public transportation
[edit]Böblingen and Sindelfingen are part of the unified public transport system of VVS that covers the whole region of Stuttgart. There are five train stations of the S-Bahn Stuttgart and four stations of the Schönbuchbahn that give access to local bus lines of the stadtbus. From Stuttgart main station or from the airport, the shortest route is S1 to Herrenberg. The trip from Stuttgart main station or from the airport to Böblingen station should take around 30 minutes. Sindelfingen also has a direct bus line to Stuttgart-Vaihingen, that stops near some hotels.
By car
[edit]Böblingen and Sindelfingen are very well connected to major highways and many think they are even too well connected. There are four exits to the Autobahn 81, that runs in north and south direction between the cities. The Autobahn 8, which runs in east-west direction, is only a few kilometers away and goes through the woods of Sindelfingen and is connected by Kreuz Stuttgart to Autobahn 81. Additionally, there is the Bundesstraße 464 which runs along the west side of the cities and is the main access road for cargo transport to the car manufacturing plant. Five exits connect both cities to Bundesstraße 464 and to some neighbouring cities.
The old cities have only access roads and only residential parking. You should avoid these parts unless you know exactly the spot where you want to go and how to get in and out again. Böblingen and Sindelfingen owe their wealth to the development of the car and the car industries. They are the two cities that treat cars like holy cows, but still do milk them a bit. Never touch a car, it is offensive and keep distance. Those luxury cars have big doors that swing wide open. There are lots of parking spaces in the city. The supermarkets and malls in the center allow one hour parking for free and charge €1 per hour after that. There is a huge underground parking under the marketplace in Sindelfingen that charges a similar rate. Ikea allows free parking for the whole day, but closes the car park overnight. In the northeast of the city in the Hohenzollernstraße near the Badezentrum and Burghaldenfriedhof are two big parking lots that allow parking for free. You also can place a trailer or a camper there for some days. There are two bus stations Altenheim Burghalde and Badezentrum that connect to the city.
By bike
[edit]
Böblingen and Sindelfingen are connected to Stuttgart over the Radschnellweg Böblingen/Sindelfingen – Stuttgart. This is one of the first bike roads of its kind in Germany. The idea of these high speed bicycle roads is to have a direct connection between communities that are at least 5 km long and 3 metres wide. They have a smooth surface, and are separated from other road traffic and have as little crossings with busy roads in order to make it as fast as possible and they are illuminated. These roads are designated with the green bicycle signs and have a green strip at the banquets on both sides. The aim is that the road allows a sustained travel speed of 20 km/h.
Get around
[edit]
By bus and train
[edit]Böblingen and Sindelfingen have a unified bus and train system that is a part of the greater unified transport system of Stuttgart (VVS). The standard ticket is valid for two hours and allows access to all bus lines and trains in the area of both cities. StadtTicket for Böblingen and Sindelfingen is valid for the whole day until 07:00 the next morning. Trains run at a frequency of two trains at least, the S1 line runs four trains during rush hour. Bus lines of the Stadtbus for the most part get served at a frequency of once or twice every hour. On Sundays and national holidays, service is limited to once every hour. Some bus lines to the industrial or shopping areas do not run on Sundays. A layout of the traffic lines in Böblingen and Sindelfingen is here. All informations about public transport in the area of Stuttgart are at the VVS homepage in German and English.
- 2 Goldberg. Goldberg station has a big park and ride with free capacity. There is a vending machine for parking tickets up to some days, parking tickets at a low fee for a whole month are available at Böblingen station.
- 3 Böblingen. Böblingen station has a small and more expensive park and ride and acts as a hub for both cities. Böblingen is a stop for long distance trains to Stuttgart and to the south to Singen and Freudenstadt. S-bahn line S1 connects to Stuttgart. It is the terminus for S-bahn line S60 to Sindelfingen and for the Schönbuchbahn.
