What is the quickest and most economical way to round trip for 4 adults? (No rental car) And, do I need to book this day trip now for early December? Ty
Its a local S-Bahn. No reservations, very frequent, and you should be able to buy a local network group ticket for cheap.
PS A 4-person Gruppen Tages Ticket for 2-zones in the VVS, aka Stuttgart Transit Authority, is 14.60 EUR. That covers all of you to and from Esslingen. 7 trains every hour, at least on a morning weekday, when I checked. Trains take 10 to 17 minutes depending on the type of train, S-Bahn or Regionalbahn.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/germany/christmas-market-trains
Didn't you already ask this question?
Have a wonderful trip!
I did ask but wanted specifics on Esslingen, thanks for paying attention!