- 4 Böblingen ZOB. Zentrale Omnibus Station - ZOB. The central bus station of Böblingen neighbours the train station and provides Stadtbus lines to both cities (Pflieger-Stadtbus) and additional bus lines to neighbouring cities.
- 5 Böblingen-Hulb. Hulb station is the next S-Bahn stop of the S-bahn line S1 to the south and gives access to the industrial zone of Böblingen-Hulb.
- 6 Sindelfingen station. Sindelfingen is accessible by the S-bahn line S60. The Station is next to the car manufacturing plant and allows access to the city center by foot.
- 7 Sindelfingen ZOB. Sindelfingen ZOB is directly in front of the Stern Center and the Cinemax, just a bit to the north of Sindelfingen Station and offers more bus lines.
- 8 Maichingen. Maichingen is one of the two stops for S-bahn line S60 and has a P+R.
- 9 Maichingen Nord. Maichingen Nord of S-Bahn line S60 is to the north of Maichingen and also has a P+R
- Danziger Straße, Südbahnhof, Heusteigstraße, Zimmerschlag are the stations of the Schönbuchbahn (RB 46) in Böblingen.
By taxi
[edit]- Taxi Zentrale Böblingen Sindelfingen, ☏ +49 7031 19 410, toll-free: 0800 11 19 410, fax: +49 7031 23 61 63.
- Taxi Yellow, ☏ +49 7031 71 06 57.
Carsharing
[edit]The Sindelfingen and Böblingen areas belong to the larger Stuttgart area of the car sharing provider ShareNow. You must register with your driver's licence upfront and pay per use of the cars.
Bikesharing
[edit]You can rent bikes on demand close to the Sindelfingen railway stations from RegioRad (Smartphone app)
E-scooter
[edit]Some of the leading scooter operators also offer service in Sindelfingen, e.g., Lime, Bird or Tier. You need a smartphone and the app of the provider to locate and rent the scooters.
See
[edit]Sindelfingen
[edit]The old city is accessed best by foot. Most areas have cobblestones.
Museums
[edit]- 1 Galerie der Stadt Sindelfingen (Mittleres Rathaus, Lützemuseum, I-Punkt, Tourist Information), Marktplatz 1 (bus stop Sindelfingen Marktplatz at the building). Tourist information, ticket service for events, guided tours through the city, souvenir shop, museum shop, art exhibits. This is the first place for tourists to go to get any information you need. Citizens that are new to the city get a free guided tour paid by the city. Free admission.
- 2 Schauwerk Sindelfingen, Eschenbrünnlestraße 15, ☏ +49 7031 932-49 00, fax: +49 7031 932-49 20. Private museum and art collection, exhibits of international contemporary artists.
- 3 Webereimuseum Sindelfingen, Corbeil-Essones-Platz 4, ☏ +49 7031 94357, [email protected]. F-Su 15:00-18:00. The history of the weaving industry in Sindelfingen, learn hand weaving techniques, guided tour available. free.
Parks
[edit]- 4 Sommerhofenpark, Seestraße. Well maintained and generous park, centered around the banks of the Sommerhofen river. Has playgrounds, art works, biergarten, Klosterseehalle, Klostersee, public events and open air performances, backyard railroad. It is part of a network of parks and connects to Herrenwäldlepark, Stadthallenpark, Dronfieldpark and Goldbachpark, also to the protected landscapes to the east and to the protected Glemswald in the north. Free public access.
- 5 Park an der Stadthalle (Stadthalle), Schillerstraße 23. The conference and venue center Stadthalle is surrounded by a small but well maintained park. Free public access.
- 6 Aibachgrund. Aibachgrund is a former quarry that has beed transformed into a public park in Darmsheim, also place for events. Free public access.
Buildings and Sights
[edit]- 7 Old city hall (Altes Rathaus, Stadtmuseum), Lange Straße 1+3 (old city). Built in 1478 as the town hall, now the city museum. Enjoy the timber framed buildings in the old city. Free admission.
- 8 Pedestrian Crossings, Ziegelstraße. Marble zebra-crossings. Famous as the center of a debate about public spending. At the indicated location also is a natural monument Pfarrlinde an der Ziegelstraße.
- 9 Fountains, Marktplatz (old city). The Freundschaftsbrunnen (friendship fountain) and the Marktbrunnen also called "Schwätzweiberbrunnen" (gossip women fountain) are located close to the market place and monastry. Free public access.
- 10 Glaspalast (Glaspalast Sindelfingen), Rudolf-Harbig-Str. 10, [email protected]. One of the largest sports and venue halls in Swabia built in 1977 by the architect Günter Behnisch who also created the Olympic park in Munich.
Churches
[edit]- 11 Martinskirche (church of St. Martin). One of the oldest churches in the area, built in 1083. An impressive building in remarkably good condition, considering its age. This church starts the development from the small village to a city. It is open to the public except during church services and concerts. Unless you have seen the Martinskirche, you have not visited Sindelfingen. The church has an impressive organ and is known for its music performances. Free admission.
- 12 Ulu Moschee (Ulu Mosque), Am Hirnach 15. The cities of Böblingen and Sindelfingen have a significant Muslim population of around 10%, most of them of Turkish origin. There are at least six mosques in Sindelfingen and three more in Böblingen. The Ulu Mosque is one of the biggest and most important mosques in the region. Chutba is Turkish. Halal shop and other Turkish foods in the supermarket.
Do
[edit]- 1 Mercedes-Benz factory, Sindelfingen (free shuttle bus in Böblingen, platform 9, every 20 minutes.), [email protected]. Monday-Friday 08:00-16:00. The heart of Mercedes-Benz manufacture, and well worth the visit. There are some 40,000 employees on site, including 9,000 in research & development alone! There are also guided tour in English weekdays at 13:30, bookable by writing an email to the visitor center. Watch out for the two chimneys 100 and 120 m tall. Free.
- 2 Motorworld (Former Meilenwerk), Graf-Zeppelin-Platz. For people who like classic cars. Close up experience of special vehicles and bikes in a changing collection. Vehicles can be viewed but are also sold, restored, serviced, and rented out by professional service providers.
- 3 Messe Sindelfingen, Sindelfingen. Small to mid-sized trade fair. Free shuttle bus service from Goldberg train station during fairs.
- 4 Hike to the memorial of the baptismal font of the Hospitalkirche in Stuttgart (Gedenkstätte Taufstein der Hospitalkirche), Mietholzsträßchen (northeast of the city). Stuttgart was destroyed by the war. The baptismal font of the Hospitalkirche was transported to the landfill in this area among other debris. But this piece was set aside and put upside down at the place of the memorial on a small pedestal with the inscription Sic transit gloria mundi, in remembrance of the destruction. Some 70 years later, the baptismal font was restored and returned to its former place at the Hospitalkirche in Stuttgart. The pedestal remained at its place deep in the Glemswald between Sindelfingen and Stuttgart-Vaihingen. This place is not accessible with motorized vehicles, but there are paved and marked roads through the woods, only the last part is unpaved. The path will bring you eventually to Stuttgart-Büsnau or to Suttgart-Vaihingen, use public transport from there back to Sindelfingen. Free access.
- Hiking tours on marked roads in the Sindelfinger Wald and Glemswald, ☏ +49 7031 878889, [email protected]. Hiking on 60 km marked and maintained roads. Eight different trails between 4.8 and 18 km in length. Along the path are some natural monuments in Sindelfingen. free access.
- 5 Sensapolis, Melli-Beese-Straße 1. Spend some time in the amusement park in Flugfeld. Suitable for families, including toddlers. Indoor climbing and other activities, birthday parties. Adults may reserve a ride on the neighbouring indoor E-Kart track. €12.50-18.00.
- 6 Badezentrum Sindelfingen, Hohenzollernstraße 23, ☏ +49 7031 860216. indoor pool, outdor pool, sauna, 10-meter diving platform, slides. It has the only covered 50-m indoor sports pool in the region and is able to run international swimming competitions.
- 7 Kino Sindelfingen (Cinemaxx), Mercedesstraße 12 (near bus station). 3D-Cinema in the shopping complex of the Stern Center. Directly facing the Sindelfingen main bus station.
- Find the Sculptures in Sindelfingen. Sindelfingen has some 100 different monuments scattered in different public places. Many of them are from famous artists. Guided tour at the tourist information available.
- Day trips to the Schönbuch Nature Park for biking or hiking on maintained marked roads and trails. Visit the fenced animals at certain places. Hear the red deer roar during rut.
- Day trip to the beautiful small city of Waldenbuch and visit the chocolate manufacturer Ritter and the museum Ritter. Start hiking trips to the surrounding Schönbuch Nature Park.
- Day trips to the nearby historic city of Herrenberg and to Weil der Stadt with its city wall still intact. Both cities are easily accessible via S-Bahn.
- Visit Stuttgart and the gigantic Stuttgart 21 construction site that covers the whole city and the airport
Events
[edit]- Internationales Straßenfest (international street festival): . Annual festival in the mid of June on the streets of the town centre. A weekend of gathering with International food, drinks and music from all parts of the world. (date needs fixing)
- Biennale: every second year. Potpourri of different events, music, dance, theater, musical, open air concerts with free access, fireworks. The event is managed by the City of Sindelfingen and the performers are local groups and professional artists from Sindelfingen and elsewhere working together. (date needs fixing)
- Schlemmermarkt: annually. Outdoor gathering with exciting food creations. Local restaurants show what they are capable of, live music and entertainment.
- Cannstatter Volksfest: Every year 17 days between the end of September and beginning of October. Travel from Sindelfingen with S-Bahn S1 directly to the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. Trains every 15 minutes until late at night. (date needs fixing)
- Stuttgarter Frühlingsfest: Every year three weeks between mid of April and beginning of May. Travel from Sindelfingen with S-Bahn S1 directly to the Cannstatter Wasen in Stuttgart. Trains every 15 minutes until late at night. (date needs fixing)
Buy
[edit]- 1 Breuningerland Shopping center, Tilsiter Straße 15. M-F 10:00-20:00, Th 10:00-22:00, Sa 09:30-20:00. Shopping mall, electronics, restaurants, supermarket, covid quick test.
- 2 Stern Center, Mercedesstr. (near main bus station). Shopping mall, restaurants, supermarket, Cinemaxx
- 3 IKEA Sindelfingen. Furniture, household items, restaurant
- Turkish supermarkets. Sindelfingen has three Turkish supermarkets that provide halal meat and Turkish food.
Eat
[edit]- 1 Pizza SI-FI, Neckarstraße 48, ☏ +49 4970 31762600. pizza and cevapcici, dine-in or takeaway, no delivery. Seating inside and outside. Pizza €5-6.
- Kebab: many Döner shops all around town. Price for Döner is €4.50-5.00
- Wettbachplatz Many bars & restaurants surround the square. Foreign and local cuisine. Especially nice in summer.
- 2 Zum Erdinger, Wettbachstraße 1, ☏ +49 7031 816633. Good southern German restaurant.
- 3 Brasserie Max, Wettbachstraße 2, ☏ +49 7031 872981.
- 4 Altstadtlokal Funzel, Untere Vorstadt 12, ☏ +49 7031 7655122. Good German (Schwäbisch) food. Seating inside and outside on the edge of the square.
- 5 Champa, Untere Vorstadt 8. Small Thai restaurant. Seating inside and outside
- 6 Dynasty, Mahdentalstraße 54. Chinese restaurant. Seating inside and outside
- 7 Nikko Sushi, Stadtgrabenstraße 18, Böblingen. Sushi, delivery service to Sindelfingen
Drink
[edit]- During the summer try something around "Wettbachplatz". Many Bars & Restaurants.
- 1 Irish Pub "Ireland's Own", Ziegelstraße 8.
- 2 Wiesengarten Sindelfingen, Sommerhofenpark 3. When the weather allows open daily from 11:00–21:30. Very relaxed place to have a beer in the Sommerhofenpark in the open air outside of the center. Local cuisine on a basic level for little money: Grillwurst, Maultaschen, Linsen und Spätzle und Saitenwurst, Fleischkäse mit Kartoffelsalat. Good place to go with noisy and hyperactive children as there are two playgrounds and water and lots of space to run around near the place. 0,5 l beer €3.80.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Hotel am Klostersee, Burghaldenstraße 6. Old style German hotel. Quiet location near the center. Sommerhofenpark and Stadthalle at the doorstep
- 2 Best Western Hotel, Calwer St 16 (central location). Good sized rooms.
- 3 Erikson, Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Straße 8 (near Sindelfingen Station and Mercedes-Benz). Restaurant
- 4 Stuttgart Marriott Hotel Sindelfingen, Mahdentalstraße 68. With style, furnishing and most customers like being a USA hotel except with better plumbing. Reasonable but not large sized rooms, TV a museum piece. Can be noisy as many American families with children long stay here. Steak restaurant. Expensive.
- 5 Mercure Hotel Bristol Stuttgart Sindelfingen, Wilhelm-Haspel St. 101 (Close to Messe Sindelfingen).
- 6 Mercure Hotel Stuttgart Sindelfingen an der Messe, Schwertstr. 65 (east). Next to Messe Sindelfingen, close and very accessible to the Autobahn.
- 7 Tulip Inn (was EuroHotel Stuttgart, was Nordic Hotel), Waldenbucher Straße 84 (next to Goldberg S-bahn). Basic rooms, friendly staff. Some rooms get traffic noise from the Autobahn.
Stay safe
[edit]Böblingen and Sindelfingen have a unified health care system. Both clinics operate as one facility with two branches that complement each other. They provide for emergency care and routine medical treatment. The emergency call is the universal number 112. Both cities are considered as safe, even through night time and violent crimes are very rare. The biggest danger probably is road traffic. The woods of Sindelfingen as the whole area is a risk zone for infected ticks. Some of them can spread TBE or borreliosis.
- 1 Klinikum Sindelfingen (Sindelfingen clinic), Arthur-Gruber-Straße 70, ☏ +49 7031 98-0.
- 2 Klinkum Böblingen, Bunsenstraße 120, ☏ +49 7031 668-0.
- 3 Flugfeldklinikum, Elly-Beinhorn-Straße. New hospital, under construction since 2021, will eventually replace both predecessors and is planned to open in 2025.
- Covid quick test at Breuningerland and at several places in the city centre
- 4 Polizeirevier Sindelfingen, Gartenstraße 4, 71063 Sindelfingen, ☏ +49 7031 697-0, fax: +49 7031 697-110. 24/7.
Connect
[edit]Cope
[edit]Go next
[edit]| Routes through Sindelfingen |
| Renningen ← | NW  SE
|
→ Holzgerlingen → Reutlingen, Tübingen |
| Würzburg ← Stuttgart ← | N  S
|
→ Herrenberg → Singen |
| Karlsruhe ← Leonberg ← | W  E
|
→ Möhringen Stuttgart airport → Munich |
| Stuttgart ← Stuttgart-Vaihingen ← | N  S
|
→ Ehningen → Herrenberg |
| Stuttgart ← Renningen, Leonberg ← | W  E
|
→ END |
| END ← | W  E
|
→ Holzgerlingen → Dettenhausen |